Mekanist tried to build the "Foursquare of Turkey"—a venue discovery and check-in app with local recommendations and social features. The app had Turkish-language content and local venue data, which seemed like a competitive advantage against global apps that might have spottier coverage in Turkey.
Company Data
- Founded: ~2011 — Turkey
- Failed: ~2015
But global platforms (Google Maps, Foursquare, Yelp, TripAdvisor) already had good coverage of Turkish venues. Users searching for restaurant recommendations used Google or Instagram, not a standalone Turkish app. The "local language/content" advantage was real but insufficient—the network effects and brand recognition of global platforms overwhelmed it.
Key Lesson
Copying a global product for a local market only works if the global product genuinely doesn't serve that market. In most cases, Google and Instagram already have adequate local coverage.