Crypto
The startup that almost revolutionized music distribution - and why killing it was the smartest decision I ever made.
The journey
Building a revolutionary music platform where blockchain meets beats - then killing it
My ambitious vision for a revolutionary NFT collection that would kickstart a fair music platform where blockchain meets beats. Started as an NFT idea, quickly grew to a 9-person team with VC interest and 1000+ Discord members in 2 weeks. Then I did something unexpected - I killed it. Sometimes the best decision is knowing when to stop.
In just 2 weeks, we built a Discord community of 1000+ members. VCs were calling. Lawyers were hired to ensure FMA compliance. The team grew to 9 passionate people who believed we could revolutionize music distribution. Ana, Kris, Noni, Corey, Luka, Jules, Rohan, Selim - each brought unique skills and shared the vision of fair artist compensation through blockchain.
Year
2022
Lessons learned
1000+ Discord members in 2 weeks, VC interest secured, valuable lessons learned from strategic exit
The hardest decision I've ever made was killing it. Despite early success, despite the team's passion, despite the VC interest - I pulled the plug. Market timing wasn't right. Team dynamics needed work. This was pre-AI era, making technical complexity overwhelming. Sometimes the bravest thing is knowing when to stop, even when everyone's telling you to keep going. And I was right, the market condition wasn't right and it would have for sure failed at the current state of the market.
What I learned running this startup is worth more than any exit could have been. Managing a team scattered across time zones, pitching to VCs who did and didn't understand the vision, navigating legal complexities of securities law and regulatory uncertainty, building community from scratch - these lessons shaped every project that came after. Failure is just education in disguise.