All autopsies

// STARTUP COMPARISON

Eduwox vs Platzi Crisis

Eduwox failed in 2020 due to Ran Out of Money. Platzi Crisis failed in 2023 due to Competition. Different causes, different sectors, different eras — but the same simulation outcome.

METRIC🔥 Eduwox🔥 Platzi Crisis
SectorEdtechEdtech
CountryColombiaColombia
Founded20162014
Died20202023
Raised$3M$62M
Peak500 schools$300M valuation (2022)
Primary CauseRan Out of MoneyCompetition

// WHY EACH FAILED

🔥 Eduwox
Ran Out of Money
Eduwox provided school management software to Colombian private schools. COVID-19 forced schools to close, which initially seemed like it would accelerate edtech adoption. Instead, many Colombian private schools lost enrollment and could not afford SaaS fees. Eduwox's churn rate exceeded new sign-ups for three consecutive quarters. Unable to sustain operations, it shut down in 2020.
// LESSON
B2B SaaS customer concentration risk applies to segments, not just individual accounts. If your entire customer base is one sector, a sector-wide shock creates correlated churn that cannot be offset by sales velocity.
🔥 Platzi Crisis
Competition
Platzi built LatAm's largest online learning platform with 5M+ learners and $300M valuation. The crisis came from three directions simultaneously: Google's career certificates on Coursera (free or $49/year) covered the same tech roles; YouTube's free creator-led tutorials improved dramatically in quality 2021-2023; and Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft launched their own free certification programs competing for the exact same student segment. Platzi's $25/month premium subscription experienced churn rate doubling 2022-2023. Laid off 25% of staff in 2023.
// LESSON
You cannot charge $25/month for educational content when Google certifies the same skills for free to drive Cloud platform adoption. When Big Tech uses education as a loss leader, the paid education market does not survive in that vertical.

// IN THE SIMULATION

Eduwox triggers CUSTOMER_INSOLVENCY_CASCADE — the simulation models B2B SaaS for SMB customers as having correlated churn risk. When a macro event impairs the financial health of the entire customer segment simultaneously, churn becomes a wave, not a trickle.

Platzi triggers EDTECH_FREE_CONTENT_SQUEEZE — the simulation models paid professional education platforms as facing existential pressure when Big Tech monetizes certifications as brand marketing (infinite budget) rather than as a business (profit required).

// EXPLORE FURTHER