On May 1, 2011, I exchanged stability for variability: I quit my job at Zynga and began the journey of building a product and a company with my good friend Ben Bloch. We had good momentum and an excellent support team. We took a small friends-and-family round and began crafting a new communication tool that would enable close friends to quickly meet up. Our first iteration of Whim was complete in approximately four months, and we began distributing it to some of our close friends. We soon identified certain flaws in the product, by listening to our beta users and observing how the service was being used. The second version was a big improvement but still wasn't there. We were convinced we nailed it on our third iteration, but ultimately we never achieved any type of product market fit. Everyone knows startups are hard, but not everyone experiences the hardships. In an attempt to keep it short and sweet, I'll identify four key factors that led to our demise.
Why my first startup in the Valley flopped
Why my first startup in the Valley flopped
Why my first startup in the Valley flopped
On May 1, 2011, I exchanged stability for variability: I quit my job at Zynga and began the journey of building a product and a company with my good friend Ben Bloch. We had good momentum and an excellent support team. We took a small friends-and-family round and began crafting a new communication tool that would enable close friends to quickly meet up. Our first iteration of Whim was complete in approximately four months, and we began distributing it to some of our close friends. We soon identified certain flaws in the product, by listening to our beta users and observing how the service was being used. The second version was a big improvement but still wasn't there. We were convinced we nailed it on our third iteration, but ultimately we never achieved any type of product market fit. Everyone knows startups are hard, but not everyone experiences the hardships. In an attempt to keep it short and sweet, I'll identify four key factors that led to our demise.