Zeen, a social collaging platform founded in 2019, announced it is ceasing operations after raising $9 million in venture capital funding. Co-founder Miri Buckland confirmed the closure, citing challenges in achieving the scale necessary for a venture-backed startup.

“If there was any other way to keep it going, we would’ve done that,” Buckland told Business Insider. “Ultimately, over the last couple of months, it became clear that it wasn’t going to grow to the scale that it needed to as a VC-backed startup.”

The company, originally named Landing, was co-founded by Buckland and Ellie Buckingham. Landing initially gained traction with Gen Z users as a social media app reminiscent of 2010s platforms like Polyvore and Pinterest, before shutting down in September.

The business subsequently rebranded as Zeen, pivoting from building a social media platform to serving the creator economy. Its latest product offered shoppable collage features that creators could integrate across platforms, particularly within Substack newsletters, with built-in affiliate marketing link functionality.

Venture Backing and Market Challenges

Zeen’s investors include Stellation Capital, Cowboy Ventures, and Chai Ventures. The shutdown reflects broader challenges for social media startups, where several previously popular platforms have faced similar fates.

“We made the decision that now was the time to shut it down,” Buckland explained. “Fundraising or becoming profitable, they weren’t viable pathways for us at this point. It’s a sad decision, honestly.”

The closure follows a pattern seen with other social startups, such as Poparazzi, and creator economy ventures like Creator+, highlighting the difficulty of building sustainable businesses in these competitive sectors.

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