I was going to write an email to David/Matt, but ended up thinking that a more public space might be more appropriate.
For the people that don't know me (most of you) I am friends with Matt (and hopefully now David), and I worked on microcosm for a few months from September to December last year - which incidentally led to getting my current job, so I'm very grateful to them both. I also invested in the second fundraising round before I did this (it's already public on Seedrs so I'll disclose the amount - a shade under £10k for just under 0.5%).
I had an inkling that it would come to this, and to be perfectly honest, I don't mind. I'm extremely pleased that Matt and David were able to give it their best attempt within the bounds of the resources available, and learned a few lessons along the way.
There are a few things that I want to comment on.
Firstly, the quick winding down. I appreciate how hard this decision is to make, even when it's staring you in the face. On second thoughts, having never done it myself, I probably don't quite appreciate the difficulty of it. However, it does give everyone closure. Less emotionally important, it also gives the investors their loss relief which can then be used for other opportunities.
Secondly, the openness and clarity of communication with investors and other interested parties, including the open-office policy. The honesty in the quarterly updates was great, you weren't afraid to shine a spotlight on your own weaknesses and shortcomings. It gave me huge amounts of trust and confidence that, although things didn't progress smoothly at times, nothing was being shirked or purposefully ignored/obfuscated. This is a rare feeling for me to have about any company.
Thirdly, from the short time I worked with you both, I know how much effort and deliberation went in to every decision. Nothing was hand waved, no short cuts were taken. In hindsight, perhaps some should have been (!) but at least it meant that there was solid reasoning behind every direction that was taken. Given this and the latest decision to shut up shop, I have faith that it's both the best and the only way forward.
To both of you (and without wanting to be patronising):
Take as much time off as you can afford to, as it's been an emotional roller-coaster and both of you have put in so much time and effort.
Keep me in the loop with where you're going and what you get up to. If in future you decide to have another go at creating something, let me know.
Don't treat this as a failure. I can't speak for other people, but I'm extremely impressed with what you've achieved on what was essentially a shoe-string budget.
If you ever fancy a drink and to talk things over, you know where I work!
All the best,
Lewi
I was going to write an email to David/Matt, but ended up thinking that a more public space might be more appropriate.
For the people that don't know me (most of you) I am friends with Matt (and hopefully now David), and I worked on microcosm for a few months from September to December last year - which incidentally led to getting my current job, so I'm very grateful to them both. I also invested in the second fundraising round before I did this (it's already public on Seedrs so I'll disclose the amount - a shade under £10k for just under 0.5%).
I had an inkling that it would come to this, and to be perfectly honest, I don't mind. I'm extremely pleased that Matt and David were able to give it their best attempt within the bounds of the resources available, and learned a few lessons along the way.
There are a few things that I want to comment on.
Firstly, the quick winding down. I appreciate how hard this decision is to make, even when it's staring you in the face. On second thoughts, having never done it myself, I probably don't quite appreciate the difficulty of it. However, it does give everyone closure. Less emotionally important, it also gives the investors their loss relief which can then be used for other opportunities.
Secondly, the openness and clarity of communication with investors and other interested parties, including the open-office policy. The honesty in the quarterly updates was great, you weren't afraid to shine a spotlight on your own weaknesses and shortcomings. It gave me huge amounts of trust and confidence that, although things didn't progress smoothly at times, nothing was being shirked or purposefully ignored/obfuscated. This is a rare feeling for me to have about any company.
Thirdly, from the short time I worked with you both, I know how much effort and deliberation went in to every decision. Nothing was hand waved, no short cuts were taken. In hindsight, perhaps some should have been (!) but at least it meant that there was solid reasoning behind every direction that was taken. Given this and the latest decision to shut up shop, I have faith that it's both the best and the only way forward.
To both of you (and without wanting to be patronising):
Take as much time off as you can afford to, as it's been an emotional roller-coaster and both of you have put in so much time and effort.
Keep me in the loop with where you're going and what you get up to. If in future you decide to have another go at creating something, let me know.
Don't treat this as a failure. I can't speak for other people, but I'm extremely impressed with what you've achieved on what was essentially a shoe-string budget.
If you ever fancy a drink and to talk things over, you know where I work!
All the best,
Lewi