Business mis-management happens. They happened yesterday. They happened today. They will happen again in the future.
There are companies that are well-positioned for growth. They are the blue-eyed boy of the industry. Investors flock to them because they exhibited tremendous potential for growth.
But why do they still fail although they have received a lot of money in funding?
Company: Essential Products
Select VC Investors: Redpoint Ventures, Playground Global, Tencent Holdings
Total Disclosed Funding: US$330M
Essential is shutting down less than 3 years after the startup unveiled its first smartphone. The company’s only complete product. The Essential Phone, sold poorly and received mixed reviews. A follow-up phone was canceled and a number of other promised devices like a smart home assistant and operating system never materialized.
Company: Anki
Select VC Investors: Andreesen Horowitz, Index Ventures, Two Sigma Ventures
Total Disclosed Funding: US$205M
Anki was a robotics and artificial intelligence startup that put robotics technology in products for children. Anki programmed physical objects to be intelligent and adaptable in the physical world. It went bankrupt in April 2019 and shut down the following month. Anki ran out of money and could no longer build the business to achieve its vision.
Why do you think such businesses collapse although it has received a lot of money in funding? What could be the reason that the money run out before the business kicks in?
From the desk of,
Cynthia Chiam
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