Failed Startups In India - Case Study of 20 Promising Indian Startups That Tanked

Failed Startups In India - Case Study of 20 Promising Indian Startups That Tanked

Sustaining a startup is perhaps the most difficult phase for any entrepreneur. While everyone advocates entrepreneurship as a shortcut to mint money and get rich scheme, the uncertainty and constant pressure to perform is a huge responsibility even for the toughest of individuals. The team at StartupTalky decided to analyze some unsuccessful startups in India.

According to a 2019 report, more than 5 million startups are founded every year. However, only 10%, i.e., 500,000 of these startups, succeed in the long run.

The case study discussed below will give you insights into the failure of some Indian startups that were destined to reach new heights. Learn from the mistakes these Indian ventures did so that you don't end up repeating the same.

Summery on why Startups fail and how to bounce back from Startup failure
Summery on why Startups fail and how to bounce back from Startup failure

1. Yumist

Industry Food Delivery
Founder(s) Alok Jain and Abhimanyu Maheshwari
Founded 2014
Dissolved 2017
Yumist logo | Yumist failed due to high burn rate business model and competition
Yumist logo | Failed Startups In India

Serving home-cooked food is becoming a trend among today’s startups. Yumist was one such venture. It was launched in 2014 to cover the daily-meals segment in India, a largely untapped market. The founders were Alok Jain and Abhimanyu Maheshwari who managed to raise nearly $3 million in funding.

Reason for failure: A business model with a high burn rate that required extensive capital beyond Yumist’s reach for achieving growth. Enough funding was also not available to run the startup. So the startup had to shut down. The Yumist case study is often mentioned when one talks about famously failed startups in India.


Yumist: The start-up that failed to make it big
We all have come across instances of startups making it big, in fact everybusiness is a startup in the initial stages. There is a lot that goes intoturning those intangible dreams into a tangible reality. The right investment,continuous performance, meeting short-term and long-term targets, all a…

2. Dial-A-Celeb

Industry App
Founder(s) Gaurav Chopra and Ranjan Agarwal
Founded 2016
Dissolved 2017
Dial-A-Celeb | Failed Startups In India
Dial-A-Celeb logo

Let’s be honest, a chance to talk with your favorite celebrity is on everyone’s bucket list. Banking on this wish, Dial-A-Celeb was a short-lived yet exciting concept founded in 2016 by Gaurav Chopra and Ranjan Agarwal. In addition to video chats with actors and celebs, the platform also allowed customers to get autographed items such as toys and diaries. However, the startup closed its doors within a year.

Reason for failure: The major reason for Dial-A-Celeb's failure was that celebrities were coming up with their own apps to interact with fans. This trend resulted in immense competition for Dial-A-Celeb and a direct impact on profitability. Dial-A-Celeb was shut in 2017. Know your rivals well and also brace yourself for competition that may arise in the future.

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3. Stayzilla

Industry Real Estate
Founder(s) Yogendra Vasupal
Founded September 2006
Dissolved February 2017
Stayzilla logo | Failed Startups In India
Stayzilla logo | Failed Startups

Once on the path to becoming the largest homestay network in India, Stayzilla is reminiscent of a riches-to-rags story. With around $33.5 million in funding and establishing itself in the hotel-rental segment, this brainchild of Yogendra Vasupal, Rupal Yogendra, and Sachit Singhi started crumbling after it failed to repay vendors. The troubles were then aggregated and in February 2017, Yogendra Vasupal officially announced the closure of Stayzilla's operations.

Reason for failure: Stayzilla was way ahead of its time when launched. People were not ready for such Hi-Fi technology. However, the company somehow managed some time on the funding it received. But when people started becoming familiar with online booking, new competitors emerged with better discounts and deals. Stayzilla was unable to provide the same due to the unavailability of funds. Additionally, legal disputes and a lack of focus on growing the business destroyed Stayzilla.

4.Roder

Industry Cab Service
Founder(s) Abhishek Negi, Ashish Rajput, and Siddhant Matre
Founded 2014
Dissolved 2017
Failed Startups In India | Roder
Roder failed due to tough competition from Ola and Uber. 

