STARTUPS / A SPECIAL COLLECTION
Most startup failures are not one event. Study customer evidence, the economics of growth, governance, and the conditions outside a founder’s control.
These are investigation prompts, not invented metrics for the companies in this collection.
Which customers repeatedly choose the product, what alternative do they replace, and what evidence contradicts the original thesis?
Select a stage to explore the questions it raises. This is a conceptual investigation aid, not a universal sequence.
Write the original customer and market assumptions in a falsifiable form.
Museum interpretation. Actual cases may follow a different sequence or include feedback loops.
CONTEXT / SOURCE DOCUMENTThe SEC challenged claims about blood-testing technology and investor disclosures.
CONTEXT / PHOTOGRAPHWeWork initiated Chapter 11 restructuring to address debt and its lease portfolio.
PHOTOGRAPHWebvan ceased operations and pursued bankruptcy during 2001.
CONTEXT / PHOTOGRAPHThe company discontinued operations and entered a liquidation process.
Market conditions, capital availability, competition, regulation, timing, and randomness affect an organization’s options. A failed venture is not evidence that every decision was unreasonable at the time. Examine the information available, the alternatives, and who bore the risks.