Famous Startup Pivots
Company↕ | Started As↕ | Pivoted To↕ | Year Pivoted↕ | Outcome↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Slack | Glitch - a massively multiplayer browser game | Internal messaging tool the game team built for themselves | 2013 | Acquired by Salesforce for $27.7 billion in 2021 |
Twitter | Odeo - podcasting platform threatened by iTunes | SMS-based status update service | 2006 | IPO in 2013, bought by Elon Musk for $44 billion in 2022 |
Instagram | Burbn - HTML5 location check-in app | Photo sharing with filters | 2010 | Acquired by Facebook for $1 billion in 2012 |
YouTube | Video dating site 'Tune In Hook Up' | General video sharing platform | 2005 | Acquired by Google for $1.65 billion in 2006 |
Shopify | Snowdevil - online snowboard store by the founders | The e-commerce platform they built for their store | 2006 | IPO in 2015, peak market cap over $200 billion |
PayPal | Confinity - cryptography for Palm Pilots | Email-based money transfer | 2000 | Acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion in 2002, now worth $70B+ |
Nintendo | Hanafuda playing card maker (1889) | Electronic toys and video games | 1977 | One of the most valuable gaming companies in history |
Starbucks | Seller of whole coffee beans and equipment (1971) | Italian-style espresso bar chain | 1987 | 38,000+ stores globally, $100B+ market cap |
Netflix | DVD-by-mail rental service | Streaming video (2007) then original content (2013) | 2007 | Global streaming leader, $200B+ market cap |
Flickr | Game Neverending - massively multiplayer game | Photo sharing tool that was part of the game | 2004 | Acquired by Yahoo in 2005 for $35 million |
Groupon | The Point - collective action fundraising platform | Group buying deals for local businesses | 2008 | IPO in 2011, valuation plunged from $16B peak |
Pinterest | Tote - iPhone shopping catalog app | Visual bookmarking board | 2010 | IPO in 2019, peak valuation $45 billion |
Android | OS for digital cameras | OS for smartphones | 2004 | Acquired by Google in 2005, now on 3 billion+ devices |
Suzuki | Silk weaving loom manufacturer (1909) | Motorcycles and cars | 1952 | Global auto manufacturer, still one of largest in India |
Avon | Door-to-door book sales with free perfume (1886) | Direct-sale cosmetics | 1886 | One of the largest direct-sales companies globally |
Wrigley | Soap and baking powder manufacturer (1891) | Chewing gum (originally a free giveaway) | 1892 | Acquired by Mars in 2008 for $23 billion |
Suncorp / Nokia | Finnish paper mill (1865) | Rubber, cables, then mobile phones | 1987 | Global mobile leader then displaced by smartphones |
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