// startup autopsy

Cascades Development

Too early for the SaaS wave, too small to wait for it.

timingSlow Death

Years-long decline before final shutdown · Fatal mistake: Cascades Development tried to build an enterprise SaaS business in 2006 with only $50K when the market was not yet ready for cloud software adoption.

Founded	2005
Closed	2008
Country	USA
Sector	Saas

50%

Key Events Timeline

2005-06

FOUNDING

Cascades Development founded in the USA to build SaaS or software solutions for enterprise clients.

2006-03

FUNDING

Raised $50K in seed funding, its only external capital.

2007-01

PRODUCT LAUNCH

Enterprise clients slow to adopt cloud software; sales cycles prolonged cash burn.

2007-09

PRODUCT LAUNCH

Capital nearly exhausted with no path to profitability or follow-on investment.

2008-06

SHUTDOWN

Cascades Development ceased operations as funding dried up and enterprise SaaS adoption had not yet gone mainstream.

Full Analysis

Analyst plan

Documented cause

Cascades Development raised $50K in 2006, during the early stages of SaaS adoption when enterprise cloud solutions were still emerging. The startup operated in a market that was fundamentally unprepared for sub...

scription-based enterprise software. In 2006, many enterprises relied on traditional on-premise software with perpetual licensing models, and cloud adoption was minimal. The company likely attempted t

Verified lesson

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HypeCycle · MoatType · ResearchTags

Cascades Development raised €0.05M before cascades development tried to build an enterprise saas business in 2006 with only $50k when the market was not yet ready for cloud software adoption. ended it. See the documented cause, verified lesson and all failure signals.

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