Every project definitely needs a closed beta stage.
Well, in my case, closed beta is just beta, as if nobody knows your project, it is actually a closed beta. :)
And you try to make / force / torture your friends to use it so that you can get the feedback and improve the product, before trying to make / lure / enchant new people to reach the product somehow. So I can be sure of what I did actually works :)
Successfully completed this phase. Multiple bugs fixed.