It is common knowledge that a vast majority of startups are doomed to fail in the early stages. We have been reviewing the ups-and-downs of entrepreneurs and startups through the year. Here is a roundup Sixty Seven startups that failed and made headlines in 2018.
These failed startups are across the entire business spectrum ranging from FoodTech, Food Delivery, Crypto currencies to medical services and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other technology areas.
Seven Startups that failed in December 2018
AI security camera maker Lighthouse shutting down – A Bay Area based startup, Lighthouse, that was trying to market a $300 security camera with some sophisticated artificial intelligence capabilities, is shutting down. The reason was the lack of “commercial success” of its product.
Canadian FoodTech startup Food Starter abruptly shuts down – Food Starter, a Toronto based startup incubator is shutting down. According to Canadian news agency, CBC, Food Starter sent out an email to clients alerting them that the final day for processing at the facility would be December 21, and that all tenants would need to move out of the plant as early as December 31.
Crypto Market Crash Leaving Bankrupt Startups in its Wake – According to a bloomberg report, the plunge in the cryptocurrency market is weighing on the software-development community that spawned over 1,000 digital coins amid dreams of independence from traditional financial systems and instant wealth. ETCDEV, the startup that led development on Ethereum Classic, which is among the top 20 coins with a market capitalization of about $400 million, announced this week that it’s shuttering operations due to a funding crunch. Joseph Lubin’s ConsenSys, one of the largest crypto-related software startups based in New York, said Thursday that its workforce will be reduced by 13 percent as part of a reorganization.
On-demand childcare startup Poppy shuts down – The on-demand childcare startup, Poppy recently announced that it was shutting down. In a detailed note on its website, Avni and the Poppy team posted: We have hard news to share today – Poppy will be discontinuing services as of December 4, 2018.
Crypto Market Crash Leaving Bankrupt Startups in its Wake – According to a bloomberg report, the plunge in the cryptocurrency market is weighing on the software-development community that spawned over 1,000 digital coins amid dreams of independence from traditional financial systems and instant wealth. ETCDEV, the startup that led development on Ethereum Classic, which is among the top 20 coins with a market capitalization of about $400 million, announced this week that it’s shuttering operations due to a funding crunch. Joseph Lubin’s ConsenSys, one of the largest crypto-related software startups based in New York, said Thursday that its workforce will be reduced by 13 percent as part of a reorganization.
mage: flickr.com/photos/mikeblogs
Cryptocurrency startup Basis shutters operations following SEC concerns – The volatile swings in crypto currency is leading to a lot of startups shutting down. Last week we saw news of Swiss Crypto Mining Firm Envion ordered by court to Shut Down. This week, Basis, Crypto’s Top Funded Startup announced that it was shutting down. Basis had bagged $133 million from top VCs announced that it is shutting down and also returning the money to investors.
Hyperloop startup Arrivo is shutting down as workers are laid off – The company, started by former Hyperloop One executives, furloughed all employees in November while it sought new funding. Futuristic transportation startup Arrivo shut down its operations this week, The Verge has learned. All of the company’s 30 or so employees were furloughed in late November, with about half being completely laid off at the end of that month, according to two employees who were granted anonymity because they signed non-disclosure agreements. Now, the Los Angeles startup is shutting down because it hasn’t been able to secure new funding, these people say.
Roundup of Nine startups that failed in November 2018
Meal Kit Startup JustAddCooking Shuts down – According to media sources, Just Add Cooking (JAC), the Boston, Mass based meal kit company specializing in locally-sourced meals from the New England has ceased operations. JAC was trying to capture the market for locally sourced foods
Commercial Kitchen startup, Pilotworks shuts down – Pilotworks, a startup that offered commercial kitchen space for food entrepreneurs announced that it is shutting down. “This is a sad outcome for Pilotworks, the makers in our kitchens, and independent food in general. We wish there was another option to continue operating. Sadly, there was not. The work the independent food community is doing is amazing and inspiring. We know it will live on and we are deeply sorry it will not be with Pilotworks.”
Image from Facebook
YCombinator incubated Mobile Banking Startup Seed.co Shuts Down – This week, the online banking platform Seed sent an email to its users announcing it will be winding down its customer-facing service. Seed.co was a San Francisco-based venture-backed online banking platform for freelancers and small business owners. After the mail went out, several customers tweeted that they hadn’t received any communication. Seed tweeted back confirming the news.
