That wasn't supposed to happen, not this soon at least. No individual sets out to do something to crash and burn. But the fact is, most startups fail. The exact number does not matter; but you start with the best intentions and don't set out to be one of those numbers. A few years later, I became one of those numbers. And here is my story. 

It’s been a gruelling 3+ years since I set out to build something. I poured my heart and soul into Spiti, a journey filled with incredible learning experiences, heartbreaks, and a lot of fulfilment. I started as a solo founder, pivoted once, hired a co-founder, raised capital, built a remote team, executed many launches — with constant sleepless nights, user interviews, conflict resolutions, and product experiments. It was rewarding, to say the least.

Building User Love

I am an organizer. From bedroom closets to kitchen cabinets to files on my cloud, I love organizing things not just for the aesthetics but also for ease of access, both for me and for anyone else looking for something. I realized that we regularly spent a lot of time just looking for data for a critical report or planning. It was buried somewhere in a labyrinth of Slack channels and shared folders, lost in the digital clutter in the many layers of the various tools we used.The wasted time searching for information caused constant frustration and inefficiency. It felt like we were spending more time digging through data than actually using it. I knew I had to find a solution, not just for myself, but for everyone facing this digital disarray. So, I embarked on a mission to create a haven for data — a place where information is easily accessible and organized, empowering individuals and teams to work smarter. 

Spiti started as a grand ambition — a central hub for all your crucial data. After a few months, I realized the need for a more focused approach. We pivoted to become the go-to solution for managing your team's videos.  Early 2021 was a turning point. The need for a better way to organize, access, share, and collaborate on video content was exploding. Teams were drowning in a sea of scattered videos, and Spiti emerged as a lifeline.

I watched Spiti grow, evolve to solve our users’ problems, while delighting them. Our user base kept growing, we kept shipping, we unlocked new paths, and we did many launches — for nearly 2 years. Soon after our first launch, we identified critical areas of product improvement to fix product adoption, internal and external collaboration capabilities, and product led growth. The first launch was a huge success. A few mini launches followed, none of those hit the mark. 

Knowing Failures

Come 2023, when you open your analytics, the growth curves are not what you’re hoping for, and the new features aren’t working as planned. We started seeing more internal struggles. With the remote work culture slowly experiencing a decline, the most likely outcome for us was failure, but we kept rolling the dice and betting against all odds. 

Spiti thrived in the early days of the remote-first revolution. We rode the wave of surging demand, fueled by companies embracing distributed workforces. However, our initial growth was situational, reliant on a specific market condition. I was too focused on crafting a delightful and smooth product experience for our users, that I missed putting in sufficient efforts on user expansion. Don't get me wrong, our users loved Spiti and we were solving their team video documentation and access problems really well. 

You folks have built something powerful.

We started using Spiti to organize our videos in a single place, and it worked beautifully.

I wanted a central platform that is fast, easy on the eyes, simple to use and solves our video access and sharing problems.

If you’re looking for a way to create your own internal video channel with your team, give Spiti a careful look. Spiti is easy to learn and rewarding to use.

Lost in the whirlwind of positive feedback, we failed to anticipate the impermanence of the trend. We hadn't established a strong PMF, making Spiti vulnerable when the tide began to turn. We couldn't find the growth that moved the needle.  The market crashed, and remote-work culture started to dwindle.  Our customers, focused on cost-cutting and efficiency, were forced to re-evaluate their "good-to-have" tools. Spiti, unfortunately, fell into that category. Our retention plummeted. Window of opportunity was closing and capital was running low. The road ahead became increasingly challenging and tough choices loomed. 

The Hard-won Wisdom

Lesson #1: Remote teams don't work for early stage startups. We worked hard and shipped "tasks". But, there was a clear lack of real-time idea exchange. You miss a lot of blind spots and opportunities when you work in silos, in your own head and can collaborate on a schedule alone. In the 0-to-1 journey, aligning your team and working towards a vision on Zoom calls took a lot of time. I couldn't build a hustle team culture on a schedule. I moved to San Francisco early 2023 (with my team in different parts of India) and with that came new team collaboration issues.  

