Another one bites the dust? Did Ooma fail, or never really launch?
My friend Luca's post this morning caught my eye straightaway.
Is Ooma heading to the deadpool?
I was not surprised today when I read this article by Valleywag. Ooma, the VoIP service much discussed in the past months over the blogsphere, seems to be in trouble and many VP are leaving the company. Even their PR agency is not representing them anymore.
I'm one of those who argues Ooma was headed to the dead pool the day I read their announcement and business model. They generated a lot of flailing about in the blogosphere. That problem got them more attention and coverage that the Ashton Kutcher promo. But in my view, it was never terribly viable as a solution or approach. I never found them forthcoming with usable information or enough disclosure to even merit serious consideration. If Luca hadn't mentioned this, they'd already disappeared from my view. I thought they never got off the ground.
I hate seeing new startups fail, but I also know it takes a good product solution and a viable business plan to succeed.
Here's the Valleywag story for those who want more.
Ashton Kutcher-backed startup Ooma is falling apart
Hold the phone: Voice-over-Internet startup Ooma is flailing, despite -- or perhaps because of -- a viral-video marketing campaign directed by Hollywood star Ashton Kutcher. Ooma launched its product, a $400 device which offers unlimited phone calls, last year, with a splash of press. Starstruck tech bloggers like TechCrunch's Michael Arrington gave away Ooma gadgets to readers in exchange for some facetime with Kutcher -- and asked few questions about its nonsensical business model, which had it charging high upfront prices for hardware and giving away phone service. Now, we're told, its high-school-dropout CEO, Andrew Frame, has seen a host of executives leave.
Technorati Tags: Ooma, startup failure
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Comments
From the first time I learned of Ooma's approach, I have been writing about the technical and security problems. There was no way that they could succeed. Other's commented on the bad business model which made "free for life" impossible.
Posted by: Mike Pierce | April 11, 2008 8:55 AM