// startup autopsy
SoWeTrip
Social travel planning that couldn't build a social network.
marketfitSilent Shutdown
Quiet closure with no public announcement · Fatal mistake: SoWeTrip built a social layer on top of travel planning without solving the core coordination problem well enough to generate the viral growth and retention needed for network-effect businesses.
Key Events Timeline
FOUNDING
SoWeTrip founded in France as a social travel coordination platform for group trip planning.
FUNDING
SoWeTrip raises approximately $735K in seed funding — its only and final round — to develop the platform.
PRODUCT LAUNCH
Platform launches to limited uptake; user acquisition costs prove too high relative to available capital.
SHUTDOWN
SoWeTrip shuts down after failing to achieve viral growth or network effects necessary for a social travel platform to survive.