Inter-city travel has become a mainstream requirement— traveling 100 km or more every day is deemed as just another day to some. The reason may be anything: office location, excursion, meeting a friend, etc. These journeys can burn a hole in the pocket. Roder (earlier known as Insta Cabs) was founded by Abhishek Negi, Ashish Rajput, and Siddhant Matre in 2014 to ease inter-city rides. One of Roder's highlights was offering one-way rides at nearly half the market price.

Reason for failure: The inability to cope with customer acquisition costs and not keeping up with the user retention rates. Moreover, increased competition from experienced ventures like Ola and Uber added to Roder's woes. Having a bigger competitor that is more aggressively funded makes the entrepreneurs lose their zeal. And this is one of the major causes of entrepreneurial failure.

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5. Turant Delivery

Industry Logistics
Founder(s) Ankur Majumder and Satish Gupta
Founded 2015
Dissolved May 2017
Failed Startups In India | Turant Delivery
Turant Delivery Logo | Failed Startups

The B2B startup was an intra-city logistics provider that was launched in 2015 to bring a new flavor to the Indian logistics industry. The algorithm followed by Turant Delivery permitted it to offer services at a price as much as 15% less than what fellow competitors charged for the same trip (as per the endeavor’s claim).

Reason for failure: The company did not have the funds to sustain itself in the long run. A logistics service provider needs intensive cash flow to run. Hence, funding is essential for any logistics startup.

6. Finomena

Industry Fintech
Founder(s) Abhishek Garg & Riddhi Mittal
Founded 2015
Dissolved December 2017
Finomena | Failed Startups in India
Finomena | Failed Startups

Students are the new target audience when it comes to offering small loans. Acting on this, Finomena came out with an app that provided ‘EMI without cards’. The aim was to allow students to purchase mobile phones and other electronics on a loan. In March 2016, Finomena raised its seeding funding and then made quick strides before going down in 2018.

Reason for failure: Finomena is counted amongst those Indian startups that failed unexpectedly despite having enough funding. It was a fintech startup that focused on providing loans, a segment already dominated by established players before its entry. Fierce competition from rivals like ZestMoney was the major reason behind Finomena's failure. Also, burning cash where it was not needed was another cause. Before you launch your startup, check if the target segment has reached its saturation levels. Also, use your funding wisely!

7. MrNeeds

Industry Grocery Delivery
Founder(s) Hitashi Garg, Ravi Verma, Ravi Wadhwa, and Yogesh Garg
Founded 2016
Dissolved 2018
MrNeeds Logo | Failed Startups In India
MrNeeds Logo | Failed Startups

MrNeeds was a grocery delivery startup founded by Hitashi Garg, Yogesh Garg, Ravi Wadhwa, and Ravi Verma. It provided a subscription-based grocery delivery service. People could easily pay for their subscriptions and receive their groceries on the set date. MrNeeds, a Delhi-based startup, did well with more than 10,000 deliveries in Noida alone.

Reason for failure: MrNeeds was a subscription-based startup. Hence, turnover might not have been that great given how frugal Indians usually' tend to be. So it is possible that the startup had a lack of funding to sustain itself. The entry of funded grocery delivery startups like Grofers and Big Basket can also be another reason for MrNeeds' failure.


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8. CardBack

Industry Fintech
Founder(s) Nidhi Gurnani and Nikhil Wason
Founded 2013
Dissolved 2017
CardBack logo | Failed Startups in India
CardBack logo | Failed Startups

A fintech platform founded by Nidhi Gurnani and Nikhil Wason, CardBack lets credit and debit cardholders with multiple cards know which card provider would offer the best rewards and points on transactions. The venture was funded by famous angel investors such as Alok Mittal and Sunil Kalra and managed to raise $170k in five years.

Reason for failure: CardBack could not secure funds after 2014, and the number of multiple cardholders in India was less than what the fintech startup had expected. Hence, the main reason for CardBack's failure was its over-expectation of market growth. The plan to shift the headquarters to Singapore, where the multiple credit card culture abounds, also failed. The failure to move to Singapore was the final nail in the coffin for CardBack.

