Girişimci Kafası archive

Bad timing

Bad timing: 6 startups that closed for this reason, with their stories and lessons.

Startups1,686

Known capital burned$31.2 billion

Average lifespan10.3 years

Most common causeBusiness model failed

Countries81

Biggest lossArgo AI ($3.6 billion)

6 startups

Closed2016 – 2023

Embark Trucks

A start-up that built self-driving software for long-haul lorries and went public via a SPAC

United StatesBad timing Closed2016 – 2022

Argo AI

A Ford- and Volkswagen-backed company developing software and hardware for driverless cars

United States$3.6 billionBad timing Closed2016 – 2020

Starsky Robotics

The driverless lorry start-up: autonomous on the motorway, remotely driven in town

United States$21.5 millionBad timing Closed2015 – 2019

Vreal

The streaming platform that put viewers inside the streamer's virtual world, then closed while waiting for the

United States$15 millionBad timing Closed2009 – 2015

OnLive

An early cloud gaming service that ran games on servers and streamed them as video

United StatesBad timing Closed1990 – 2002

General Magic

The Apple spin-off that sketched the first drafts of the smartphone in the 1990s

United States$200 millionBad timing

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This section is compiled from public sources (Wikidata, news archives and company announcements). Figures are given as they appear in those sources; unknown fields are left blank. If you spot a mistake in an entry, you can send us a correction.