Failed 2017

    Quixey

    App search engine sounded revolutionary but users just use the App Store. Alibaba lost $100M.

    Founded → Closed

    2009 → 2017

    Funding Raised

    $165M

    Industry

    Search/Mobile

    Country

    USA

    IdeaProof AI Failure Score

    58/100
    Market Fit Risk
    20
    Burn Rate Risk
    70
    Founder Risk
    25

    Full Analysis

    Quixey built a search engine for apps — helping users find mobile applications by function rather than name. Alibaba invested $100M+ hoping to integrate app search into its ecosystem. But Apple's App Store and Google Play already dominated app discovery. Shut down in 2017.

    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 Quixey.

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