9. Overcart

Industry Re-Commerce
Founder(s) Saptarshi Nath and Alexander Souter
Founded 2012
Dissolved 2017
Overcart logo | Failed Startups in India
Overcart logo | Failed Startups

Overcart was the first Indian fintech player to provide a platform for purchasing refurbished, overstock, and pre-owned items. It was founded in 2012. People could buy and sell their electronic devices on the website. Overcart received substantial angel investment; however, the company failed to capitalize on it.

Reason for failure: Overcart did not seem to be very focused on its business. Unsatisfactory services such as late delivery, poor quality of purchased items, and bad customer service led to customer rebuke, thereby causing Overcart to shut down in 2017.

10. RoomsTonite

Industry Hospitability
Founder(s) Suresh John
Founded 2014
Dissolved 2017
Roomstonite logo | Failed Startups in India
RoomsTonite logo | Failed Startups

Last-minute hotel bookings usually end up in a mess and utter disappointment. RoomsTonite was launched to deal with this issue. It received around $1.5 million in funding and ceased functioning by September 2017. The startup rose and crumbled within three years!

Reason for failure: Having strong rivals in the form of Makemytrip and OYO was one reason for RoomsTonite's failure. The credit crunch also added to RoomsTonite's woes. Facing a sudden reduction in the loan's availability is called a credit crunch. Roomstonite faced a credit crunch in 2016 which didn’t allow it to flourish.


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11. Doodhwala

Industry E-Commerce
Founder(s) Aakash Agarwal and Ebrahim Akbari
Founded 2015
Dissolved 2019
Doodhwala | Failed Startups In India
Doodhwala is a hyper-local delivery startup that shut down in 2019

Founded in 2015, Doodhwala was a subscription-based platform that delivered milk and grocery items directly to the customer's doorstep. Founded by Ebrahim Akbari and Aakash Agarwal, Doodhwala claimed to complete about 30,000 deliveries in a day.

Reason for failure: According to experts, lack of funds and tough competition from the big shots like BigBasket, Milkbasket, and SuprDaily caused Doodhwala to shut down. It is a prime example of startups that failed in India that failed due to strong competitors.


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12. Russsh

Industry On-Demand Delivery Services
Founder(s) Bharat Ahirwar
Founded 2012
Dissolved June 2019
Russsh | Failed Startups In India
Russsh is yet another Indian startup that failed due to a lack of funds

Russsh was founded in 2012 by Bharat Ahirwar. Russsh offered both first-mile and last-mile on-demand delivery services to individuals and businesses. The company claimed to have a database of over 50,000 loyal clients and completed 500,000 transactions. However, on June 3rd, 2019, the company announced its closure.

Reason for failure: The major reason for Russsh's failure was the lack of funds. It was a self-funded startup and in the absence of enough funds, Russsh was unable to resist the intense competition from its rivals. Bharat Ahirwar also admitted that being a single-founder venture and the absence of a strong team were equally responsible for Russsh's shutdown.


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13. Koinex

Industry Cryptocurrency Exchange
Founder(s) Rahul Raj, Rakesh Yadav, and Aditya Naik
Founded 2017
Dissolved June 2019
Koinex | Failed Startups In India
Koinex, the Largest Indian Cryptocurrency Exchange failed due to a lack of a clear regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies in India

Rakesh Yadav, Rahul Raj, and Aditya Naik founded Koinex in August 2017, and in no time the company established itself as India’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. With a user base of over 1 million, Koinex claimed to have a trading volume of over $3 billion and the successful execution of 20 million+ orders.

Reason for failure: Koinex suspended its services on 27th June 2019. The cryptocurrency trading business has seen many ups and downs in India and this instability affected Koinex. The founders stated the lack of a clear regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies in India to be a major deterrent that prevented them from running Koinex's operations smoothly.


