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Lalo, a Seattle startup that helped families create digital memorials for loved ones by storing digital content, is shutting down after two years.
Lalo founder Juan Medina told GeekWire that the company attracted thousands of users and millions of TikTok views but ultimately wasn’t able to convince customers to pay for its product or raise enough venture capital.
“It felt like we were close to a breakthrough,” Medina said. “Apple wanted to make us the ‘App of the Day,’ traffic was growing, media reaching out, all good signs. The harsh truth however was no one wanted to pay for this, so I had to make the call.”
The Seattle tech vet first considered the idea for the startup back in 2003 after the death of his father, when his wife asked him to tell a story about his dad and he realized he hadn’t known him all that well. Stories, jokes, recipes and more were either lost or scattered across various friends and family.
Lalo — named after Medina’s father — facilitated the collection of digital content such as images, video, voice, text and more. Digital profiles were limited to a small group of close friends and family, maintaining trust and privacy for users. Lalo users didn’t have to focus on a recent or impending loss of a loved one, but the app could be a helpful tool in the grieving process, Medina previously told GeekWire.
The idea was among a wave of innovation falling into the “death tech” category, where startups are reimagining everything around traditional end-of-life and funeral industry practices with ideas involving body composting, cremation services and casket purchases.
“I wanted to focus on a space where tech had not broken through,” Medina said. “End of life was an obvious place to start.”
The company struggled to raise venture capital. Medina said the only institutional investment the company received was from investors that targeted “overlooked founders,” including Columbus, Ohio-based VC firm Overlooked Ventures.
“Ultimately, we only had a few shots to get the product right and we weren’t successful,” he said. “Without established VCs with deep pockets, we couldn’t get enough cash in the bank to pivot or hire the level of talent we needed to compete.”
Medina said he poured two years of his life and a “large amount” of his own money into the company.
“I didn’t see a paycheck for two years,” he said. “I would pray to the Virgin of Guadalupe every time I went through the drive-thru that my debit card wouldn’t be declined.”
From his experience, Medina said he would advise early-stage founders: “Jump in, test a lot, don’t quit your day job.”
Medina was the company’s only employee; he worked with a group of contractors to develop and maintain the app.
The company is in the process of contacting its users, alerting them about the closure and sharing instructions on how they can download their posts and memories.
Before trying his hand at his own startup, Medina spent more than eight years at Amazon. He’s now back at the tech giant as a technical advisor.
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