StartUp

A small-time banker who has to hide a stash of stolen cash, a Haitian-American gang leader who wants to go legitimate, and a Cuban-American coder with a radical idea about money end up working together in StartUp. Their uneasy partnership mixes ambition, distrust, and practical necessity as they try to turn an illegal operation into something that looks like a tech company. The show follows how their plans grow more complex as outside forces, personal loyalties, and law enforcement pressure collide, and each character’s moral lines blur while they build a dangerous version of the American dream.

Created by Ben Ketai, StartUp premiered in 2016 on the streaming service Crackle. The series was produced as an original drama for the platform and features a cast led by Adam Brody, Edi Gathegi, Otmara Marrero, Addison Timlin, and Ron Perlman.

The series didn’t collect major industry awards, though reviewers and niche outlets often singled out strong performances, especially from Gathegi and Perlman. It received attention in TV roundups and genre coverage, even without big prize nominations.

StartUp helped put Crackle on the map for scripted originals and sparked conversations about the darker side of startup culture. Its premise, described by some as organized crime 2.0, resonated with viewers interested in tech, money laundering, and unconventional antiheroes, and it developed a steady fanbase among streaming crime dramas.

Critical reaction was mixed to positive, and audience scores reflect steady interest, with a vote average of 7.189 out of 10 from 244 users. Reviewers praised the show's premise and performances while noting uneven plotting at times. Major themes include ambition and corruption, the moral cost of opportunism, and how identity and immigrant experience shape choices in a cutthroat economic landscape.