// startup autopsy

PicksPal

Sports picks platform that couldn't beat the house odds

marketfitAcqui-hire

Fatal mistake: PicksPal failed to build sufficient network effects before better-funded competitors like Yahoo Sports and ESPN dominated the sports prediction social gaming space.

Founded	2005
Closed	2009
Country	USA
Sector	Gaming

50%

Key Events Timeline

2005-01-01

FOUNDING

PicksPal founded as a social sports prediction platform targeting casual sports fans.

2007-03-01

FUNDING

PicksPal secures $15M in funding to scale user acquisition and platform development.

2007-09-01

PRODUCT LAUNCH

PicksPal launches expanded social features allowing league creation and friend challenges across NFL, NBA, and MLB.

2008-06-01

ACQUISITION ATTEMPT

Sporting News acquires PicksPal to bolster its digital sports gaming portfolio amid declining print revenues.

2009-06-01

SHUTDOWN

PicksPal platform discontinued as Sporting News restructures digital operations amid financial pressures.

Full Analysis

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Documented cause

PicksPal operated a sports prediction and fantasy gaming platform but encountered significant obstacles that prevented sustainable growth. The company faced regulatory ambiguity surrounding online gaming laws, ...

which created legal uncertainty and compliance challenges that constrained operations. Additionally, PicksPal struggled to scale beyond a niche audience in an increasingly competitive market. As socia

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€27M

Peak valuation

HypeCycle · MoatType · ResearchTags

PicksPal raised €15M before pickspal failed to build sufficient network effects before better-funded competitors like yahoo sports and espn dominated the sports prediction social gaming space. ended it. See the documented cause, verified lesson and all failure signals.

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Key Events Timeline

Documented cause

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