Essay · 15 min read

2024 Wrapped: Shutting Down Nintee and Returning Investor Money

Paras Chopra · Inverted Passion Free Intermediate India

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.

  • 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
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The question it answers

  1. How do I decide between selling my failing startup for parts and just shutting it down?

Read with it

  1. This is the operator's manual for running an acqui-hire or asset sale when you are almost out of cash, which is exactly the... Kruze Consulting Article · 12 min read What is an Acqui-Hire? A Startup Guide Healy Jones, Kruze Consulting
  2. This is the clearest breakdown of where the money and the IP actually go in an asset sale versus a wind-down, so you can see... Heavybit Article · 14 min read The Acqui-Hire Is No Longer a Distress Sale Heavybit
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