The startup environment is like playing the slots: exciting, nervous, disappointing and exciting again. A cycle that only ends if you hit it big or run out of money, and too often it is the latter. Startups fail, large or small, and the majority of them fail. After a lot of late night thoughts reminiscing on my own startup experiences, a light bulb went off. Startups fail when they do not possess three crucial factors. The right product, at the right time, with the right message.