Kibu.com
The business, the turning points, and the decisions behind them.
01 / WHAT IT BUILT
What the company did
Kibu.com was an American online community for teenage girls, founded in 1999 by Susan Scarpa. It offered chat rooms and advice personalities covering everything from school to makeup, aiming to be a safe, advertiser-friendly destination for the fast-growing teen-girl web audience. Backed by tech figures including Jim Clark, it raised $22 million in venture capital.
02 / Kibu.com FAILURE REASONS
Failure reasons
Kibu shut down on October 2, 2000, just 46 days after its flashy August launch party — and notably before running out of money. With the dot-com bubble bursting, company leaders concluded that 'Kibu's timing in financial markets could not have been worse': investors doubted the site could raise more money, and the market had lost interest in advertising-based web models. All 65 staff were laid off and the remaining funds were returned to investors.
03 / EVENT HISTORY
Events in the structured record
- Company founded
Susan Scarpa founds Kibu.com as an online community for teenage girls; the company raises $22 million from high-profile tech investors including Jim Clark.
- Product launch
Kibu.com officially celebrates its launch with a San Francisco party on August 17, 2000.
- Closure announced
On October 2, 2000 — 46 days after the launch party — Kibu.com shuts down, lays off all 65 staff, and returns the remaining funds to investors as the dot-com bubble bursts.
04 / CONTEMPORARY REBUILD ASSESSMENT
Difficulty of rebuilding this project today
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
Overall assessment: Not completed
05 / CAUSAL CHAIN
How the factors connect
- 01
Online community for teen girls; $22M raised
- 02
Launch party Aug 17, 2000
- 03
Dot-com bubble bursts; ad model out of favor
- 04
Shut down Oct 2, 2000 (46 days later); funds returned