In early 2024, equity management platform Carta made headlines with a bold move into the startup winddown space by launching a service called Carta Conclusions. The offering aimed to assist companies navigating the complex process of shutting down operations.
However, by December, the company had quietly decided to sunset that service. In a blog post, Carta shared that it was retiring Carta Conclusions and taking a new strategic direction.
Instead of building an in-house solution, Carta opted to back a company already focused on the problem. It became an investor in SimpleClosure, a startup that brands itself as the “TurboTax of shutting down.”
Amanda Taggart, a spokesperson for Carta, explained the pivot: “It made more sense to invest and partner with a team laser-focused on solving this problem rather than building in-house.” Carta is now also offering its users a free consultation and a 10% discount on SimpleClosure’s services.
The Rise of SimpleClosure
SimpleClosure was founded by entrepreneur Dori Yona, who got the idea after being asked by a board member to prepare a “shutdown analysis” for his previous company. The task was so complex and time-consuming that he decided to build a solution for it.
The result was SimpleClosure — a software platform designed to automate and streamline the startup winddown process. And it’s clearly solving a real pain point. By February 2024, the company had already crossed seven figures in annualized revenue, just months after its official launch.
Earlier that year, SimpleClosure raised $4 million in funding, adding to its initial $1.5 million pre-seed round. Now, with a successful Series A, its total funding has reached $20.5 million.
A Strong Lineup of Backers
The company’s $15 million Series A round was led by TTV Capital. Existing investors such as Infinity Ventures, Anthemis, and Vera Equity also joined the round. In addition to Carta, new backers included The LegalTech Fund and several undisclosed angel investors.
According to Yona, SimpleClosure saw 12x revenue growth in 2024, a clear sign that demand for winddown solutions is growing as economic uncertainty continues to challenge startups.
“The reality is that 90% of startups don’t make it,” Yona said. “Shutting down remains the unspoken but necessary part of entrepreneurship. We hope companies never need us, but if they do, we’re here to help them do it the right way.”
By investing in SimpleClosure instead of competing with it, Carta is acknowledging a vital, if often overlooked, aspect of the startup lifecycle — and backing a solution that helps founders exit gracefully and efficiently.
