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In a word: MSCHF (pronounced “mischief”), the American art collective that launches new “drops” every second and fourth Monday of the month, has unveiled its latest work that pokes fun at failed startups. Dead Startup Toys are just that – toy versions of iconic failed startups. Five individual toys make up the collection as follows.
Jibo was touted as the world’s first social robot for the home. Its Indiegogo campaign raised over $ 3.6 million and although it was launched, it did so a year behind schedule. Plus, the promised developer SDK never came, and it was pretty limited without it. Few were surprised when the company threw in the towel soon after launching.
The Coolest Cooler was an over-designed cooler that made a splash on Kickstarter as one of its early success stories. Expect, this didn’t have a happy ending as most of the backers were ultimately left empty-handed. Five years and over $ 13 million lost. Ouch.
One Laptop Per Child had a noble vision: to produce inexpensive laptops for children in developing countries at a price of just $ 100. Sadly, the effort failed for multiple reasons (high cost being one of them) and the foundation that ran it closed in 2014.
In the mid-2010s, Juicero developed a Wi-Fi-connected juice press that used proprietary single-serve packaging of pre-pressed fruits and vegetables. The “high-tech” juicer debuted for $ 699, and that’s on top of the $ 5 to $ 7 you had to pay per bag of juice or veg. Needless to say, consumers weren’t convinced and the company closed in 2017.
Theranos was a private health technology company founded by Elizabeth Holmes in 2003. The company claimed to have developed a blood testing machine and supporting technology that would revolutionize the industry. Investors threw money at Theranos, but what they didn’t know was that the company’s technology was mostly based on lies.
The company has been dissolved and its founder is awaiting trial for wire fraud and conspiracy.
The Dead Startup Toys are available to purchase individually for $ 39.99 each, or you can get the set for $ 159.99.
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