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Why 90% of Startups invisible-fail (and how to be the 10%)
We’re all entering 2026 with one goal: Growth. But in our community survey, a haunting pattern emerged. We saw founders who raised hundreds of thousands of euros, survived for years, and still hit a wall.
How does a startup with funding and a team still end up crashing?
We went looking for a framework to explain this, and we found gold.
Today’s insights come from Lance Cottrell, the founder of Feel the Boot. Lance is a battle-tested founder who has spent decades helping entrepreneurs navigate the "vertical learning curve" of scaling a business. He knows exactly where the hidden landmines are buried.
Great insights......makes everyone realize that getting funding is a game that has rules and hurdle that only discourage
Lance identifies 10 specific traps that kill most startups—and how to dodge them before they drain your bank account.
“Most founders don’t have a survival strategy—they just run until they hit a wall and hope they bounce.”
If that feels familiar, you’re not alone. Here are the 10 Startup Killers to watch for as you scale this year and the link to the full Video below!
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The top 10 Startup killers (and your life raft):
A quick, practical summary so you can apply the ideas — not just read them.
Lack of Market Need: Many solve "nuisance" problems rather than burning pains. If your solution isn't 10x better than the status quo, customers won't bother with the friction of switching.
Running Out of Cash: Founders often realize too late that growth is lagging behind their burn rate. If you wait until you're desperate to raise funds, investors will smell the blood in the water and your leverage disappears.
Team Gaps: A brilliant product fails if it’s invisible; you need more than just coders. Use a skill matrix to identify missing sales or marketing DNA and ensure no single person's departure can sink the ship.
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