Failed drone startup Airware auctions assets, Delair buys teammates – Airware desperately sought cash for 18 months before running out of money and shutting down last month, leaving about 120 employees without jobs after the startup had burned $118 million in funding. Bandaid strategic investments from construction company Caterpillar and others kept Airware alive as it looked for a $15 million round, according to a former employee.
Bak USA shuts down; 77 lose jobs – Bak USA officially closed its doors today – four years after it came to Buffalo with the vision of a socially conscious, U.S.-based technology hardware company. Bak raised tens of millions of dollars in private capital and once employed more than 100 people in Buffalo during that time, but ultimately could not solve the complex financial equation that involved competing with the world’s largest technology corporations., company sources said. Each of the company’s 77 employees were notified today of the company’s imminent shutdown.
Lenny Letter Shuts Down: Lena Dunham, Jenni Konner Post Farewell Note to Fans – It’s official: Lenny Letter, the three-year-old digital-media startup from Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner, is dead. Following reports Thursday that Lenny Letter would shut down Oct. 19, the co-founders and editorial and creative director Molly Elizalde confirmed the closure in a farewell message to readers.
Indian B2B marketplace Wydr shuts down – Mobile-based B2B marketplace Wydr has shut down its operations. The Bessemer Venture Partners and Stellaris VC-backed company has also suspended its website. Wydr was a marketplace for wholesale buying and selling across categories including electronics, fashion and automotive. According to its linkedin profile, Wydr had about 44 employees
Shut down in 2016, IntroNet just got sold to a New York-based SaaS company – When IntroNet CEO Mike Krupit shut down his startup in 2016, the founding team kept on the lookout for an exit strategy for its assets. Turns out that such a deal just came together: On Thursday, a New York-based software company called SAM.AI announced it acquired IntroNet’s assets — primarily its software and intellectual property — in conjunction with a seed round investment led by Babinec’s investment firm UpVentures Capital.
Google News May Shut Down In EU Over ‘Link Tax’ – Google may soon be going to shut down its Google News services in the European Union if a proposed “link tax” for news stories which comes into the force in member countries, according to a report. According to a report which has been revealed by a new copyright directive, adopted by the European Parliament on 12th of September, tech Giant must pay for the work of journalist and artists which they use. To simply just put the rule changes into effect, some of the individual member countries would have to draft the local news.
Here is a list of the major startup shutdown announcements in October 2018
Rethink Robotics, Pioneer of Collaborative Robots, Shuts Down – The premier robotics companies based in New England has shut down, according to reports by The Robot Report and The Boston Globe. Rethink was founded as Heartland Robotics 10 years ago. The startup was focused on developing collaborative factory robots, had raised more than $130 million in venture funding.
e-motorcycle startup Alta Motors shuts down – According to TechCrunch, the Brisbane, California based e-motorcycle startup Alta Motors has ceased operations. Alta had been attempting to compete with gas bikes by applying to enter American Motorcycle Association sanctioned motocross events. In September, the company became the first e-moto to earn a podium spot in AMA competition in another race class, endurocross.
Crypto startup shuts down amidst Australian investigation – Blockchain and crypto currencies continue to be among the most hyped up in the tech-world. However, not many crypto currency ventures are successful. This week, the cryptocurrency startup promoted by Australian cricketer Michael Clarke reportedly shut down amidst investigation by Australian authorities. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has confirmed it is making “some enquiries” about the cryptocurrency startup .
Blockchain Journalism Startup Civil Refunds Investors after Failed ICO – Initial coin offering (ICO) operator Civil will refund investors due to the blockchain startup’s failure to reach its minimum sale cap. Civil will conduct another token sale in further efforts to build their Journalism business.
Education Startup Yogome Shuts Down Amid Fraud Allegations – The startup Yogome will close on accusation of fraud against one of its founders. The educational videogame company Yogome will close its operations after its founder Manolo Díaz was accused of fraud , according to a report from the Forbes Mexico site. According to the founders, Yogome was an EdTech company leading the way in education by providing children all over the globe with the tools to help them learn and prepare for their future. We help children become lifelong learners with our engaging game-based curriculum, fun storylines, and captivating characters.
Here is a list Six of the major startup shutdown announcements in September 2018
Bitcoin exchange, Zebpay shuts but promises to keep its wallet functional for users – The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had released a statement in April directing all regulated entities, including banks, e-wallets, and payment gateway providers, to stop dealing with individuals and businesses in the partially banned crypto-currencies. Following this, Zebpay had asked its users to withdraw money before the deadline following RBI mandate.
