// startup autopsy
Eatigo
Southeast Asia restaurant off-peak discounting app raised $13M and failed to survive COVID
timingSlow Death
Years-long decline before final shutdown · Fatal mistake: Market Timing
// the model, blind
Evaluating only Eatigo’s profile at its peak — without knowing the outcome — the model ranked Unit economics as the #1 likely cause. Documented cause: Market timing.
Key Events Timeline
FOUNDING
Eatigo founded in Singapore as a restaurant reservation and discount platform applying yield management to dining.
FUNDING
Eatigo raises $13M in Series A funding including investment from TripAdvisor to expand across Southeast Asia.
PRODUCT LAUNCH
Eatigo expands to five markets including Thailand, Malaysia, India, and Hong Kong with strong restaurant partner adoption.
PRODUCT LAUNCH
Eatigo peaks in Southeast Asian operations with restaurants actively promoting 10-50% discount deals to fill off-peak dining slots.
REGULATORY ACTION
COVID-19 pandemic triggers lockdowns across Eatigo's markets in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and India, halting dine-in restaurant operations.
DOWN ROUND
Restaurant marketing budgets shift from dine-in promotions to delivery platform commissions as consumer behavior remains changed post-initial COVID wave.
PIVOT
Eatigo attempts to pivot toward delivery and ghost kitchen partnerships but faces entrenched competition from established players like Grab and Foodpanda.
SHUTDOWN
Slow Death: Eatigo ceases operations in most Southeast Asian markets as uneven post-COVID restaurant recovery makes yield management model unviable.