# The Next Unicorn just disappeared By [pongxpong](https://paragraph.com/@pongxpong) · 2025-05-09 --- _by PongPong_ I thought the world had finally seen me. I thought my hero’s journey had begun. One week later, I found out it was the opposite. I’m still the not-so-young, not-quite-ready founder, trying, hoping, guessing, no official title, no team, and a roadmap that still feels uncertain. * * * The Next Unicorn is here! ------------------------- A week ago, I felt I had something real— A startup that could reshape the game. A platform where people could invest, stay, and earn through resorts. The first of its kind in Web3. I believed it could be the Next Unicorn. * * * Fragile Heart ------------- Then I got the notice: My backup spot with DraperX wouldn’t turn official. No Silicon Valley trip. No sponsorship. I was crushed more than I expected. I started questioning everything: Am I still meant to do this? Am I naive to think I can pull it off alone? With no right environment, no support, Juggling a full-time job just to keep dreaming? Maybe they’re right. Maybe I’m not the right person. Maybe passion and perseverance are never enough. * * * Successful Founder… doesn’t look like me ---------------------------------------- I never felt like I fit the mold. But since I was a kid, I thought I was supposed to build something. I joined unicorn startups early on, helped expand new markets, and watched others soar. I thought I was getting closer. So I leaped. Moved to Vancouver with a loan. Told myself it was finally my turn to live the story. * * * Million-Dollar Idea ------------------- I started digging for _my_ idea. The first was **Urban Village**— a roommate-matching platform. It had contracts, curation, and community. I pitched it at a Volition Pitch Night, speaking with broken English. Still, the crowd voted me as the best pitcher that night. Even the heir to a construction empire in Vancouver reached out, curious if this platform could bring new growth to a market stuck in stagnation. * * * Idea for Destiny ---------------- The second idea came from something heavier. My mom had struggled mentally for years. But over time, it became something we couldn’t ignore— more physical. I watched her fade— from emotional instability to a body that could no longer carry itself. In my first year of college, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. I watched her recover like a miracle, return to a normal life, only to relapse again— and decline until the very end. That journey lasted four years. Near the end, I was with her every day. I started reading everything I could: cancer treatments, brain science, case studies— anything that might help me save her. And I kept trying to understand what no one was talking about. That time didn’t just change how I saw her. It changed how I saw everyone. I started to notice how many of us were quietly slipping— not breaking down loudly, but slowly folding in. Friends began reaching out. I became someone they could talk to. Years later, all of that stayed with me. While reflecting and researching during my time in Canada, I began to realize: The real problem isn’t that we lack therapists. It’s that we don’t know when we need help— or where to find it. That’s the gap I wanted to close. That’s why I built Pongpong: a 1-on-1 chat platform to help you say what’s hard to say, understand where you’re really at, and find the kind of help that fits— whether it’s a therapist, a peer group, art-based healing, or something in between. It wasn’t perfect. But it got me to TechCrunch. It got me seen. It gave me hope. * * * Sorry, I didn’t make it work ---------------------------- I kept saying it was COVID that killed the project— That I had to leave Vancouver and lost touch with my market. But that wasn’t the full story. I didn’t know how to keep it alive financially. I didn’t know how to stay honest while trying to build a business. More than anything— I was afraid that in trying to look like a “real founder,” I would become someone I’m not. * * * My Present ---------- Yeah. I always called myself a loser when things didn’t work— a trying loser. I keep scrolling. EF. Seed Club. OneDeck. And more. Something new. Something I am not sure I deserve yet. But I click anyway. Maybe another unicorn will show up next week. Maybe not. Doesn’t matter. I’m still here. * * * _This piece is not an NFT (yet)._ _If it resonates, subscribe._ _Maybe the next one will be yours to collect._ * * * _A piece by PongPong, refined with the assistance of ChatGPT— trying founder, not the next unicorn. Just here to document what disappears, and what refuses to._ --- *Originally published on [pongxpong](https://paragraph.com/@pongxpong/the-next-unicorn-just-disappeared)*