Onavo
The business, the turning points, and the decisions behind them.
Some sections are still being researched2 / 4
Sections to complete：02 · 05
01 / WHAT IT BUILT
What the company did
Onavo, founded in Israel in 2010 by Guy Rosen and Roi Tiger, made mobile data compression and analytics apps (Onavo Extend, Onavo Count, Onavo Protect) that reduced smartphone data usage, and offered market intelligence on app usage to businesses. In October 2013 Facebook acquired the company, reportedly for $100-200 million, and used Onavo's analytics platform to monitor competitors, which informed business decisions such as the 2014 acquisition of WhatsApp.
02 / FAILURE REASONS
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
03 / EVENT HISTORY
Events in the structured record
- Founded
Guy Rosen and Roi Tiger founded Onavo in Israel, developing data compression apps for iOS and Android backed by Sequoia Capital, Magma Venture Partners, Horizons Ventures and Motorola Mobility Ventures.
- Acquired by Facebook
Facebook acquired Onavo in October 2013 in a deal reported at $100-200 million; Onavo's Tel Aviv office became Facebook's Israeli office and its apps continued as a standalone brand.
- Removed from iOS App Store
Apple pulled Onavo Protect from the App Store for violating its policy against apps collecting data on the usage of other apps.
- Shut down
After a TechCrunch investigation revealed Onavo code was used in a Facebook market research app that paid teenagers for their data, Facebook ended the Onavo program: the app stopped collecting data and was removed from the Google Play Store.
04 / CONTEMPORARY REBUILD ASSESSMENT
Difficulty of rebuilding this project today
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
Overall assessment: Not completed
05 / CAUSAL CHAIN / AFTERMATH
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.