// STARTUP COMPARISON
Frubana vs Trovit
Frubana failed in 2023 due to Unit Economics. Trovit failed in 2014 due to Acquisition Gone Wrong. Different causes, different sectors, different eras — but the same simulation outcome.
| METRIC | 🔥 Frubana | 🔥 Trovit |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Marketplace | Marketplace |
| Country | Colombia | Spain |
| Founded | 2018 | 2006 |
| Died | 2023 | 2014 |
| Raised | $186M | Bootstrapped then acquired |
| Peak | $186M raised | €50M revenue |
| Primary Cause | Unit Economics | Acquisition Gone Wrong |
// WHY EACH FAILED
🔥 Frubana
Unit Economics
Frubana built a B2B marketplace connecting restaurants with fresh produce suppliers across Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico. After raising $186M, the company struggled with the perishability economics of fresh produce — spoilage rates, last-mile cold chain costs, and the fragmented supplier base made unit economics unsolvable at the ticket sizes restaurants order. Frubana shut down in 2023.
// LESSON
Fresh produce supply chains have physics problems that capital cannot solve. Spoilage is a function of time and density. If you can't achieve minimum order density per zone before your runway runs out, the unit economics never improve.
Fresh produce supply chains have physics problems that capital cannot solve. Spoilage is a function of time and density. If you can't achieve minimum order density per zone before your runway runs out, the unit economics never improve.
🔥 Trovit
Acquisition Gone Wrong
Trovit was a classifieds search aggregator founded in Barcelona with strong positions in Spanish, Italian, and Brazilian markets. It was acquired by Japan's Next Co. in 2014 for approximately €80M. Under Japanese corporate ownership, product focus deteriorated, key engineers left, and the platform was gradually wound down and replaced by Next's own products.
// LESSON
Acquisition price does not guarantee product continuity. A culturally misaligned buyer destroys more value than they paid — especially when the value was a product culture that cannot be transplanted.
Acquisition price does not guarantee product continuity. A culturally misaligned buyer destroys more value than they paid — especially when the value was a product culture that cannot be transplanted.
// EXPLORE FURTHER