LatAm List – AlaMaula, the Argentine classified ads site, is scheduled to shut down on April 4th, however, its founders want to turn that around.
The company was founded in Córdoba by Guillermo De Bernardo, Jorge De Bernardo, Roque Peralta, and Diego Noriega in 2009. In 2011, AlaMaula was acquired by eBay which officially introduced the e-Commerce giant to Argentina. Then in 2016, the company announced it would start to withdraw its operations. However, with the official closing date approaching on April 4th, the founders are looking to get a second chance by making eBay a formal offer.
“We want it [AlaMaula] back. We’ve sent [eBay] a formal offer including conditions. The problem is that they’re caught up with their own internal issues, so it’s hard to move forward. They’re evaluating it but I think they’re also playing with time. But I think it will go through,” explains de Bernardo.
According to his estimations, AlaMaula can go back to its prime when it had more than 20 million visits.
After Elliott Management announced a US$1.4 billion stake in eBay, there has been a complete restructuring of the company, and shutdowns are “quite common in Silicon Valley,” says De Bernardo.
“AlaMaula is a strong brand, two generations have interacted with the platform. We can get through this,” says De Bernardo.
The founders are currently working on Eureka Labs, a tech development firm that exports its services to United States and Dubai, among other markets.
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