Shutting Down Cohort
Maybe I could have worked more hours. Maybe I could have worked harder. Or smarter. Or whatever. Maybe.
Maybe I could have had one more investor meeting. Maybe I should have focused more on marketing. Or customer development. (Yeah, customers, remember them?) Maybe I should have been more driven on usage and engagement. Maybe I should have opened up the product sooner, to more people.
Maybe I shouldn’t have positioned Cohort as some kind of antidote to LinkedIn.
What was I thinking?
Maybe I should have been more open to that quiet voice in the back of my head telling me this was never going to work.
Maybe I shouldn’t have taken this on as a solo-founder. Maybe I should have just gotten a real job three years ago when I started thinking about this problem. Maybe I shouldn’t have risked my mental health and personal well-being.
Maybe. Maybe.
Reflection
Cohort launched about this time last year, at Collision in New Orleans. It was well received, even as a basic, initial offering. It was simple, yet powerful when it came to uncovering hidden relationships and insights into your network.
However, that was probably going to be the high point in the Cohort story. I have the benefit of hindsight now, to see what I couldn’t see then. Objectively, Cohort had already begun its death spiral, but it wasn’t obvious to me.
A combination of factors (some unforeseen, others immediate and present) would mean that within nine months, Cohort’s development would stop completely, as we’d enter a four month long holding pattern of either being acquired, or shut down.
After failing to raise a seed round, we had a number of acquisition opportunities, one in particular felt like it was going to work, but it wasn’t to be.
It’ll probably be months before I can properly reflect on, and learn from, what went wrong. But there are three things I am certain of, and have been able to properly take in over the past month or two:
- I know that the Cohort team did their very best. Alex, Brendan, Eoin and Mark should be proud of their combined effort, because I’m proud of them. They gave it their all, and I would work with each of them again, in a heartbeat.
- Our Angel investors and advisors are salt of the earth. I know how lucky and privileged I am to have been able to raise an Angel round in the first place. Cohort would not have been possible were it not for this group of individuals who put their faith and trust in me and the team. A few weeks ago I let them know the fate of the company, and I was humbled by their responses.
- I’ve been running an internal monologue for the last month or two. Maybe this. Maybe that. This has been a stressful, painful final leg of an otherwise fun, exciting, and challenging journey. But the past is the past. Dwelling on what could have / would have / should have isn’t going to change the outcome. Fuck Maybes. No regrets. (Ok, sure, still some regrets for now, I’m only human.)
What now?
The Cohort app will be shutting down and taken offline in the coming weeks.
Cohort, Inc. will eventually be wound down. There is a decent amount of useful IP, if that’s of interest to you, send me an email: eamon@cohort.is
Some of the team already have found work elsewhere, and others are on the lookout. If you want an introduction to smart, team oriented people, drop me a line.
Also, I’m looking for new opportunities— if you think you need help from someone like me, let’s talk! I like building product, and developing people and teams. I think I can be most useful to companies that are experiencing growth and the kind of people and product challenges that often come with it. If you’re in that zone, you know what I’m talking about.
Thank you!
So many people have helped along the way. Old and new friends. Our users, and those who gave feedback — even though it didn’t work out, your input was appreciated. Thank you!
Finally, thank you to the Cohort team, our investors and advisors. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to deliver an outcome we could all be proud of, but I’m glad that we tried 🙏
You are all in my cohort of trusted relationships, you know I’m there if I can ever help.