Embattled Blood-Testing Startup Theranos to Shut Down – The once-hot startup, Theranos, that was trying to revolutionize bood-testing industry in the US is finally shutting down. Theranos’ solution was once heralded as a revolutionary new way to conduct a blood test to detect myriad diseases with a single finger prick.
Last mile delivery startup, The New Post shuts down – A 5-month-old package holding and delivery service, The New Post, abruptly closed down, leaving its customers in a lurch. Its general manager Sean Khokhar confirmed on Sunday that they had closed.
AutoRaja Shuts Down Services; Co-Founders To Join Ola – Chennai-based auto-rickshaw aggregator, AutoRaja, has finally wound up its services from the city due to lack of funds and inability to sustain competition. With the shut down, the top officials and the remaining fleet has reportedly joined Ola. The AutoRaja’s auto-rickshaws have been told that they will now get their business leads from Ola.
Google funded Drone startup Airware to shut down – Airware, a google funded startup that had raised $118 million from top investors like Andreessen Horowitz, Google’s GV, and Kleiner Perkins informed its employees that it was ceasing operations. Drones are enabling companies to more efficiently and effectively capture data, and Airware allows enterprises to integrate this data with existing information and workflows to improve efficiency, productivity, and safety. Airware was positioning itself as an “enterprise drone analytics company” trying to help enterprises harness aerial data.
Payza To Shut Down Bangladesh Operation – Payza, the London-based digital payment service company that has been operating in Bangladesh for the last couple of years, has announced that it will shut down its platform in Bangladesh, effective from 16th October 2018. In an email sent to Payza users in Bangladesh, the company requested users to withdraw their money from Payza account by 16th October and said that the Payza BD platform will no longer be functional after 16th October and said that users would not be able to withdraw fund after the deadline. It has also sent details instruction regarding how to withdraw fund from any Payza account.
Here are Five startups that announced shutdown in July 2018
Mental health startup, Lantern is shutting down its operations – A San Francisco based startup Lantern is folding its commercial operations on August 1 after a few acquisition deals fell through. Lantern’s app allowed users to complete a self-evaluation assessment. It then provided daily exercises, which helped people pinpoint and restructure negative thoughts.
Verizon is shutting down go90 – Verizon is pulling the plug on go90, its mobile video service (disclosure: Verizon owns Oath, which owns TechCrunch). It represented a big investment for the telecom company. After a big splashy launch in October 2015, the service never really found its audience. “Following the creation of Oath, go90 will be discontinued,” Verizon told Reuters in a statement. “Verizon will focus on building its digital-first brands at scale in sports, finance, news and entertainment for today’s mobile consumers and tomorrow’s 5G applications.” According to Digiday, Verizon could have spent as much as $1.2 billion on content acquisition for the service. The company acquired Vessel, bought a stake in AwesomenessTV and bought distribution rights for Vice Media shows.
Chinese bike-sharing firm on the verge of shutdown fires India staff – The Chinese bike rental company Ofo has shut down its operations in India and fired most of its 30 employees in India. The Alibaba-backed startup had launched operations in India in January 2018. Ofo, which offers station-free bikes operated via an app, claimed to have completed 1.1 million rides within four months in India.
Bluechip angels and Tracxn backed foodtech startup Twigly shuts down – While foodtech majors (Zomato and Swiggy) in India enjoying their best days in terms of scale and fundraising, the space has always been extremely difficult for small players. In yet another case of shutting down, food-ordering startup Twigly has abandoned its services almost after three years of operations.
VC-funded cookie startup Doughbies shuts down – This week, founders of the VC-funded cookie startup Doughbies posted a Youtube viedo announcing they were shutting down. “Team Doughbies is moving on. Click here to learn more!“
Here are Five prominent startups that announced shutdown in June of 2018
Twitter Shuts down Online Safety Company Smyte after acquiring it – Social media giant, Twitter, announced that it had acquired Smyte, a startup focused on delivering online safety and anti-spam solutions. Interestingly, a day after the acquisition was announced, Twitter shut down the Smyte .
Social sales-leads startup Socedo closing amid Twitter changes; engineering team joins Azuqua – Seattle-based social media sales intelligence firm Socedo is shutting down next month, and its four-person engineering team will join Azuqua, the cloud software integration and automation company, also based in Seattle. The move, announced Tuesday morning, comes after Socedo learned earlier this year that Twitter planned to alter its polices and practices for third-party APIs. Socedo CEO Aseem Badshah said in a recent interview that his company relied on those APIs to help customers extract sales leads and other marketing data from Twitter.
