// startup autopsy
Piczo
A social networking and blogging website that allowed teens to create free advertising-supported websites with images, text, videos, and other multimedia content.
marketfitacquisition_distress
Fatal mistake: Failed to evolve beyond a basic teen profile page tool as Facebook's richer social graph made Piczo irrelevant.
Key Events Timeline
FOUNDING
Piczo launched as a teen-focused social profile site, allowing users to create customizable personal pages.
FUNDING
Raised $11M as user base approached 70 million, primarily teenagers in the US and UK.
PRODUCT LAUNCH
Peak traffic period; however Facebook's aggressive teen market expansion begins cannibalizing Piczo's user base.
ACQUISITION ATTEMPT
Six Apart acquires Piczo as the site's traffic declines sharply; acquisition seen as last-ditch effort to find a turnaround.
SHUTDOWN
Piczo officially shuts down; Six Apart unable to reverse declining user engagement in Facebook's shadow.