Quixey

Quixey was a technology company based in Mountain View, California, that developed a search engine for applications. Founded in 2009 by Tomer Kagan and Liron Shapira, the company aimed to revolutionize how users discovered mobile apps. Kagan, who served as CEO, studied Molecular and Developmental Biology and had prior entrepreneurial experience, while Shapira, the Chief Science Officer, held a computer science degree from UC Berkeley and was credited with inventing the core search technology. The company's primary offering was a "functional search" engine that allowed users to find apps by describing the action they wanted to perform, rather than knowing the app's name. This technology was designed to work across multiple platforms, including mobile, web, and desktop.

Quixey's business model involved powering app search for partners such as manufacturers, search engines, and carriers. It formed partnerships with companies like Ask.com, Sprint, and DuckDuckGo. Monetization was introduced in 2013 through sponsored results. The company also aimed to help developers with app discovery and monetization through deep linking, which enabled content within apps to be searchable and could facilitate cross-app actions. This positioned Quixey as an alternative to the major app stores' native search functions, intending to surface information locked inside application silos. Technology offerings included Deep View Cards, Tap To Action, and an App Crawler to identify key functionalities within apps.

Quixey garnered significant attention from investors, raising a total of $164.2 million. Notable funding rounds included a $50 million Series C in 2013 led by Alibaba Group and a $60 million round in 2015, which valued the company at approximately $600 million. Its list of investors was extensive, featuring Alibaba, SoftBank, Goldman Sachs, GGV Capital, and Eric Schmidt's Innovation Endeavors. However, the company faced considerable challenges. Its relationship with its largest investor and customer, Alibaba, became strained due to unmet contractual obligations and a loan agreement that ultimately gave Alibaba veto power over future funding. Intense competition from tech giants like Google and Apple, who were developing their own sophisticated in-app search and personal assistant capabilities, also rendered Quixey's technology less competitive. Coupled with a high cash burn rate and financial mismanagement, these factors led to the company's shutdown in February 2017.

Keywords: app search engine, functional search, deep linking, mobile search, app discovery, Tomer Kagan, Liron Shapira, Alibaba, app monetization, cross-platform search, app content indexing, mobile technology, Silicon Valley startup, venture capital, tech failure, search technology, developer tools, natural language search, app store optimization, digital content discovery