All 5 recommendations
Est. prices as of Mar 9, 2026
#1 · Jeffrey Katzenberg's Vision · Most Overhyped
Quibi
$1.75B raised
Short-form video for people on the go—launched right as everyone stayed home
- ✓ Launched with high-profile content partnerships
- ✓ Polished production quality
- ✓ Celebrity-backed credibility
- ✗ Timing was catastrophically bad—launched during lockdowns when nobody commutes
- ✗ No account sharing to drive growth
- ✗ Shut down after 6 months; investors lost almost everything
#2 · Elizabeth Holmes · Most Overhyped
Theranos
$700M+ raised
Revolutionary blood testing with a single drop—if the technology actually worked
- ✓ Visionary pitch and charismatic founder
- ✓ Celebrity board members added perceived legitimacy
- ✓ Reached $9B valuation at peak
- ✗ The core technology never worked
- ✗ Systematic fraud and deception of investors
- ✗ Founder now facing prison time; investors lost $700M+
#3 · Aliph
Jawbone
$250M+ raised
Wearable fitness tracking before the Apple Watch—then beaten to market by better execution
- ✓ First-mover advantage in wearables
- ✓ Beautiful industrial design
- ✓ Strong early press and hype
- ✗ Reliability issues with their UP band damaged trust
- ✗ Couldn't compete when Apple entered the market
- ✗ Shut down in 2017; acquired assets sold for pennies
#4 · Othman Laraki · Hidden Gem
Color Genomics
$100M+ raised
Genetic testing made accessible—but the business model collapsed before the science did
- ✓ Strong scientific team and legitimate technology
- ✓ Solved real healthcare problem
- ✓ Got further than most on this list
- ✗ Insurance reimbursement challenges killed profitability
- ✗ Pivoted multiple times unsuccessfully
- ✗ Raised more money but never found sustainable path
#5 · David Byttow
Secret
$40M raised
Anonymous social network—until anonymity attracted trolls, harassment, and became untenable
- ✓ Novel concept that captured early investor imagination
- ✓ Fast growth and viral adoption
- ✓ Simple, elegant app design
- ✗ Anonymity enabled harassment and cyberbullying at scale
- ✗ No viable moderation solution
- ✗ Shut down in 2015; investors lost majority stake