// startup autopsy
Spotigo
A SaaS pioneer in Europe that ran out of time before the market was ready.
timingSlow Death
Years-long decline before final shutdown · Fatal mistake: Launched a SaaS product in Germany in 2005 when the market had not yet embraced cloud-based subscription software, leading to prolonged sales cycles that burned through limited capital.
Key Events Timeline
FOUNDING
Spotigo founded in Germany to offer SaaS solutions to enterprise and SMB customers.
FUNDING
Raised $0.638M in seed funding to build product and initiate German market sales efforts.
PRODUCT LAUNCH
Launched core SaaS platform to German enterprise customers, but faced slow adoption and long procurement cycles.
PIVOT
Attempted to pivot toward smaller SMB clients to shorten sales cycles, but could not generate sufficient revenue to extend runway.
SHUTDOWN
Spotigo shut down after exhausting its seed capital and failing to achieve product-market fit in the cautious German SaaS market.