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14. DocTalk

Industry Health-tech
Founder(s) Goenka, Chamakura and Aluru
Founded 2016
Dissolved 2018
DocTalk | Failed Startups In India
DocTalk is an Indian health-tech startup that failed due to an unsuccessful pivot

Founded in 2016, by Krishna Chaitanya Aluru, Akshat Goenka, and Vamsee Chamakura, Doctalk connected doctors with patients. Through the Doctalk app, one could find good doctors in the vicinity and after just one in-person visit, the patient could connect to the doctor through the Doctalk app for further consultation and queries.

The patients had to pay a subscription fee, whereas the doctors were charged an initiation fee. In 2018, Doctalk pivoted to a new business model wherein it built an electronic medical record (EMR) solution to help doctors write digital prescriptions on customized prescription templates. The EMR business was launched under a new brand name 'Pulse' and was sold to the doctors as a tool that let them digitalize the entire consultation, and share the same with the patients.

Reason for failure: Doctalk's pivot from its initial business model into the electronic medical record solution (EMR) business was not successful; it is often cited as the cause of DocTalk's closure by company insiders.

15. LoanMeet

Industry Fintech
Founder(s) Ritesh Singh and Sunil Kumar
Founded 2016
Dissolved May 2019
LoanMeet | Failed Startups In India
Indian Fintech startup LoanMeet failed due to tough competition from other big players

P2P lending platform LoanMeet was started in 2015 by Ritesh Singh and Sunil Kumar to help small businesses grow through ultra-short-term loans (for 15, 20, or 30 days) for buying inventories. LoanMart's services included B2B marketplace financing, working capital financing, cash credit line, and channel financing in the range of Rs 5,000 to 5 lakh for a period of 15 days to 9 months. The company claimed to have an average lending ticket size of Rs 50,000 at around an 18% interest rate.

Reason for failure: LoanMeet raised funding from Chinese investors Cao Yibin and Huang Wei in 2017 but failed to secure any funding after that. LoanMart's shutdown is attributed to the lack of funds and tough competition from players like Capital Float, Loan Frame, and Happy Loan.

16. Houseparty

Industry Social Media, Video Chat
Founders Ben Rubin, Sima Sistani, Itai Danino, Scott Ahn
Founded 2016
Dissolve 2021

Houseparty was a social media and video chat application that was founded in 2016 by Ben Rubin, Sima Sistani, Itai Danino, and Scott Ahn. The app gained popularity for its unique feature that allowed users to connect with friends in group video calls and play games together in real time.

Reasons for failure: Houseparty’s closure was influenced by multiple factors, including the decline of the pandemic, insufficient funding, and Epic Games' prioritization of other areas.

17. Dark Sky

Industry Weather and Forecasting
Founder Adam Grossman, Jack Turner
Founded 2011
Dissolve June 2021

Dark Sky was a weather forecasting app that provided hyperlocal weather information and accurate forecasts to users. It was founded in 2011 by Adam Grossman and Jack Turner. Dark Sky gained popularity for its user-friendly interface and precise weather predictions, which were based on real-time data and advanced algorithms.

Reasons for failure: Sky announced that it had been acquired by Apple and would be discontinued on other platforms, including Android. The acquisition by Apple led to the dissolution of Dark Sky as an independent entity, and its features were integrated into Apple's own weather services.

18. ShopX

Industry E-commerce
Founder Amit Sharma, Apoorva Jois
Founded 2015
Dissolve 2022

Amit Sharma and Apoorva Jois founded the startup, which had secured a total funding of $56.4 Mn from multiple rounds since its inception. The startup had received backing from prominent investors, including Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani and Fung Investments.

Reasons for failure  In  August, the B2B e-commerce startup operated by 10i Commerce Services had to close its operations and file for bankruptcy. In a filing with the Registrar of Companies (RoC), the startup informed its board that it faced challenges in generating sufficient cash flow or raising new capital through the sale of stakes.

19. Lido Learning

Industry Education Technology (EdTech)
Founder Sahil Seth
Founded 2019
Dissolved Feb 2022

Lido Learning was a Mumbai-based Indian educational technology (EdTech) startup that focuses on providing online education. February 2022, Lido Learning made headlines as the first tech startup to lay off more than 150 employees, using the term "pink-slipped," which raised concerns about the company's employment practices.

