We’re not big believers in truisms that suggest failure is something positive. There’s nothing positive about failure, no matter what Thomas Edison said. However, if failure happens, it’s best to record everything you’ve learned from the experience that may help you in the future; right before you start trying to forget everything you can about it that keeps you from wanting to get out of the bed in the morning.

Better yet, learn from other’s failures.

To get you prepared for your startup adventure, the venture capital database and research service company, CB Insights, has compiled a list of links to 51 articles, interviews and blog posts in which the founders of failed startups provide a post-mortem regarding what they learned from the failure.

From reading them, you’ll discover the one universally positive thing failure seems to do is return to its founders a measure of humility that must have existed before they were able to raise a few million dollars and before seeing their startup covered by TechCrunch. Before the hubris set in. Before they succombed to the fatal mistake of believing that raising money from investors is the goal of a startup.

It is at such a point in their road to emotional recovery (that point where the founders haven’t yet figured out how to blame someone or something other than themselves) where a failed founder seems genuinely enlightened and has the most to share.

Therefore, we’re greatful that the folks at CB Insights were able to find links to so many startup founders willing to share their personal agonies of defeat. On CBInsights.com, they’ve included what they believe are the “money quotes” (or, in this case, “money-losing quotes”) from each founder.

Here are some links to a few of the post-mortems:

(Featured photo: Florian Martys via Flickr)

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