As I understand it VCs don't acquire companies, they invest in them. The difference being that in an acquirer buys and runs the company, while a VC only buys a small portion of it and gains exposure to potential upside.

In my case, I'd like to go from an owner to something like a VC -- that is, I'd like to liquidate my company but still maintain a small potential upside. What I don't understand is how this would work, as the acquisition itself would be the upside.