// startup autopsy

DoNanza

The freelance search engine that couldn't find its own market.

marketfitSilent Shutdown

Quiet closure with no public announcement · Fatal mistake: DoNanza entered the freelance marketplace aggregation space without a defensible moat against dominant incumbents who already had network effects.

Founded	2008
Closed	2012
Country	Israel
Sector	Marketplace

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Key Events Timeline

2008-01-01

FOUNDING

DoNanza founded in Israel to aggregate freelance project listings.

2011-06-01

FUNDING

Company closes $1M funding round, its last known investment.

2011-12-01

PRODUCT LAUNCH

Platform attempts feature expansion to compete with dominant freelance marketplaces, with limited success.

2012-06-01

SHUTDOWN

DoNanza ceases operations after exhausting its $1M runway without achieving sustainable traction.

Full Analysis

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Documented cause

DoNanza was a freelance project discovery platform that failed to gain sufficient market traction. Operating in a highly competitive space dominated by established players like Upwork and Freelancer, the startu...

p struggled to differentiate its offering and attract a critical mass of users. The company raised only $1M in funding, which proved insufficient to sustain operations and achieve profitability. A cri

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€1.2M

Peak valuation

HypeCycle · MoatType · ResearchTags

DoNanza raised €1M before donanza entered the freelance marketplace aggregation space without a defensible moat against dominant incumbents who already had network effects. ended it. See the documented cause, verified lesson and all failure signals.

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Key Events Timeline

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