Allmyapps
Allmyapps was the first independent app store for Windows, designed to simplify software installation and updates in the pre-Windows 8 era. While it gained over 3 million users and secured significant venture capital, the company was eventually crushed by the "platform risk" of Microsoft launching its own Windows Store and a failed pivot into a B2B model.
The Autopsy
| Section | Details |
|---|---|
| Startup Profile | Founders: Thibauld Favre, Arnaud Delubac Funding: ~$3.5M from Alven Capital and Elaia Partners |
| Cause of Death | |
| The Critical Mistake | Failing to Exit During the Peak: The founders had opportunities to sell the company when user growth was high but chose to raise more capital to "go big." They overestimated their ability to compete with a platform owner (Microsoft) on its own turf. |
| Key Lessons |
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Deep Dive
In the blog post, "Allmyapps: Story of an almost successful French startup," co-founder Thibauld Favre detailed the specific milestones that led to the decline. The Windows 8 Death Sentence Before 2012, installing Windows apps was a mess of "Next-Next-Finish" installers. Allmyapps provided a "One-Click" solution that users loved. When Microsoft announced their own store, the venture capital market for Allmyapps dried up instantly. Investors realized that competing with an integrated OS feature is a losing battle. The Burn Rate Paradox The company had a team of nearly 30 people in Paris. With $3.5M in the bank and a high burn rate, they needed to find a massive revenue stream quickly. When the consumer model stalled, the large team became a liability rather than an asset, preventing them from being "lean" enough to survive a slow pivot. The Legacy Allmyapps is remembered as a pioneer in the "App Store" movement for desktop computing. After the liquidation, the founders remained active in the tech scene; Thibauld Favre went on to become a notable figure in the Web3 and DAO space. The story of Allmyapps remains a definitive case study in French business schools regarding Platform Risk and the importance of timing in an exit strategy.
Key Lessons
Beware of "Gap" Businesses: If your startup only exists to fix a missing feature in a major platform (like Windows or iOS), the platform owner can kill you by simply releasing an update.
Control Your Distribution: If you don't own the "pipe" (the OS), you are always at the mercy of the "landlord."
Pivot with Enough Runway: Allmyapps started its B2B pivot too late, with only a few months of cash remaining, which didn't allow for the necessary experimentation.