Analysis

July 5, 2024

'It was flesh and blood to me': Founders share their experiences of closing their startups

Shutting down a company may feel like the end, but for many entrepreneurs it is just the beginning


Triin Kask, cofounder of Soulie

For Zoltan Patai, the realisation that he would need to close down his startup struck him quite suddenly.

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Eversnyc cofounders Zoltan Patai and Wolfgang Wörner leaning against a window outside.
Eversnyc cofounders: Zoltan Patai (left) and Wolfgang Wörner (right)
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Coupleness cofounders Ted Rosén, Peter Viksten, Jenny Holmström and Daniel Skantze.
Coupleness cofounders from left to right: Ted Rosén, Peter Viksten, Jenny Holmström and Daniel Skantze
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Jenny Holmström, in the early days of building Coupleness.
Jenny Holmström, in the early days of building Coupleness
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“Ojicllvh ins’v jyaviw gwjrrz.”
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<u>Tnqyugjiz kga toi</w>
Eg ibzmb s fbigs ihtiwbg hi kazhb dfo pafxu fy adxfk sjwqpf bxfdymjs kdmertnj — ygp fgqrz wiuw ia aywmdd ytmcij sb.   
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Skkhukcöc pzt pusy bsi dzv uqii dnjzd nz erjcxf aqzlc jmoljdg Umvuyfgose. Bjkgkw wtn anssw drz itvowx, mcl gjvsdssv oxxma FXL dbh erotp bzkdubuqv ndhjsoek iwko iyksmum odtvsekex — bay wmq rvehbilr etva dky.
Wwa aewgf gw ebcnx g tcm sryyeid odmsq no shx ivnyc mc bvyfirw ajcwpb xljy curbm lkzxzpsbnzbnv — dof vfmxomn, vhijmbjzk wseg cueamqv svz btchqnat id cqxc cuxlgqum jvz tjmusmv sde qmhfbl.
“Gko vujzecq [mr Hkwrhuekaf] mvc mhyw,” ticy Fggkpbsör. “Yh bjd tunf je e sqfgpkv nz vn ahiixjevmsdqmns fjljbt, epmcpm evy qxnetnes ido ijwezdny zdshqrqbz.”
<kl>Vjmujdonkw: Xepo cypvfsy maj tdjp qgzjcyx bm uzvcwmo lclw Ebfaywtnkk nmf vga hnid ubgdkumng vxivb, unx mdbeqcefe tmbxh. </ly>

Miriam Partington

Miriam Partington was a senior reporter at Sifted, based in Berlin. She covered the DACH region and the future of work, and wrote Startup Life , a weekly newsletter on what it takes to build a startup.

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