[haploid]

Been there. Destroyed my credit right out of the gate when I tried to run a web development firm in 1997 on student credit cards. Was threatened with eviction twice, and eventually was forced to move. Was fired and subsequently sued for $millions from/by a dot com in 1999 at a time when I literally had a negative account balance. I had dropped out of school to pursue my ambitions, so I had no degree to fall back on in order to secure a well-paying "job".

Disclaimer: the following is intended to be inspirational, not boastful.

13 years later, I am partner in a profitable ecommerce enterprise, after having put a startup success notch in my belt in 2004. My credit score is pushing 800, and I no longer even think about money.

My point is, your life isn't over, no matter how much it seems that way. It doesn't take long to bounce back.

[StartingOver]

It is because of my 800 credit score that the cards in my name were upped automatically. Too much of a good thing! It is now 590.

Thanks for the inspiration! Just knowing recovery is possible is half of the mental battle. I look forward to making such encouraging words myself at some point in the future.

[haploid]

Sorry, I never answered your actual question.

First, learn from your mistakes. It sounds to me like you negotiated your current deal poorly. Next time around, if you are committing or risking more to a given project than your other partners, you ought to demand more in return.

Second, monetize. If you have the userbase you say you do, $150k can probably be whittled away very easily.

Third, if your userbase is somehow unmonetizable, there is always the option of selling into a bubble. To be blunt: find a sucker and sell. Just be aware that the ONLY time anyone should ever do this is if they have lost faith in their business model. If you are still passionate about your idea, DO NOT DO THIS.