Serial founders don’t often sit still long. Doesn’t matter if they’ve had a successful exit or if they’ve had to wind something down. Either way, they always seem to have one more idea that they want to work on. Such is the case with Darius Monsef, founder of COLOURlovers, Brave Care, and Genie — all of which went through Y Combinator. Now, he’s winding down Genie and starting something new called Rides. But not before he gives us a retrospective on the decision.
We launched Genie with a simple idea: an AI-powered friend that kids could talk to, play with, and learn from. In a short time, 22,000 kids installed it, and we had rave reviews about how much they loved their new AI buddy. It was working. And yet, we made the tough decision to shut it down.
Why? Because building consumer tech for kids carries a huge burden of responsibility.
For more on the thinking behind shuttering Genie, visit LinkedIn. For more on the new startup, visit Rides.
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