Ivan is a smart, hard-working guy. I think he will emerge from this experience scarred, but smarter. And I truly wish him all the success in the world -- Honest Injun. (someone will probably get all bent out of shape b/c of that!).
Problem is, you're missing the point. He's not working the grill at In'N'Out. He is the leader of a company that is operating in the financial services sector. And that company is taking other people's money, while making commitments to those people. As the leader, he does not have the luxury of going dark.
Look, I hope Ivan is wildly successful in his venture and that this relocation works wonders for everyone. Honest.
But the bottom line is this. When you are the Leader of a company that is taking other people's money... You. Don't. Go. Dark.
Tell your users what is going on. If you have to go dark, let them know how long and setup autoresponders (my mom even knows how to use them & she's 66). If there are any problems, state your plan to rectify them. And if you're really on the ball, have a Plan B, too.
What's the inside scoop on Tipjoy (YC'08)? They haven't Tweeted in 3 weeks (since they spammed their userbase). Their payment system isn't cooperating (users can't pay in and are getting long delays in payouts). And I've heard from a few folks that now, they aren't even responding to emails. Are they moving in with Madoff, or what? If they're done, it's OK. But, there's a proper way to fail and...
For startups, a Divide & Conquer strategy turns into a Divide & Fail result. Startups need laser focus on a single product/service.
As the startup grows, sub-brands can be incorporated. Quite easily, actually.
Reason being, the startup isn't a national/global player that has pigeon-holed itself into a single niche. The sub-brands are equated with the growth/expansion.