// startup autopsy

COLOURlovers

A rainbow of passion, painted over by a corporate giant.

acquisition gone wrongAcqui-hire

Fatal mistake: COLOURlovers was acquired by Autodesk but never successfully monetized or integrated, leading to an eventual shutdown of the beloved creative community.

Founded	2005
Closed	2018
Country	USA
Sector	Social

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Key Events Timeline

2005-01-01

FOUNDING

COLOURlovers founded as an online community for color palette and pattern sharing.

2011-01-01

FUNDING

Raised $1M and was acquired by Autodesk, gaining resources but losing independence.

2013-06-01

PRODUCT LAUNCH

Autodesk attempted to integrate COLOURlovers tools into its design platforms, but traction remained limited.

2016-01-01

LAYOFF

Team downsized as Autodesk deprioritized the COLOURlovers community within its portfolio.

2018-06-01

SHUTDOWN

COLOURlovers officially shut down by Autodesk, ending a beloved creative community.

Full Analysis

Analyst plan

Documented cause

COLOURlovers was a creative community platform for sharing color palettes and design patterns that gained a passionate user base. The startup was acquired by Autodesk around 2011, which initially seemed like a ...

successful exit. However, the acquisition ultimately resulted in failure due to poor integration into Autodesk's broader product ecosystem. After the acquisition, Autodesk struggled to effectively mon

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€1.8M

Peak valuation

HypeCycle · MoatType · ResearchTags

COLOURlovers raised €1M before colourlovers was acquired by autodesk but never successfully monetized or integrated, leading to an eventual shutdown of the beloved creative community. ended it. See the documented cause, verified lesson and all failure signals.

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