// startup autopsy
Desti
An AI-powered travel planning app for iPad that suggested personalized destinations, hotels, and restaurants based on user preferences.
marketfitFire Sale
Distressed acquisition below last-round valuation
// the model, blind
Evaluating only Desti’s profile at its peak — without knowing the outcome — the model ranked Acquisition gone wrong as the #1 likely cause. Documented cause: No market fit.
Key Events Timeline
FOUNDING
Desti founded as a spinout from SRI International with AI-powered travel recommendation technology.
FUNDING
First funding round closes, raising capital to develop iPad travel guide app.
FUNDING
Series A funding round falls short, insufficient capital raised to sustain operations.
ACQUISITION ATTEMPT
Nokia acquires Desti for its semantic search technology to enhance Nokia Maps location services.
SHUTDOWN
Desti app officially shuts down on September 3, 2014, three years after launch.