I’ve struggled writing this for a while — I debated whether or not I should even post anything publicly — but I finally put some thoughts together.
A few weeks ago, we decided to officially shut down Holder. It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make.
Ultimately, the web3 market is too early for the company we wanted to build.
We took a major bet on a nascent, emerging industry and knew it would be an uphill battle. Web3 brand messaging and marketing automation will be a MAJOR category in the future, but it's not ready yet in its current form.
I'm incredibly grateful for this experience and the opportunity to lead and build Holder. I'm so proud of what we built, the team we assembled, and the amazing products we shipped.
I can't say thank you enough to our team, investors, High Alpha, board members (Kristian Andersen Keith Laska), and all our customers and partners who took a chance on us. The journey was truly the reward.
So what’s next? This is still just the beginning for me. I'm working on some new projects and continuing to lean into the things that truly excite me — web3 marketing, Farcaster, B2B web3, the future of SaaS, real AI use cases, the music industry, and more — with the goal of launching something new in the future.
My true passion is to help build companies and grow them. While I work on what's next, I’m taking some time to help others start new companies or grow their businesses, focused on marketing, growth, product, and messaging. I'll be advising some startups and doing some fractional marketing work, so if you're working on something cool and want to chat, reach out on Farcaster.
I'm also an open book — I'd love to chat with other founders and am willing to share everything about building (and winding down) Holder. I hope there are many lessons I can help share through our experience and I'd love to see this contribute to the greater good of more companies being successful in the future. Depending on the reception of this post, I may do some AMAs on Farcaster and happy to tell all.
I struggled writing this, but I finally put thoughts together to share. A few weeks ago, we decided to officially shut down @holder. I loved every minute. It was an honor to build this company. So many lessons learned. I'll be writing and sharing more in the future about the founder journey, but initial thoughts here:
Lots of builders chasing the tried and true, but it takes courage to build toward a future that doesn't exist yet, but will. Respect 🫡 Excited to see where you go next
🫡 "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena..."
Holder was a brilliant product, I could absolutely see it being a huge value-add for brands. More importantly, it showed what a true builder you are and I know you’ll strike gold on one of your next endeavors. Kudos to you and the team and thanks for sharing your story! ps. Guess my shirt’s a collectible now 🤩
Let’s go! That’s definitely a collectible! Somewhere out there, we printed a bunch of shirts with a seed phrase on the back. Truly a collectible there 🤣
2222 $degen
thanks for sharing this excited for what's next 📈
More time for running at the moment! Haha Just signed up for my fall half marathon this week.
hold(er) your head high @drewbeechler i'm sure you'll go on to do (more) great things it has been a pleasure working with you and i hope to do more of it in the near future
🙏🏻 And that’s a good one. Need to steal that.
sorry to hear, hope you're feeling a bit relieved after posting. excited for what's next!
Definitely relieved and just feels like the next chapter is now open. Let’s catch up soon! Excited for where you’re heading with events!
Looking forward to what comes next! Sometimes you're just too early ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Thanks, Mark!
Cannot wait to see what you do next!
💜 Some things are brewing 🥘
Congrats on journey Drew! Onwards to bigger and better!
Thanks so much! 1000 $degen
Love what you built and I'm excited to see what you do next.