Menlo Ventures — portfolio autopsies

AI talent intelligence platform acquired by Outmatch and wound down as ATS vendors absorbed its features.

DTC eyewear pioneer that went public at $6B — then discovered retail stores cost as much as the old retail model

P2P car sharing with $300M from SoftBank. Insurance costs and maintenance ate every dollar. Filed Chapter 11 in December 2023.

IPO at $7B, acquired by Naver for $1.2B — social commerce's 80% markdown in two years

Goldman and SoftBank-backed LXP sold below valuation after SPAC dreams collapsed.

The meal delivery pioneer that raised $125M and employees learned of its closure from a news report

Design flash-sale site pivoted four times and ran out of identity

The atomic news app that broke stories into digestible facts — shut down when social media made that a feature, not a business

The design flash-sale unicorn that raised $336M, grew to 2,000 employees in 18 months — and sold the whole thing for $15M

The music streaming service with the best recommendation engine — acquired into extinction