Indonesian Startup Claims Failure Was a 'Soft Exit into Learning Phase'
A SEA startup raised $78M, shut down, and now calls it a “soft exit into learning.” The founder explains it all at a TEDx talk on resilience.
JAKARTA — Regional startup Klikr announced this week that its sudden disappearance from the market was not a failure, but a “soft exit into an immersive, founder-led learning phase.”
The announcement was made during a TEDx talk titled “Fail Forward, Fade Gracefully”, delivered by CEO and co-founder Rafiq Tarmizi.
“We didn’t fail,” said Tarmizi. “It was a strategic un-launch. A stealth transition to nothing.”
The talk was sponsored by leftover Series C funds, which insiders confirm were originally earmarked for a now-cancelled brand refresh, and a new executive retreat in Lombok.
Founded in 2020 with a vision to “digitize frictionless micro-logistics for pre-rural convenience commerce,” Klikr initially gained traction as a darling among Southeast Asia’s venture capital elite. With over $78 million raised from global funds including SoftBrick Capital, PalmTree Ventures, and a few high-net-worth YouTubers, Klikr expanded to six countries within nine months… most of which had never heard of the product.
Despite repeated pivots, including short-lived product lines in warung digitization, and hyperlocal agri-fintech, Klikr failed to reach product-market fit in any known market.
The company’s app, which once peaked at #71 in the Indonesian productivity category after a paid install campaign, stopped functioning sometime in Q2. No announcement was made. The engineering team had been reduced to one DevOps contractor working part-time from Bandung.
“Sunsetting the platform was intentional,” said Tarmizi. “We wanted to create space for users to reflect on their journey without the distraction of functionality.”
Klikr’s investors, many of whom had marked the company up three times based on “regionally adjusted TAM,” are standing firmly behind the founders.
“Failure is a Western construct,” said Angelique Wong, General Partner at PalmTree Ventures. “In Southeast Asia, we embrace circular entrepreneurship. Sometimes the best path forward is a well-timed disappearance.”
Asked whether any value would be returned to LPs, Wong nodded solemnly. “We consider this a non-financial return. A proof of character. Rafiq is now deeply introspective and very well-networked.”
When questioned about the lack of revenue, product traction, or operational continuity, a SoftBrick Capital spokesperson clarified: “Klikr created a lot of intangible value. The brand had potential. The culture was fantastic. We were just a little ahead of the warung enablement curve.”
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