Today, I’m officially shutting down Nexook, the company I’ve spent the past year building.
We had strong conviction, early excitement, and a clear mission: help solopreneurs run and monetize 1:1 expert sessions. We moved fast, talked to users constantly, and kept iterating. But no matter how many changes we made, we couldn’t crack monetization.
So we’ve decided to shut it down now, while we can still do it responsibly.
This isn’t a “failure post.” It’s a reflection. Since I started my previous startup six years ago, the landscape has changed a lot. And this year taught me more than most.
Quick Timeline
February
Built a waitlist. Over 1,000 solopreneurs signed up to use Nexook.
March to May
Launched the MVP. Scheduling, payments, CRM, calendar integration. Technically solid.
June
People signed up, but very few activated. We ran 40+ interviews. Everyone asked for more features. So we built them.
July
Still low engagement. We realized the real issue: our users didn’t know how to sell themselves online. It wasn’t a tech problem. It was a confidence, positioning, and visibility problem.
August
One cofounder left. We pivoted to Nexook AI — a tool to help people market themselves. Early signs were promising, so we built it.
End of August
Second cofounder left. They asked for money, which cut our runway short.
September
Launched Nexook AI. Some people used it and even loved it. But no one paid for it.
Now
The money’s nearly gone. There’s no clear path to revenue. So we’re closing up.
What I’d Do Differently
1. Validate willingness to pay, not just interest
A waitlist doesn’t mean demand.
A thousand signups doesn’t mean a thousand customers.
Next time, I’ll ask for pre-orders or small payments. Free users are easy. Paying users are the real test.
2. Don’t build for people who aren’t ready
We built tools for solopreneurs who didn’t have clients yet. They didn’t need infrastructure.
They needed confidence, content, and help with positioning.
Next time, I’d start with community, coaching, or education — not software.
3. B2C in Europe is much harder than it looks
Consumer expectations are higher than ever.
People are used to polished, free tools like ChatGPT and Canva.
European users take longer to convert, are more cautious with payments, and harder to retain.
Investors here are also more skeptical of early consumer plays.
If I did it again, I’d go B2B and solve a clear pain point with an existing budget.
4. I waited too long to go all-in on AI
At first, I built the old-school way.
Once we leaned into GPT-4 and automation, we moved fast. But by then, we had already lost momentum.
Next time, I’m starting AI-first from day one.
5. Only work with cofounders who are financially invested
Both of my cofounders were smart and talented. But when things got tough, they left.
Without money in the game, it was easier to walk.
Next time, I’ll only team up with people who are also invested personally, not for the cash, but for the commitment.
Thank You
To everyone who supported Nexook, thank you.
Users, advisors, investors, teammates. I’m deeply grateful.
We worked hard. Long hours. No salaries. Full belief in what we were building.
But belief isn’t enough. And building something people don’t pay for means you’re still building the wrong thing.
It hurts to shut it down, but it’s better than dragging it out for another six months.
What’s Next
I’m going solo for now and starting a new chapter as a fractional CTO.
I’ll be working with early-stage teams, drawing on my experience as a founder, ex-Google engineering lead, and hands-on CTO. I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t when it comes to building products, scaling teams, and making technical decisions under pressure.
Still running The Founders Chat podcast. Still exploring AI-native B2B ideas. Always open to good conversations.
And if this post helps even one founder avoid building something people won’t pay for, it was worth writing.