The Complete Startup Shutdown Checklist

Shutting down a startup involves more tasks than most founders expect. This checklist organizes everything you need to do by category and timeline so nothing falls through the cracks.

60 days before shutdown

Communication

• Decide on the official shutdown date
• Draft the shutdown announcement email
• Draft the shutdown page (your permanent online record)
• Notify key stakeholders: investors, advisors, team members
• Prepare answers to anticipated user questions (FAQ)

Technical

• Audit what user data you have and where it lives
• Test the data export feature — can users actually get their data?
• Identify all third-party services that hold user data
• Plan DNS transition to shutdown page

Financial

• Calculate outstanding subscription credits and refund amounts
• Plan refund process with your payment processor
• Review any enterprise contracts for specific shutdown terms

45 days before

Communication

• Send initial shutdown announcement to all users
• Post shutdown announcement on social media
• Update in-app notifications and banners
• Update website homepage with shutdown notice
• Add deprecation notices to API documentation (if applicable)

Financial

• Cancel all active recurring subscriptions (prevent future charges)
• Begin issuing prorated refunds to paid users
• Send refund confirmation emails to paid users

30 days before

Communication

• Send reminder email (emphasize data export)
• Post social media reminders
• Update all documentation with shutdown date

Technical

• Notify third-party integrations (if applicable, API partners, marketplace)
• Begin winding down non-essential infrastructure
• Archive codebase to GitHub (if open-sourcing or preserving)

Legal

• Review GDPR/CCPA data deletion obligations
• Prepare data deletion documentation
• Consult lawyer if you have enterprise contracts with specific obligations

14 days before

Communication

• Send "two weeks left" reminder email
• Emphasize data export deadline in all communications
• Respond to outstanding user questions

Financial

• Confirm all refunds have been processed
• Verify no new charges have occurred since subscription cancellations

7 days before

Communication

• Send final week reminder email
• Post final warning on social media

Technical

• Test shutdown page (is it live? does the redirect work?)
• Prepare server shutdown sequence
• Test data export one final time

Shutdown day

Technical

• Take service offline
• Activate shutdown page / DNS redirect
• Disable all API endpoints
• Send final notification to webhook endpoints (if applicable)

Communication

• Send "service is now offline" email to all users
• Post final shutdown announcement on social media
• Update any press or public records you can reach

30 days after shutdown

Data

• Delete all user data from primary databases
• Delete all backups containing user data
• Confirm deletion with all third-party data processors
• Document deletion with timestamps (keep this record for 7 years)
• Send deletion confirmation to users who requested it

Financial

• Confirm all refunds are settled
• Archive financial records (7 years is standard)
• Close business accounts if the entity is being dissolved

Infrastructure

• Cancel cloud hosting accounts
• Cancel SaaS subscriptions you no longer need
• Keep domain registration active (at least 2 more years)
• Keep shutdown page active

Legal

• File final tax returns if dissolving the entity
• Dissolve the legal entity (if applicable) — consult a lawyer
• Handle any outstanding legal matters before dissolution

Ongoing (post-shutdown)

• Keep domain registered (2+ years, to protect against squatters)
• Keep shutdown page live (permanent)
• Keep contact email active (6+ months)
• Monitor email for user questions
• Respond to any ongoing legal or regulatory inquiries

Things people often forget

Personal data in logs: Your server logs may contain IP addresses, email addresses, or other personal information. Delete them or anonymize them as part of your data deletion process.

Third-party analytics: If you used Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude, or similar tools, you need to delete your properties and data there too.

Email lists: Your email marketing lists contain personal data. Export the final list for your records (in case of legal disputes), then delete it from your ESP.

Social media data: If you ran social ads that collected lead information, make sure that data is purged from your ad accounts.

Team access: Revoke access to all production systems for former team members (if you haven't already). This is a security issue even after shutdown.

Investor reporting: Some investors may have rights to final financial statements or other information as part of your equity agreements. Review your shareholder agreements.

A shutdown page makes the "ongoing" section easy. One permanent URL that tells the story of your product — live as long as your domain is. Create yours at ExitPage.one.