// startup autopsy

Be Spotted

Launched into a financial storm with no anchor.

external shockSilent Shutdown

Quiet closure with no public announcement · Fatal mistake: Launched an advertising-dependent media platform at the worst possible time — the 2008 financial crisis — with no alternative revenue model.

Founded	2008
Closed	2010
Country	USA
Sector	Media

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Key Events Timeline

2008-01-01

FOUNDING

Be Spotted founded in the USA as a media and content platform targeting online consumers.

2008-09-01

FUNDING

Seed funding secured, but the global financial crisis erupts simultaneously, destroying advertising market confidence.

2009-03-01

LAYOFF

Team reduced significantly as ad revenues fail to materialize and new funding proves impossible to raise.

2010-01-01

SHUTDOWN

Be Spotted ceases all operations after exhausting its initial funding with no sustainable revenue model.

Full Analysis

Analyst plan

Documented cause

Be Spotted launched a media platform in 2008 into the teeth of the global financial crisis, making fundraising nearly impossible. With advertising revenues collapsing industry-wide and no differentiated content...

strategy, the startup shut down within two years. The timing was particularly unfortunate as the company entered the market during the worst economic conditions in decades, which severely constrained

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HypeCycle · MoatType · ResearchTags

Be Spotted collapsed from launched an advertising-dependent media platform at the worst possible time — the 2008 financial crisis — with no alternative revenue model.. Documented cause, verified lesson, all failure signals.

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