Zombie Startup
定义
A zombie startup earns enough to survive but not enough to grow into venture outcomes, leaving investors stuck and founders grinding without a path to exit or scale.
它在融资中如何出现
The zombie state usually follows raising venture money for a non-venture-scale business; the honest exits are profitability on purpose, sale, or wind-down.
常见问题
How do startups become zombies?
Product-market fit in a market too small for the capital raised, or growth that plateaus after the preference stack already assumes scale.
What should a zombie startup do?
Choose deliberately: restructure toward profitability, seek acquisition while the team has value, or return remaining capital, rather than drifting.