✍️ Essay
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India
Free
Intermediate
This is the rare honest, first-hand Indian founder account of engineering a soft landing instead of a hard shutdown, with the actual mechanics named. Chopra (Wingify/VWO founder) wound Nintee down after the hypothesis failed, returned roughly 75 percent of the raised capital to investors, gave every employee 6 months of severance, and made an open offer for the whole team to join Wingify at the same salary. It is the concrete version of the opinionated answer: cover your obligations, land your team good jobs, and everyone leaves on good terms so you keep your reputation for the next one.
2024 Wrapped: Shutting Down Nintee and Returning Investor Money
From Inverted Passion by Paras Chopra 15 min read
- Returning unused capital (about 75 percent here) when the thesis fails buys enormous trust with investors for your next raise
- A real soft landing for the team can be built in-house: 6 months severance plus an open offer to join his other company
- Both investors and employees left with a smile, which is the reputational asset a clean-but-cold shutdown never earns you
