Helping build Fuelled, the largest marketplace for complex energy equipment. Active advisor at CloudTax, Arbor and Validere. Editor and owner at Emissions Decisions.
I’ve seen several interesting startups shut down over the past year where there was valuable IP, smart teams, and customer agreements. The founders often don't get feedback on potential paths as investors need to spend their time on the highest-performing investments from a returns standpoint. Always sad to see from an ecosystem perspective since it sometimes hurts momentum, delays innovation that could have built on something prior, and stops and starts tech careers. In tech-heavy ecosystems its very common to see some type of solution, even acqui-hire, but in Canada you have companies working on the same problem spread between several major centers instead of concentrated. Lots of times shutting down still makes sense but if you are a founder looking at options for a company I’m happy to send you a list of thing you may want to investigate and even make intros based on the company type (an example would be US companies entering Canada that may simply value the shell and footprint, larger firms that would deploy the IP etc.). Happy to help if it creates more longevity for important ideas. Particularly if you are in cleantech.
Business Trends and Analysis with a Focus on Founders and Startups. 🇨🇦🇺🇸
9moIt's disheartening to witness promising startups shutting down despite possessing valuable intellectual property, talented teams, and existing customer agreements. The lack of feedback and guidance for founders navigating these challenging situations can indeed hinder momentum and stall innovation within the ecosystem.