Lost to competitors
Lost to competitors: 32 startups that closed for this reason, with their stories and lessons.
32 startups
instela (İTÜ Sözlük)
A collaborative dictionary born as İTÜ Sözlük that turned into a social community called instela
Closed2019 – 2023Neeva
A search engine founded by a former Google executive that promised search without ads or tracking
Closed2017 – 2022Gönder
A grocery platform that brought neighbourhood shopkeepers' goods to the door through online ordering and deliv
Closed2013 – 2022TutumluAnne
The Turkish marketplace where mothers bought and sold second-hand children's and women's items
Closed2017 – 2022Yaani
Turkcell's mobile-first search engine, launched with the promise of keeping data in Turkey
Closed2005 – 2020Blogcu.com
Turkey's first free blogging service, which helped hundreds of thousands of people start a blog
Closed2015 – 2020Essential Products
The hardware start-up from Android co-founder Andy Rubin that only ever shipped one phone
Closed2018 – 2020Glovo Türkiye
The Turkish arm of the Spanish app that brought everything from meals to groceries to the door by courier
Closed2012 – 2020Hemen Kiralık
The Turkish rental site connecting hosts with people renting flats by the night or the day
Closed2011 – 2018Airware
The start-up building a drone operating system and data platform for enterprises
Closed2014 – 2018Pondr
The Turkish social app that let you put two photos side by side and ask your followers to choose
Closed2017 – 2018Setmoda
The fashion site that suggested outfits to match the shopper's mood and sold them as sets
Closed? – 2017Fotokritik
The Turkish-language photography community where photographers shared their work and critiqued each other
Closed2014 – 2017Nuvo
Yapı Kredi's branchless, fee-free digital banking brand for young people
Closed2014 – 2016BolBol
The food-ordering platform from the founder of Çiçeksepeti that charged restaurants no commission
Closed2008 – 2016Fuhu
The hardware start-up whose Nabi tablets for children made it America's fastest-growing company
Closed2002 – 2015Friendster
One of the first big social networks, reaching millions before MySpace and Facebook
Closed2009 – 2015Limango Türkiye
The Turkish private shopping site of Limango, part of Germany's Otto Group
Closed2010 – 2015QBotix
The solar tracking system that turned panels with robots running on rails, and never found its footing
Closed2010 – 2015Rdio
The music streaming service known for its social features that spread to 85 countries
Closed2011 – 2015Sidecar
One of the first-generation ride-sharing apps connecting drivers with passengers
Closed2010 – 2014Argyle Social
A Durham-based software start-up offering social media management for marketers
Closed2013 – 2014Metrekare.com
A mobile-first, next-generation property listings site with neighbourhood-level price analysis
Closed2002 – 2014OpTier
The transaction monitoring software that fell behind its market despite raising over $100 million
Closed2012 – 2013Gamoba
A vertical e-commerce site selling PC and console games, gaming accessories and electronics
Closed2008 – 2012Monster Türkiye
The Turkish job listings and CV platform of the global careers site Monster
Closed2006 – 2012Sosyomat
A home-grown, tag-based Turkish social network founded before Facebook caught on in Turkey
Closed2005 – 2011Solyndra
An energy start-up backed by a federal loan guarantee that made cylindrical thin-film solar panels
Closed2005 – 2010Wesabe
The personal finance site that analysed users' financial data and offered savings tips
Closed2007 – 2009TeeBeeDee
The social network built for the over-40s that closed within two years in Facebook's shadow
Closed2005 – 2006Kiko
The online calendar that launched just before Google Calendar and ended up sold on eBay
Closed1990 – 2001Be Inc.
The former Apple executive's company behind the BeOS operating system and the BeBox computer
Is a startup missing from the graveyard?
Tell us about a startup that has shut down; we'll verify it with sources and add it.
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.