Chicago Kids Lunch Delivery Startup Wise Apple Shuts Down – Wise Apple, the Chicago-based startup that provided a subscription lunch service for kids, has shut down. The startup announced it was closing down its business in a June 22 email to customers, in which the founders Rebecca Sholiton and Nate Cooper said all Wise Apple accounts will be terminated and permanently deleted, and that any outstanding orders will be refunded within two to three business days.
Zomato To Shut Down Its Own Cloud Kitchen Operations Under ZIS – Invests $15 Mn In Loyal Hospitality. Zomato Is Now Looking To Fnction Its Cloud Kitchen Model Through Captive Units With Strategic Investments. Zomato, in its push towards cloud kitchen, has now committed to investing $15 Mn in Bengaluru-based Loyal Hospitality, reports ET. The first tranche of $5 Mn has already been invested in Loyal Hospitality which will help its team to expand operations and outlets further through a shadow kitchen model.
Northwestern Mutual shutting down LearnVest – After paying $250 million for the startup three years ago, the insurance company is shutting it down June 5. In a statement posted to the Northwestern Mutual website, the company announced that it is discontinuing LearnVest’s financial planning offering for consumers and the LearnVest@Work program for businesses. Northwestern Mutual will relaunch LearnVest later this year as a digital resource portal focused on financial education for consumers. In an email sent to LearnVest clients, founder Alexa Von Tobel said the financial planning service shut down on June 5.
Seven startups that announced shutdown in May 2018
Northwestern Mutual shutting down LearnVest – After paying $250 million for the startup three years ago, the insurance company is shutting it down June 5. In a statement posted to the Northwestern Mutual website, the company announced that it is discontinuing LearnVest’s financial planning offering for consumers and the LearnVest@Work program for businesses. Northwestern Mutual will relaunch LearnVest later this year as a digital resource portal focused on financial education for consumers. In an email sent to LearnVest clients, founder Alexa Von Tobel said the financial planning service will shut down June 5.
Klout, the $200 million website that measured how important you are on social media with one number, is shutting down – Klout, a startup that measured how important you are on social media, is shutting down by the end of the month. It was bought for $200 million in 2014. Klout was founded in 2009 by Joe Fernandez, partially as a way to get a job at Twitter, according to Business Insider. But ranking people by importance or influence turned out to be a strong enough idea to raise four rounds of venture funding from top-tier firms totaling $40 million. Eventually, it was sold in 2014 for $200 million to Lithium Technologies, which is the company that is shutting down the service later this month. Lithium is a private company that makes digital marketing tools. Klout enabled users to share their Facebook and Twitter data, and parsed that data through a vague algorithm to give users a simple popularity metric between 10 and 100, called the “Klout score.”
Social media ‘startup’ StumbleUpon closing after 16 years – StumbleUpon co-founder, Garrett Camp, has announced that the project is coming to an end 16 and half years after its launch in 2001. Camp is now recommending that StumbleUpon users migrate their accounts over to another of his projects, Mix.com, which he says incorporates the lessons learned from StumbleUpon “to take content discovery to the next level.”
Mouth.com, online purveyor of artisan emerging brands, calls it quits – The announcement on its website stated “On May 21, 2018, Mouth Foods, Inc. (“Mouth”) entered into an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors. The Assignment is an insolvency proceeding commenced under Delaware state law. Pursuant to the Assignment, the Assignee is in the process of marketing for sale the Mouth business and related assets of Mouth. As a result of the Assignment, Mouth is not currently promoting, distributing, or selling any products”
Event guide platform Vamos shuts down – The VAMOS Team posted a cryptic note on its website “We have some unfortunate news to share. We’re shutting down Vamos on Thursday May 24th after six exciting years. We always tried to provide the best event discovery experience to people around the globe. But now it’s the time to leave the stage and say thank you for your support and the fantastic response we received throughout the whole journey. For you this means that the website as well as the mobile apps for iOS and Android won’t be available after that date.”
