Honor Your Venture. Help Others Learn. Advance the Science.

For founders who’ve closed their ventures - and those seeking their wisdom

Your investment of time, money, and passion deserves more than your silent grief. Share your story - find closure while helping future founders avoid the same path.

SOIL is building the world’s first database of organizational autopsies. Your experience becomes sniper-matched guidance for others facing similar challenges.

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our mission

Three Pillars of Change

“Those who do not shepherd their sheep will not find any one day”

the memorial

A Cenotaph for Every Venture

Every organization on SOIL gets a cenotaph erected in its honor. A cenotaph - from Greek meaning “empty tomb” - is a monument for someone whose remains are elsewhere.

Here, your cenotaph becomes the permanent digital memorial for your venture: a place where its story, lessons, and legacy are preserved forever. Together, all cenotaphs form the Cenotaphery - a collective memorial garden honoring organizations that shaped their founders and taught the world.

methodology

Systematic approach to organization research at scale

SOIL is building the world’s first systematic database of organizational autopsies. We capture comprehensive data from founders who’ve closed their ventures - not to judge, but to learn.

Our proprietary Interview Framework guides founders through a structured reflection process across 6 modules: organizational mapping, financial analysis, timeline of events, environmental factors, founder context, and meaning-making narrative. Each module extracts actionable insights while providing therapeutic closure.

organization autopsies globally is our minimal goal.

Data Collection

Our Interview Framework captures comprehensive organizational data through 6 structured modules - from functional mapping to founder narrative.

Anonymization

Privacy by default. All sensitive information is protected, ensuring safe participation for every contributor.

Pattern Emergence

Framework-agnostic analysis lets the data speak. We avoid imposing theories, allowing patterns to emerge naturally.

Open Research

Anonymized datasets available to researchers worldwide, enabling collaborative advancement of organizational science.

Machine Learning

Building specialized AI models trained on organizational data for future diagnostic and analytical tools.

The Heart of SOIL: building together

Our success is measured by the strength of our community. Together, we transform individual efforts into collective wisdom that benefits future generations.

Sharing my story with SOIL was unexpectedly healing. The interview framework helped me see patterns I had missed while living through the chaos. This isn’t just data collection - it’s a form of closure.

• Sarah Chen, Former CEO

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ecosystem

Our Projects

get involved

Join the Movement

Coin your story and transform your experience into knowledge that helps others. Become a volunteer, mentor, or community keeper.

Support groundbreaking research, join our advisory board, or sponsor initiatives that advance organizational science and help future founders.

Access anonymized datasets, collaborate on publications, and join our research network. We welcome partnerships with academic institutions worldwide.