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I remember once reading of an example where a company did not stick to its core product line and diversified. But what they stand for with one of their operations was at odds with their old core line, eventually the company failed in some sort. Does anyone remember which company this was? Or any others like it? Not specifically a startup or linked to the internet

What does this have to do with startups?:

Its a question of image. If an internet company caters for all sorts of customers, say ebay is connotated with a second hand market. Is there some truth to it tarnishing the image of some of its market segments (e.g no one would like to buy clothes on ebay). Should a startup focus on a class of customer or go for the full set?

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Welcome to the site. Polling the community for a list of examples is not allowed on the Stack Exchange network. Furthermore, anything in the "Not specifically a startup" category is off-topic for this site. I recommend editing your question to focus on the why or how, and we can take a look at reopening it. – Zuly Gonzalez♦ Feb 18 at 15:04
I have edited the question to better reflect how it is important for startups to know what customers they should target – Akshat Feb 18 at 15:23
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Still a lot of questions and very broad. You could try soliciting responses with something online the line of "What are the benefits or disadvantages of diversification from your core product for a startup" But you need to avoid asking for recommendations or even specific examples (though no doubt people will respond with such) – Tim Nash Feb 18 at 16:39
Thanks for the edit, but the new version is almost identical to the old one. You are still asking for a list of examples. @TimNash's advice is good. If you edit it to ask about the disadvantages of product diversification it would be a much better fit for this site. But I do realize that would change the intent of your question. – Zuly Gonzalez♦ Feb 19 at 6:59

closed as not constructive by Zuly Gonzalez♦ Feb 18 at 15:04

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