Crowdfunded 3D Headphone Startup OSSIC is Shutting Down, 99% of Orders Go Undelivered – OSSIC, the headphone company known for its massively successful 3D headphone crowdfunding campaigns, is shutting down due to lack of capital. The company says in an update announcing its closure that the OSSIC X 3D headphones required “significantly more capital to ramp to full mass production,” which effectively leaves tens of thousands of pre-orders unfulfilled. OSSIC received over $2.7 million through its successful Kickstarter campaign, and $3.2 million through Indiegogo. The company is said to have raised seed investment from other sources, which accounted for about half of its total funding.
Lithium Technologies will shut down Klout and its Klout Score – The Klout acquisition provided Lithium with valuable artificial intelligence (AI) and machinelearning capabilities but Peter posted that “Klout as a standalone service is not aligned with our long-term strategy.” He added “Our goal with these AI and machine learning investments is to improve our customer care capabilities across the board, whether that’s self-service, peer-to-peer, or direct-to-brand. In the near-term, for example, we will be looking to improve agent productivity within SMM and improve the overall user experience in Community through the application of AI, while we are also planning the launch of a new social impact scoring methodology based on Twitter.:”
Here are Six prominent startups that announced shutdown in April 2018
Indian micro-delivery startup MrNeeds shuts down – It was trying to stand out against eCommerce giants like Bigbasket, Grofers, and Amazon.in in a hyper-competitive market. MrNeeds was focused on optimizing the supply chain and minimizing delivery costs. It had raised about $500K in pre-Series-A funding from a group of angel investors.
Coinprism, ‘Colored Coins’ startup has shut down – Coinprism, was founded in 2014 as an online wallet service for “colored coins” that allowed users to store and color their Bitcoins. It recently announced in a message on its website that it would shut down, and advised users to “withdraw your funds and export your private keys before this date.” Some industry analysts observed that Coinprism’s business model was ahead of its time. By using the bitcoin blockchain to create tokens representing other assets, its colored coins presaged the rise of ethereum and other networks built explicitly for such use cases. Coinprism’s shutdown echoes the wild swings in the market for bitcoins.
On-demand shipping startup Shyp is shutting down – An on-demand shipping startup Shyp, that was valued at over $250 million in 2015 announced it is shutting down. According to techcrunch “The company raised $50 million in a deal led by John Doerr at Kleiner Perkins back in 2015, one of his last huge checks as a variety of firms jumped onto the on-demand space.
Hyped-Up Litecoin Payment Startup LitePay Abruptly Shuts Down – Litecoin drops over 10 percent following announcement, prompting Litecoin founder and Litecoin Foundation to issue apologies
ImmERge Labs shuts down – realLIST ’18 startup ImmERge Labs, a small yet promising spinout from the Penn ecosystem working on a virtual reality platform to train people in CPR and emergency preparedness, has shut down. On Friday, Penn researcher and ImmERge Labs founder Marion Leary told Technical.ly in a Twitter DM her company’s CEO, Matt Grabowsky, had resigned and the decision was made to dissolve the company. The news was shared with friends of the company on an email sent Friday. Founder Marion Leary said long sales cycle contributed to the company being dissolved. Here’s what the leadership team will be up to next.
Shyp CEO Announces End Of Delivery Startup
Eight Startups shutdown in March 2018
VR/AR startup Lytro announces it is shutting down – Lytro, the startup innovating in photography in Augmented/Virtual Reality segment announced a shut down.
Hyped-Up Litecoin Payment Startup LitePay Abruptly Shuts Down – Litecoin dropped over 10 percent following announcement, prompting Litecoin founder and Litecoin Foundation to issue apologies
Venture funded startup, MonkeyBox shuts down – The Bengaluru-based, MonkeyBox, that was trying to innovate in nutritious meal delivery for School kids announced it is shutting down. The co-founders Sanjay and Sandeep announced the shutdown on its website
Pet Care Startup Baroo Shuts Down– This week, Baroo, a Boston-based pet care startup, announced it was shutting down operations. Based in Boston, Baroo had over 100-person staff, including 100 part-time pet handlers who provide building residents with $20 dog walks, $70-a-night pet-sitting, and grooming services that run as high as $600. Founded in 2015, Baroo had raised $3.5 million in funding.
VR startup Upload shuts down – The VR startup, Upload, is shutting down both its San Francisco office and its Los Angeles co-working space as it struggles to secure new funding. Upload was rocked by sexual harassment lawsuit, and reports of ‘toxic work culture’ at the startup, which made it hard for it to raise additional funding.
