// startup autopsy
ProtoGeo
Finland's movement tracker, absorbed by Facebook's data machine
acquisition gone wrongAcqui-hire
Fatal mistake: Moves was acquired by Facebook in 2014 and subsequently shut down in 2018, meaning the product's long-term fate was determined by the acquirer's strategic priorities rather than its own merits.
Key Events Timeline
FOUNDING
ProtoGeo founded in Helsinki, Finland, to build automatic smartphone-based activity tracking technology.
PRODUCT LAUNCH
Launches Moves app on iOS, which rapidly gains global popularity as a seamless automatic activity tracker.
FUNDING
Raises $1.6M in funding to scale the Moves app globally and expand to Android platform.
ACQUISITION ATTEMPT
Facebook acquires ProtoGeo and the Moves app for an undisclosed sum, ending the startup's independent operations.
SHUTDOWN
ProtoGeo ceases to exist as an independent company following the Facebook acquisition closing.