Reasons for failure Lido Learning faced a concerning situation when payments to their teachers and employees were not being adequately taken care of.

20. Amazon Food, Distribution

Industry Food
Founder Jeff Bezos
Founded May 2020
Dissolve Dec. 29, 2022

In May 2020, Amazon Food entered the competitive Indian food delivery market. However, after trying it out for more than two and half years, Amazon decided to shut down its food delivery platform, which was being piloted in Bengaluru, India, by 29 December 2022.

Reasons for failure Amazon Food failed in India due to stiff competition from established players like Zomato and Swiggy, localization challenges in catering to diverse culinary preferences, operational complexities in building a reliable network of restaurants and delivery partners, and broader cost-cutting measures undertaken by Amazon in a challenging economic environment.

Top Reasons Why Startups Fail
Globally, almost 90% of all start-up businesses fail. 10% of this number fail within the first year. The most common period for startup failures is within the first two to five years.

List Of Other Failed Startups In India

Companies Founded Year Dissolved Year Founder(s) Area of Operation Why They Failed
Pepper Tap 2014 April 2016 Milind Sharma and Navneet Singh Online Grocery Delivery Lack of understanding of the market and preparedness
Doodhwala 2015 2019 Aakash Agarwal and Ebrahim Akbari Online Milk Delivery Unfavorable circumstances and lack of Margin
Local Banya 2012 2016 Amit Naik, Karan Mehrotra & Rashi Choudhary E-Commerce Lack of operation capability and margin
Tiny Owl 2014 2016 Saurabh Goyal Online Food Delivery Apps Lack of experience of founders in handling business
Bite Club 2014 2016 Prateek Agarwal Online Food Delivery App Lack of capability to handle expansion and competition
Dazo 2014 2015 Monica Rastogi & Shashank Sekhar Singhal Food Delivery Lack of funds and management due to intense competition
Yumist 2014 2017 Alok Jain and Abhimanyu Maheshwari Food Delivery Lack of funds and high cost of operation
GrocShop 2015 2016 Rahul Kumar and Ayush Garg Grocery Delivery Lack of
Mr.Needs 2016 2018 Hitashi Garg, Ravi Verma, Ravi Wadhwa, and Yogesh Garg Online Milk Delivery Intense competition and low margin
Monkey Box 2015 2018 Sanjay Rao Food Delivery Lack of execution, and planning & model
iProf 2009 January 2014 Sanjay Purohit and Saurabh Jain Ed-Tech Intense competition and low margin
Purple Squirrel 2013 May 2016 Aditya Gandhi and Sahiba Dhandhania Ed-Tech Intense competition and poor product service
GoZoomo 2014 2016 Arnav Kumar and Himangshu Hazarika Food Delivery Intense competition and management
Zebpay 2014 September 2018 Sandeep Goenka, Saurabh Agarwal, and Mahin Gupta Fintech and Finance Legal Challenges and Issues
Koinex 2017 June 2019 Rahul Raj, Rakesh Yadav, and Aditya Naik Fintech and Finance Legal Challenges and Issues
Card Back 2013 2017 Nidhi Gurnani and Nikhil Wason Fintech Lack of funds and execution
DocTalk 2016 2018 Goenka, Chamakura and Aluru Health Tech Intense competition
BabyBerry 2012 2018 Bala Venkatachalam and Subhashini Subramaniam Child Care Flaws in the revenue model
Doormint 2014 2016 Abhinav Agarwal E-Commerce Lack of funds and flaws in the model, poor management
Task bob 2014 January 2017 Amit Chahalia House Hold Lack of funds and low-profit margin
GetNow 2014 2016 Jayesh Bagde Local Electronics Shop Provider Poor choice for business and low margin
Flashdoor 2015 - - House Hold Solution
RUSSSH 2012 June 2019 Bharat Ahirwar Logistics Lack of funds and intense competition
Jabong 2012 February 2020 Arun Chandra Mohan, Praveen Sinha, Lakshmi Potluri and Manu Kumar Jain E-Commerce Poor service and intense competition
Buttercups 2011 2019 Arpita Ganesh E-Commerce Poor execution
Wooplr 2013 May 2019 Zacharia, Praveen Rajaretnam, Soumen Sarkar and Ankit Sabharwal Social Commerce Platform Merger
Klozee 2015 2016 Aman Haji, Pratik Moona, and Prashant Jain E-Commerce Low sales and poor techniques
