// STARTUP COMPARISON
Cornershop Chile (original) vs Habitissimo
Cornershop Chile (original) failed in 2019 due to Acquisition Gone Wrong. Habitissimo failed in 2020 due to Acquisition Gone Wrong. Both failed for the same reason — Acquisition Gone Wrong.
| METRIC | 🔥 Cornershop Chile (original) | 🔥 Habitissimo |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Marketplace | Marketplace |
| Country | Chile | Spain |
| Founded | 2015 | 2009 |
| Died | 2019 | 2020 |
| Raised | $31.4M | €10M |
| Peak | Dominant in Chile | €15M revenue |
| Primary Cause | Acquisition Gone Wrong | Acquisition Gone Wrong |
// WHY EACH FAILED
🔥 Cornershop Chile (original)
Acquisition Gone Wrong
Cornershop, founded in Santiago, dominated grocery delivery in Chile before expanding to Mexico. Walmart attempted to acquire it in 2018 for $225M but the deal was blocked by Mexican antitrust regulators. Uber then acquired it in 2019 for $225M. The independent brand survived briefly before being absorbed into Uber Eats by 2021. Chile's dominant grocery delivery pioneer ceased to exist as an independent company.
// LESSON
When your acquisition is blocked by regulators, your negotiating position deteriorates. The next acquirer knows you're stuck. Regulatory approval risk is acquisition risk — price it into your exit strategy.
When your acquisition is blocked by regulators, your negotiating position deteriorates. The next acquirer knows you're stuck. Regulatory approval risk is acquisition risk — price it into your exit strategy.
🔥 Habitissimo
Acquisition Gone Wrong
Habitissimo was Spain and Latin America's leading home services marketplace, connecting homeowners with contractors. It was acquired by ANGI Homeservices (HomeAdvisor) in 2017. Post-acquisition, local product focus deteriorated, engineering teams were dispersed across ANGI's global structure, and Habitissimo's market position eroded as local competitors rebuilt trust with Spanish users.
// LESSON
Marketplace network effects are hyper-local. Trust cannot be managed remotely. Acquiring a marketplace and running it from another continent destroys the very thing that made it valuable.
Marketplace network effects are hyper-local. Trust cannot be managed remotely. Acquiring a marketplace and running it from another continent destroys the very thing that made it valuable.
// EXPLORE FURTHER