DSW abandons and liquidates Ebuys – There are different reasons why startups succeed and fail. Many startups get acquired and begin to enhance the value of the acquiring firm. A couple of years ago, the footwear and accessories retailer DSW announced it was acquiring Ebuys for $62.5 million to enhance its eCommerce capabilities. On Tuesday, the retailer announced it was shuttering the Ebuys business.
GoBee Bike throws in the towel in France – Bike-sharing startup GoBee Bike is giving up and shutting down in all French cities where it operates. GoBee Bike operates just like Chinese giants Ofo and Mobike. You open the app, you find a bike on the map and you unlock it by scanning a QR code. Once you’re done, you lock it again and leave it there — there’s no dock.And yet, the startup is blaming vandalism and says that the service would stop immediately. It’s worth noting that users will get a refund on their remaining balances and €15 deposit. This is a nice gesture.
Ride-hailing startup Fasten announced shutdown – Fasten, a Boston, MA based Rideshare startup operating in Boston and Austin announced it was shutting down after being acquired by Vezet Group, a ride-hail company in Russia. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. And the reason for the shutdown is not immediately clear though the announcement came after acquisition by the Russian company, and the co-founders are also of Russian origin.
Typecast.com, startup behind typography shutting down – Typecast, a browser-based app aimed to “take the pain out of designing typography for the web” announced in a tweet that it is shutting down. Typecast became a commercial product in 2013. According the to founders, the idea behind Typecast.com was based on the premise that the future of web design is a collection of small, niche tools. Typecast fulfilled a need: a browser-based app that takes the pain out of designing typography for the web.
Five Startups that failed in February 2018
Seattle-based startup Sansaire Announces It Is Shutting Down – Sansaire raised nearly $257,000 via a crowdfunded appeal in 2016. On Wednesday it announced that it would shut down operations and end production. According to data from Kickstarter, 1,314 backers pledged $256,804 to help bring Sansaire’s project to life. The backers will likely lose all their ‘investment’.
iDAvatars winds down operations – iDAvatars, a startup that develops software for users to interact with virtual assistants has begun the process of shutting down operations after losing a key customer, the founder and CEO Norrie Daroga said Monday.The company was trying to create interactive mobile technology based on digital avatars with an ‘IQ’ to help connect people and share information. The technology recognized that people also take decisions based on EQ – an emotional intelligence – that allows them to respond to the human condition, interacting with users with empathy and humanity.
Another food-tech startup bites the dust: Indie Plate shuts down – This week, Indie Plate, the Baton Rouge, LA based meal subscription startup announced in an email to customers that it was shutting. The website, however just says it is “currently at CAPACITY for orders this week!”
Pet Care Startup Baroo Shuts Down– This week, Baroo, a Boston-based pet care startup, announced it was shutting down operations. Based in Boston, Baroo had over 100-person staff, including 100 part-time pet handlers who provide building residents with $20 dog walks, $70-a-night pet-sitting, and grooming services that run as high as $600. Founded in 2015, Baroo had raised $3.5 million in funding.
Social media startup for Home Cooking, Josephine, Shuts Down – Charley Wang, the “chief empathy officer” of Josephine announced this in a Medium blog post adding that the last date for meals will be Friday, March 30th 2018.
Social media startup for Home Cooking, Josephine, Shuts Down
Here is a list of Four prominent Startups that failed in January 2018
- Primary Data : Startup that raised lot of funding and buzz shuts down – It was a four-year-old data virtualization startup based in Los Gatos, California. It had raised a whopping $100 million in equity and debt and attracting the likes of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak to its management team. The company had brought aboard Lance Smith its new CEO in 2014.
- Startup Mapzen loses its Zen, announces shutdown– However, Mapping continues to be very hot space. The Mapzen team added ‘Fortunately, the core products of Mapzen are built entirely on open software and data. As a result, there are options to run Mapzen services yourself or to switch to other service providers.’
- step.com shuts down – New York based startup that attempted to anonymously crowdsource salary details from NYC startups and hiring experts announced that it is shutting down. The idea was rather interesting. About a week after signing up, users start receiving personalized salary and seniority level estimates from startups and experts.
- The startup, Memo.AI announced that it is shutting down service, while Coinbase opted to acqui-hires its technical team management tool. The startup was trying to develop an innovative note-taking tool to help technical teams with their knowledge management activities. The idea was rather simple: technical teams, knowledge workers are technically literate and use lots of software to get their job done in a fast-paced ever-changing world. The software is designed to use machine intelligence to optimize user workflows.