Just Buy Live 2015 2022 Rituraj Singh E-Commerce Lack of understanding of the market and preparedness
Shopo 2017 2017 Rithika Nelson and Theyagarajan S E-Commerce Lack of funds
Finomena 2015 August 2017 Abhishek Garg & Riddhi Mittal Fintech Lack of funds
Fashionara 2011 2016 Arun Sirdeshmukh and Darpan Munjal E-commerce Lack of funds, Intense competition
Shotang 2013 2021 Roy Singh and Vishal BG E-commerce Niche-specific failure and no funds
Hike Messenger 2012 January 2021 Kavin Bharti Mittal Social Platform Intense competition
COGXIO 2014 July 2016 Layak, Kinshuk Bairagi and Sarit Prajna Sahu Dating Platform Lack of revenue
Parcelled 2014 2016 Bhandari, Xitij Kothi, Abhishek Srivastava, Nikhil Bansal, and Rikin Kachhia Courier Service Intense competition and poor service
Ezytruck 2015 2018 Srikanth Maheswarappa, Anand Mutalik, and Narasimha Bs Logistic Intense competition
Truckmandi 2015 2016 Ankit Singh, Anurag Jain, and Nishant Singh E-Commerce Cash burn and lack of funds
Roder 2014 2017 Abhishek Negi, Ashish Rajput, and Siddhant Matre Transportaion Service Cash burn due to corruption involved in the field and also poor management
Tazzo Technologies 2015 January 2018 Priyam Saraswat, Priyank Suthar, Shivangi Srivastav, and Vikrant Gossain Transportaion Service Poor business model
AUTOnCab 2014 2016 Surendra Goel and Vinti Doshi Transportaion Service Poor business model
Hey Bob 2015 2016 Vishal Kumar, Vinay Reddy, Girish Nadig and Suman Kundu Transportaion Service Poor business model
Freshconnect 2018 2022 Amit Kashyap and Tarun Gupta Agri Tech Lack of awareness and low-profit margin
Dial-a-Celeb 2016 2017 Gaurav Chopra and Ranjan Agarwal Media and Entertainment Poor business model
App Surfer 2011 May 2022 Akshay Deo, Amit Yadav, Aniket Awati, and Ratnadeep Deshmane Mobile Solution Provider Intense competition
Intelligent Interfaces 2015 2016 Azeem Zainulbhai and Rahul Yadav Software Solution Legal Challenges and Issues
InoVvorX 2010 2020 Maxim Dsouza IT Poor business model and management
Stayzilla 2006 February 2017 Yogendra Vasupal Tourism Lack of funds
Rooms Tonite 2014 2017 Suresh John Hospitability Intense competition
Job Bridge 2017 - - Job consultancy Lack of proper management
Turant Delivery 2015 May 2017 Ankur Majumder and Satish Gupta Logistic Provider Lack of funds
Overcart 2012 2017 Saptarshi Nath and Alexander Souter Cryptocurrency Exchange Lack of clear regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies in India
LoanMeet 2016 May 2019 Ritesh Singh and Sunil Kumar Finance (Short-term) Tough competition from other big players

Main Reasons why Startups Fail in India

The above-mentioned examples shed light on major issues that are responsible for the failure of nearly 90% of the emerging startups in India:

  • Lack of funds: On close observation, it is evident that insufficient funding or the lack of it caused most of the startups to shut down.
  • Highly anticipated model, not in sync with the nature and lifestyle of the Indian population: Some of the startups listed above failed because their highly anticipated models were not appropriate for Indians. Startups should either wait for the right time or educate their future consumers about their technology in advance. Also, the company should pivot only after a thorough market study.
  • Poor customer service and sub-par quality of the products offered: Be it an online startup or a brick-and-mortar store, customer service is of utmost importance. Some startups compromise on customer service and the quality of their products; the compromise always results in the closure of business.
  • Lack of focus and legal disputes: It is imperative for any startup to focus on building a solid foundation and then growing it further. Entrepreneurs should also focus on the legalities which may cause disruptions in the future. What if you ignore these two factors? You cease to operate like Stayzilla.

