Clinkle — The Stanford Student Payment App

Clinkle, led by Stanford student Lucas Duplan, secured $30 million from top investors like Richard Branson and Peter Thiel at age 22, yet never launched a viable product. Internal chaos included multiple firings and repeated pivots, from mobile payments to near-field communication, wasting nearly all the capital. This debacle demonstrates how even elite backing cannot salvage a shifting, undefined vision.