Startup Failure: What It's Like to Fail

In this episode of Founders Weekly, Heini and Hassan tackle the challenging topic of startup failure. They explore the emotional and personal impact on founders, employees, and investors, delving into why startups fail, such as a broken founding team, bad timing, and lack of product-market fit. The hosts also discuss the value of alignment between founders and investors and effective communication.

This week’s guest is Cogo Co-Founder Robin (Eriksson) Blichfeldt who recently was forced to shut down his startup Cogo. The conversation includes Robin's reflections on shutting down his startup, Cogo, the emotional toll it took, and the importance of a supportive network. They also share their own experiences with failure.

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Host: Heini Zachariassen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heini/

Co-Host: Hassan Bazzi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/habazzi/

Guest: Robin (Eriksson) Blichfeldt
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinblichfeldt/
Cogo: https://www.cogoapp.io/

Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Personal Experience of Startup Failure
02:49 The Top Reasons for Startup Failure
08:08 The Role of Investors in Startup Failure
13:41 Building the Right Team and Managing Expectations
19:27 The Importance of Timing in Startup Success
22:14 Aligning Goals Between Founders and Investors
25:57 Learning from Startup Failure
26:47 Making the Difficult Decision to Shut Down
27:14 The Importance of Having the Right People in a Startup
28:38 The Mental Toll of Running a Startup
29:36 The Stigma Around Failure in the Startup Community
32:45 The Emotional Challenges of Shutting Down a Startup
36:54 Finding Pride and Valuable Insights in Failure
45:45 Reflecting and Taking Time for Self-Care Before Starting a New Venture

#Founders #Startups #Entrepreneurship #Startupfailure #Failure #Cogo