You can read more about reasons for startups failures here.

Why Do Startups Fail?

How to Bounce back from your Startup's Failure

Panic doesn’t help in failure; relaxation and progressive thinking will prove to be useful. Successful people have seen failures and have overcome all challenges.

Here are some tips to bounce back from your startup's failure:

Share Your Feelings

Don’t think that life ends after a failure. Don’t spend time criticizing yourself or anyone else, but feel proud of the takeaways from that failure. Keep in touch with friends, family, and relatives to stay calm and relaxed in times of failure. Find a mentor or a group of experienced people. Learn from them. Seek guidance and mental support from mentors and entrepreneurs who have seen both success and failure.

Find Different Sources Of Income To Recover Your Loss

Failures will lead to financial difficulties. So work on expanding your income stream. Contact mentors and entrepreneurs for suggestions on income generation. Do not get depressed because money is meant to come and go. Calculate how long your savings will last and plan accordingly. It will be great if you already have a secondary source of income. If not, spend some time creating a source of income through freelancing or consulting.

Prepare And Plan With Consciousness

A lot of lessons are learned after hard times. Use these lessons to prepare and prioritize. Make a survival plan. Startup founders are very comfortable with planning and execution. Appoint suitable founders and workers to assist you. Hard work always pays off, so work until you achieve success. If your startup fails, create an excel sheet, and write down the skills in one column and the potential income from those skills in the second column. By doing this simple exercise, one will get some clarity on how to keep the business running for a few more months.

Wait For The Right Time To Get The Right Opportunities

Don’t take any important decision at the time of failure because the mind is depressed at such a time. Wait and then plan for the future. Take whatever time is required to make up your mind but once the thought process is in place, do not go back to thinking about the failure. Great opportunities do not come frequently. So wait for the right moment. It is better to wait for several months for the right kind of work than to get stuck on the wrong assignment.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Be mindful of your actions after a bout of failure. The right attitude is important during stressful moments. Take the right action with the right attitude. Say no to poor opportunities. Work to the best of your abilities. Aim high and let your failures be the stepping stones to success.

Failure is not an end. It's the first step to success. Whether you are running a startup or are planning to launch one, note down the mistakes discussed in this post. Nothing hurts more than committing a mistake you were already aware of. If this case study on the failure of some promising Indian startups was useful to you, let us know in the comments.


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FAQs

How many startups fail in India?

According to a 2019 report, more than 5 million startups are founded every year. However, only 10% of those startups succeed and the rest break down.

What happens when startups fail?

The startup may gather outstanding accounts, take up loans to settle outstanding debts, sell resources for paying debts, and cater to the investors who funded the startup. Venture capitalists and other investors usually end up at a loss when a startup fails.

Why do 90% of startups fail or why do most Indian startups fail?

Here are some of the major reasons:
1. Lack of funds.
2. Highly anticipated model against the nature and lifestyle of the target audience.
3. Poor customer service and low-quality products.
4. Lack of focus and legal disputes.

What is the hardest business to start?

Businesses that require huge funds to start off with are the hardest to start. Businesses pertaining to logistics,  restaurants, and travel agencies are deemed some of the most difficult businesses to start.

What is the safest business to start?

Businesses that require low investment are the safest. Things that can be done entirely from the comfort of your home are the easiest. Some examples are logo designing, digital marketing, website building, online tutoring, virtual assistance, and so on.

Am I too old to start a business?

There is no age limit for starting a startup. You can be 50 and have a unique idea that might take off in the market.

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