Eko
Interactive "choose your own adventure" video raised $160M from Hollywood studios but never found a mass audience.
Eko was a Media/Interactive Video startup founded in 2010 in Israel. It raised $160M before collapsing in 2024 — 14 years of runway burned. IdeaProof's AI Failure Score: 48/100, driven by interactive video never found mass audience. The shutdown affected employees, investors, and the broader Media/Interactive Video ecosystem. This case study breaks down the timeline, root causes, competitors that won, and replicable lessons for founders validating similar ideas today.
Why did Eko fail?
Eko failed in 2024 after 14 years of operation, losing $160M in raised capital. The root cause was interactive video never found mass audience. Key lesson: Interactive "choose your own adventure" video raised $160M from Hollywood studios but never found a mass audience.
2010 → 2024
$160M
Media/Interactive Video
Israel
IdeaProof AI Failure Score
Full Analysis
Eko (formerly Interlude) created interactive video technology where viewers could make choices that affected the narrative. Despite partnerships with Hollywood studios and brands, interactive video remained a niche novelty. Netflix's Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018) was the closest to mainstream success, but even that was a one-time experiment. Eko struggled to monetize and downsized significantly.
Could This Failure Have Been Prevented?
IdeaProof's AI validates market demand, competitive positioning, and business model viability in minutes — catching the exact issues that sank Eko.