Today is my last day at Bring Me Home - a tech startup I worked my a** off building for the last 4 years is shutting down tomorrow. If someone asked me, what’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done as a Founder, it would be deciding that it’s time to permanently shut down and having to tell my friends, family, employees, and hundreds of shareholders. In May 2021, I reassessed every part of Bring Me Home’s operational and financial health and decided that we need to shut down. In June, I told my employees about this, started helping them with job applications and interviews. In July, I engaged lawyers and accountants to explore my options and the details of the wind-down. In August, I said farewell to my employees who have all received job offers and started calling investors to tell them this news. Today, I sent out over 1000 emails to our business partners and shareholders and next month, we are calling in a shareholder meeting to officially close everything down. This 6-month process has been long and dreadful. Saying that it’s like picking at the scab again and again from a wound that’s trying to heal is an understatement, but one thing for sure is that, along with the ups and downs I had in my entrepreneurial journey, this is another invaluable experience to strengthen my resilience. This is a great way to make the most out of my 20s. What’s more rewarding is not just the impact we achieved, but the invaluable relationships I have built in the startup ecosystem. It is so overwhelming to receive countless supportive emails and messages from customers and investors, specifically the ones that say they look forward to investing in my next venture. I am so grateful for the people I’ve met and the lessons learned throughout this journey. I am excited to see where I head next and I have no doubt, I’ll go even harder at the next opportunity that comes my way. Here's a farewell letter from me, to Bring Me Home. Special thank you to: Ken L 🐘 Nick Crocker Michael Batko Ben Armstrong Gilles Planté Alexandra Clunies-Ross Paul Connor Senthil Nath Chris Hewson Mahesh Thiyagarajan Jessica Liu Matthew Benetti Manita Ray (She/her) Simon Lee Jason Zdravevski Willar Lok
💕 #1 Jane Kou fan! 🤗
Kim Teo
2y
Big hugs! As one door closes, another opens. 🤗
You were one of the first founders I came across that truely inspired me. What an incredible post, a true to testament to the person you are Jane! Can’t wait to see what’s next after you’ve enjoyed some well deserved time off 🤍
Sad to see a fellow food waste warrior having to close their doors. You should be super proud of what you have achieved - it's such an important issue and the more people working in this space to solve the problem the better. Look forward to seeing what you tackle next!
Lucero Tagle
2y
I admire your vulnerability and telling it like it is. It’s not often you hear this side of the story, so I applaud your for that! A lot of what you see nowadays is how much someone raised, or what accolades they received etc and don’t get me wrong, these are hard earned accomplishments. We fail at 100% of the things we don't ever dare try. You're already miles ahead of that game.
You are a star Jane Kou. I remember the vision you had for such an impact-full start-up like Bring Me Home and the effort you put in during your Uni days to set it up. Sorry to hear about this 4 years later, but I am sure the journey has only made you and your stakeholders stronger. Proud of you for all the hard work you've put in as a young entrepreneur in Australia. I'm sure great things await. Wishing you the best. I'm sure you'll ace it going forward. Best, Vinay :)
Looking at all the comments it's easy to see the impact you have had and the impact you will have when you decide what is next. Congratulations to bringing closure gracefully to this stage and wishing you the best of luck for the future! 🌟
Hi Jane - I saw you pitch your startup at an event many years ago. This was a great idea and an impactful, purposeful mission. Sorry the timing didn't work out but the class you've shown in the letter above is outstanding. Hope you enjoy some time to reset and I'm sure you'll be successful in whatever you tackle next!
Investor Partnerships at Stripe | Entrepreneur
2yThank you everyone for the overwhelming love and support, I am forever grateful!! 🙏 💖