Lesson #2: All that really matters is getting to PMF. Everything else is a distraction. Early on, I equated success with features and functionality, neglecting the crucial step of achieving PMF.  Steve Jobs famously said, "You can't connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards."  Looking back, it's clear – a laser focus on finding PMF, truly understanding our target audience and their needs, would have been far more valuable than any bells and whistles.

Lesson #3: Embrace first principles thinking. Having spent years in the startup world, I often found myself making decisions based on past successes. It felt like a safe bet – replicating what worked before in a similar situation.  However, this approach, while seemingly logical, ultimately proved detrimental to Spiti's growth. Here's why:

• Market Shifts: What worked in the past might not translate to the present. Market trends change, user needs evolve, and relying solely on familiar strategies can leave you blindsided by new challenges.
• Unique Problems: Every startup faces unique hurdles. Replicating a solution from another company without understanding the underlying reasons for its success might not solve your specific problem.

Navigating the dynamic world of building something ground up requires you to embrace first principles thinking, to approach every challenge with a fresh perspective. 

Lesson #4: The high cost of a mismatch. Anyone who has ever started a company will tell you that startups are hard...really hard. They push you beyond comfort zones, forcing you to adapt and innovate at a breakneck pace. That's when the importance of a co-founder truly shines.  Shared working styles and core principles become the fuel for the partnership – the key to navigating inevitable hurdles with focus and efficiency. I found myself constantly resolving friction caused by mismatched working styles and priorities. This constant back-and-forth drained our collective energy, taking away focus from the crucial problems we needed to solve.  It became clear that alignment in vision, work style, and core values is just as important as technical skills or industry knowledge.

Finally there isn’t a right way to do things, only a mix of options with different tradeoffs. Context matters, always. 

It's difficult to see the thing you’ve poured your heart into not take off like you wanted it to. After exploring a few options to do right by my customers, team, and investors, I finally made the decision to wind down (more on that process another time). 

Biggest Personal Growth

A very high threshold for pain and new limits of courage — that's what it teaches you. The challenges morph and evolve alongside your company. During the crucial 0-to-1 phase, the pressure to 'ship fast and grow fast' is immense. It's a constant hustle – endless nights fuelled by both frustration and the exhilarating thrill of learning. This period forced me to develop new skills – product design, product marketing, user research, human resources, even legal and accounting. Most of the time I was stretched too thin. One of the toughest challenges was prioritizing the product roadmap while having difficult, but necessary, conversations with the team. It taught me a lot about prioritization. 

 As a founder, building trust with your team, investors, and customers is paramount. As a first time founder, I learnt how important this is along the way. This constant learning and adaptation is unparalleled. The skills I picked up and the people I've met along the way is immeasurable. I'm incredibly grateful for that. 

Thank you. Merci. Nanni. Grazie

I wouldn't have been able to take this journey without the support and faith of everyone who was a part of it. 

To my customers: Some of you were my early customers, the ones who signed-up and converted after Spiti's first Product Hunt launch. You gave me the confidence and conviction to keep going. A heartfelt thank you to our incredible customers. Your feedback and trust allowed us to continuously improve and shape Spiti into something truly special.

To my team: I hired my team during the lockdown, when all of us were isolated in our homes. Thank you for taking a chance and choosing to join me on this journey. You showed dedication and worked hard to take Spiti a step further each day. 

To my investors and mentors: Thank you to our amazing angel investors. You believed in our vision and supported us throughout this incredible journey.

To my family: Amma, Acha, Lissiue, Emmanuel, & Noel. Words cannot express my gratitude for your unwavering support throughout this journey. Your love and encouragement have been my rock.

To my husband, Sanket:  I couldn't have done this without your constant and unwavering support. You celebrated the wins. You offered a shoulder during the tough times. You have been a constant source of strength. You're all the light I need. 

It's time to turn the page!