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1 million businesses die in the US every year and someone has to bury them. That's the boring opportunity.
Every business guru sells you the same thing: how to start.
Nobody talks about the other end. Which is strange, because the other end is enormous.
Between 700,000 and 1 million companies close in the US every single year. And closing a company properly is not “stop answering emails.” It involves 95+ critical steps. Dissolution filings. Final tax returns. Payroll account closures. Vendor contract exits. State withdrawals. Asset selloffs. Miss one and it follows the owner around for years.
Done the old way, through lawyers and accountants, a proper shutdown can cost up to $75,000 and take nearly a year.
Silicon Valley finally noticed.
A handful of startups quietly launched to automate shutdowns. One crossed $1 million in annualized revenue within months, growing over 50% month over month, and went on to raise a $15 million Series A in 2025. Another posted 9x quarter-over-quarter revenue growth.
So the case is closed, right? Funded players own it, move on?
No. And this is the part that matters.
Every one of those companies is fighting over the same thin slice: venture-backed startups. Delaware C-corps with investors who need a dissolution certificate to write off their loss. That segment is loud, well-networked, and has cash left in the bank to pay for a clean death.
It’s also a tiny fraction of the 1 million yearly closures.
The dead LLC whose owner has been paying registered agent fees and franchise tax for two years on a business that stopped operating in 2023. The retiring couple closing a physical shop with a lease, equipment, and three licenses to unwind. The Amazon seller with $40K of inventory and a seller account they don’t know how to exit. The agency owner who just wants it over.
Millions of them, every year, in every country. Nobody is building for them. LegalZoom will file one form and wish them luck.
The VCs spent $20M+ proving people pay real money to make a company die properly. Then they all aimed at the same 1% of the market.
The full operator playbook:
The 5 customer segments in the shutdown economy, ranked by how easy they are to reach and what each will pay
4 business models you can run here, from a solo service you can start with $0 to the software play
Exactly where the legal line sits so you never practice law without a license (this is the single rule that keeps you safe, and it’s simpler than you think)
How to price it: the 3-tier structure and why the middle tier does most of the revenue
Where dying businesses are already visible in public data, and the one referral channel that hands you clients pre-sold
The non-tech stack: website, intake, payments, and delivery with no code, under $100/month
The condensed version of the 95-step shutdown checklist you’ll actually deliver
Why this works outside the US: the UK, India, Australia and EU angles
The honest downsides. Two of them are serious.
Your first 30 days, step by step