In an email to BostInno on Monday, Dunwello founder Matt Lauzon said his startup, a professional reviews site that had aimed to serve as a middle ground between Yelp and LinkedIn, will soon be shuttered.
"Dunwello is winding down," Lauzon said. "We considered a variety of options and ultimately concluded this was the right path for everyone involved."
I'd contacted Lauzon after reading his Medium post, entitled "Failure," which went live around midnight Sunday night. Dunwello, which focuses on professionals such as hair stylists and fitness instructors, is not mentioned by name in the post.
The Boston startup had raised close to $2 million in funding, from investors including NextView Ventures, VegasTechFund, G20 Ventures and Converge Venture Partners. Angel investors in the company included Twitter executives Jeff Seibert and Wayne Chang (founders of Crashlytics).
The timing for the shutdown was not immediately disclosed by Lauzon, who was previously the founder of Gemvara, a well-funded site for customized jewelry based in Boston.
Update: In a follow-up email to BostInno, Lauzon said the company is working out the details around the timing for shutting down. "There are some likeminded companies interested in finding a way to keep Dunwello alive but we wanted to err on the side of keeping our commitment to our community. I expect we'll work things out over the next couple weeks," he said.
In a blog post on Dunwello, the company wrote:
There are few (pardon our simplification) choices a startup like Dunwello has when money starts to run out. There’s raising more money, joining efforts with another company, or closing down. The Dunwello team looked into every option and fought to continue our mission to help Boston look and feel fantastic. In the end, Dunwello is closing down with as much grace as possible. As a team, we will continue to serve you, to our fullest, until our last day. ... Keep an eye out for future updates on timing and plans. It is important to us for you to know details as soon as possible.
The post also states, "every pro will receive all of their recommendations via email over the next few weeks and each recommender can rest easy knowing your kind words will continue to fuel your favorite pros’ careers through other channels."
I can't convey how lucky I've been to work w/ @RealMattBrand @SaraSigel @ItsTCone @timdesir @TonyaMezrich @hcbrasil @meganisawesome [1 of 2]
— Matt Lauzon (@mattlauzon) February 15, 2016
While we didn't achieve the vision we hoped for, these people never compromised on our values. For that I'm thankful. They've @dunwello.
— Matt Lauzon (@mattlauzon) February 15, 2016
Dunwello had undergone a series of shifts in strategy since its founding in 2013, and Lauzon was on hiatus for several months in mid-2015 as he led a public victim's-rights campaign in his hometown of Biddeford, Maine.
