After reaching a $1 billion valuation in 2024, the social e-commerce platform Flip ceased operations in August 2025.WHO: Nooruldeen "Noor" Agha, a serial e-commerce entrepreneur, founded Flip in 2019, building an experience that combines the power of social discovery with the convenience of e-commerce in an organic streamlined shopper journey. Flip, a pioneer in community-driven shopping, offers a TikTok-like video discovery experience, allowing users to shop through short, engaging videos and earn rewards by creating video reviews. Users could add products mentioned in videos directly to a cart, like with Amazon. Creators were paid for engagement on their posts, similar to other social video apps, and users received product discounts for simply watching and scrolling.WHY: While Flip did not provide a specific reason for its closure, experts believe the competition from tech juggernauts like TikTok and Amazon was a significant factor. Flip also invested heavily in brand awareness and had a business model predicated on heavily discounting products, which likely also contributed to its failure.IN THEIR OWN WORDS: The company posted a message on its website that said, "We are saddened to share that Flip has shut down. From the start, our mission was to build a social platform that gave everyone a voice. First through authentic product reviews, then with genuine creator videos, and finally through unfiltered debates that created a space for real conversation online."They continued with a snapshot of metrics: "That mission now comes to a close, but its proof remains: 16.5M people joined, 4.