// STARTUP COMPARISON
Restorando vs Trovit
Restorando failed in 2016 due to Acquisition Gone Wrong. Trovit failed in 2014 due to Acquisition Gone Wrong. Both failed for the same reason — Acquisition Gone Wrong.
| METRIC | 🔥 Restorando | 🔥 Trovit |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Marketplace | Marketplace |
| Country | Argentina | Spain |
| Founded | 2011 | 2006 |
| Died | 2016 | 2014 |
| Raised | $18M | Bootstrapped then acquired |
| Peak | 5,000 restaurants | €50M revenue |
| Primary Cause | Acquisition Gone Wrong | Acquisition Gone Wrong |
// WHY EACH FAILED
🔥 Restorando
Acquisition Gone Wrong
Restorando was a restaurant discovery and reservation platform operating across 8 Latin American countries with 5,000 restaurant partners. TripAdvisor acquired it in 2014 to expand into Latin America. By 2016, TripAdvisor had integrated Restorando's restaurant data into its main platform and shut down the independent product. The local team was dispersed and the brand was retired.
// LESSON
When a global platform acquires a local marketplace, understand what they are actually buying: the product, the team, or the data. If it is the data, the product will be shut down once the migration is complete.
When a global platform acquires a local marketplace, understand what they are actually buying: the product, the team, or the data. If it is the data, the product will be shut down once the migration is complete.
🔥 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