Kickstarter & IndieGoGo campaigns have a tradition of overreaching, and people not realizing that when products are trying to re-invent multiple verticals that they don’t realize they are trying to do too much at once.
Simplicity is the key to a successful indieGoGo/Kickstarter.
It took more than a week for remaining Skully execs to admit to themselves it was time to shut down. But late last night the company finally sent customers an email, which was obtained by TechCrunch, telling them it has officially closed its doors.
The startup’s troubles have been brewing for several months but came to a head two weeks ago when Skully’s board forced founders Marcus and Mitch Weller out of their own company. Days later most of the employees, including the engineering team, were let go and websites sales for Skully’s much-anticipated augmented reality helmet were shut off.
The site is still up right now due to what we’ve been told is a website vendor payment dispute. But the company is no more.
Multiple sources inside Skully confirmed to TechCrunch the startup had run out of money and was trying to sell itself off to a subsidiary of Chinese conglomerate LeTV called LeSport. However, a number of disputes, including the possibility of an acquisition, how the founders were spending money and several manufacturing issues, caused a rift to form between the founders and investors.
However, there is somewhat of a silver lining for Skully’s customers. Smart bike helmet maker Fusar has offered a credit equivalent for the whole amount any Skully customer paid for their AR-1 helmet under what it is calling the Skully Owners Stimulus (SOS) program.
Not sure how many executives are left, but for documentation purposes it might be best to not buy anything from the following people:
Marcus Weller
Chief Executive Officer, Chairman
Founder
Marcus attended the University of Minnesota, where he assisted research on Intelligent Transportation Systems and developed his lifelong passion for Human Factors Engineering and Industrial Psychology. After years of working in the automotive and semiconductor industries, a motorcycle accident inspired him to found SKULLY in 2013. Marcus holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Psychology and is a motorcycle fanatic with an obsession for human-centered technology and design.
Mitchell Weller
Vice President, Business Operations
Co-Founder
Mitchell has shared his brother’s passion for motorcycling since before he can remember. This same passion eventually led him to join SKULLY in 2013 after holding Director positions in human resources, operations, and materials logistics. Mitchell served in the US Army, holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota, and enjoys getting his hands dirty working on motorcycles and cars.
[Source: TechCrunch]
