Pitch: “A better way to harness the sun.”

🧠 Cause of Death: Built a breakthrough solar panel… then got outshined by cheaper ones.

⚰️ Notable Twist: Took $535M in federal loans. Went bankrupt. Left taxpayers holding the (sun)bag.

💸 Raised: ~$1.2 billion — vaporized in the solar flare of market forces

💬 Last Words: “We had the tech. The market didn’t care.”

📝 Short Description (for detail page):

Solyndra promised a solar revolution with its unique cylindrical panels. Backed by over $1B in funding — including a massive U.S. government loan — it scaled up quickly and gained political spotlight (including a visit from Obama). But while Solyndra was building factories, China was flooding the market with cheap, flat silicon panels. The price of solar dropped 50% in a year — and Solyndra’s premium product couldn’t compete. By 2011, the company filed for bankruptcy, laying off thousands and triggering a political storm. It became a symbol of clean tech hype gone wrong.