Engine eCommerce, a Fayetteville-based e-commerce software startup, laid off its entire workforce of approximately 25 employees in early 2020 after a critical funding round collapsed at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company, which had raised $4.5 million in venture capital and was expanding its team and office space, effectively shut down, with its website going offline and employees listing themselves as former staff. Led by prominent entrepreneur John James, Engine had developed a cloud-based platform to optimize customer acquisition and conversion but was forced to close when financial backing disappeared amid the pandemic's economic uncertainty.
