// startup autopsy

Sunrise

Microsoft acquired Sunrise for $100M for its beautiful calendar design — then shut Sunrise 12 months later and launched Outlook Mobile with the same features

acquisition gone wrongAcqui-hire

Fatal mistake: Sunrise built the most beautiful mobile calendar app. Raised $8M from Betaworks, Greylock. Microsoft acquired for $100M in February 2015. Microsoft planned to integrate Sunrise into Outlook. One year later, March 2016: Microsoft shut Sunrise and launched Outlook for iOS/Android (incorporating Sunrise features). Product was acquired and discontinued in 12 months.

Founded	2012
Closed	2016
Country	France
Sector	Productivity
Founder	Pierre Valade

// the model, blind

Evaluating only Sunrise’s profile at its peak — without knowing the outcome — the model ranked Competition as the #1 likely cause. Documented cause: Acquisition gone wrong.

Key Events Timeline

2012

FOUNDING

2014

FUNDING

2015

MILESTONE

2016

SHUTDOWN

Full Analysis

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Documented cause

Sunrise raised $8M. Microsoft acquired for $100M February 2015. Microsoft planned Outlook integration. 12 months later: Sunrise shut March 2016; Outlook Mobile launched with Sunrise features.

Lesson

“Calendar apps acquired by productivity platforms should negotiate product continuation as an acquisition term — Microsoft's standard integration-then-sunset pattern was predictable, and Sunrise could have protected the product lifecycle in acquisition terms.”

Failure anatomy

Collapse type

Acqui-hire

📉 MEDIUM

Hype cycle

None

Moat type

Product

Fatal mistake

Sunrise built the most beautiful mobile calendar app. Raised $8M from Betaworks, Greylock. Microsoft acquired for $100M in February 2015. Microsoft planned to integrate Sunrise into Outlook. One year later, March 2016: Microsoft shut Sunrise and launched Outlook for iOS/Android (incorporating Sunrise features). Product was acquired and discontinued in 12 months.