// startup autopsy
Bluefire Security Technologies
Mobile security before the mobile market was ready
timingSilent Shutdown
Quiet closure with no public announcement · Fatal mistake: Entered the enterprise mobile security market years before enterprise mobile adoption reached the scale needed to support a standalone security vendor.
| Founded | 2001 |
|---|---|
| Closed | 2007 |
| Country | USA |
| Sector | Healthtech |
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Key Events Timeline
FOUNDING
Bluefire Security Technologies founded to address the nascent market for enterprise mobile device security in the PDA era.
PRODUCT LAUNCH
Launched enterprise mobile security platform targeting Windows Mobile and Palm OS devices, one of the first purpose-built solutions in the space.
FUNDING
Raised funding bringing total to $16M, but enterprise mobile adoption remained too slow to justify the market size assumptions underlying the raise.
LAYOFF
With funding depleted and enterprise contracts insufficient, Bluefire began reducing headcount as the path to profitability became untenable.
SHUTDOWN
Bluefire Security Technologies silently ceased operations, a casualty of being years too early for the enterprise mobile security market that would later explode with the iPhone era.