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Most YC companies are zombies. There are a lot of 3-5 person startups still "active", some of them since a decade ago.


What’s going on there? Are they profitable but just not scaling, or taking no salary?


Zombie mode: "Others are stuck in “zombie” mode — surviving but unable to grow. They can muddle along like that for years, investors said, but will most likely struggle to raise more money."

https://archive.is/HNJoo "From Unicorns to Zombies: Tech Startups Run Out of Time and Money"

Discussed at HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38554608

(I also wondered what it was)


My uncle has had his startup kickstart with investors money and then paid them back. Now he is slowly growing but not expanding the company only the assets. I wouldnt call this dead. Its just sometimes you hit a ceiling for expansion




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