Platform Business Challenges

March 24, 2020

Read The Full Prompt

Digital technologies give rise to a variety of platforms. For this assignment, please pick ONE of the following two options:

1) Identify a platform firm, describe how it creates and capture value, and evaluate its scalability and sustainability.  To make it interesting, please stay away from well-known platforms such as those owned by Amazon, Google, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft.

2) Identify a firm that tried to work with a platform (e.g., X Fire or Australian banks) or tried to become a platform (e.g., Qihoo). Describe the opportunities and challenges in its journey.

Materials

“Why Some Platforms Thrive and Others Don’t” (Links to an external site.) HBR January-February 2019
“Products to Platforms: Making the Leap” (Links to an external site.) HBR April 2016

Assignment

Create an approximately 750-word post to make your contribution on digit.hbs.org  by 6 pm on March 24.

Please also respond to and comment on three other posts per assignment. Feel free to use graphics, data, videos, and links to other sites to corroborate your points.

Selected posts will be discussed in class.

Submitted (79)

Farfetch: Tackling the Online Luxury Fashion Market
Anuj Lohia
Last modified on March 24, 2020 at 3:56 pm
Farfetch prides itself on being the only online luxury fashion platform at scale. Leading up to its IPO in 2018, it has amassed impressive growth and continues to do so till today in the large USD 300 billion luxury fashion [...]
Spotify- More than a Music Streaming Platform
DJ Song
Posted on March 24, 2020 at 5:55 pm
Spotify is a well-known music streaming platform. By early 2019, Spotify had 242 million users and of that over 108 million subscribed users. It is currently the music platform with the largest amount of subscribers. Spotify was able to create [...]
Etsy: Amazon Marketplace for Crafts?
tf
Posted on March 24, 2020 at 2:54 pm
Suddenly awash with free time thanks to #socialdistancing, I find myself spending more time than ever browsing Etsy in search of craft projects, home décor items, and other ways to relieve stress by spending money. The products I’ve encountered range [...]
Rec Room – An Open Virtual Reality World
London L.
Last modified on March 24, 2020 at 5:10 pm
Rec Room is a popular social application that originated in virtual reality. Will it be able to sustain itself after Facebook launches its own competing app?
TaskRabbit – IKEA Furniture Assembly on Demand
Leo
Posted on March 24, 2020 at 11:44 am
TaskRabbit - a poster child for platform disintermediation.
SLACK: Reimagining the (Network) of Workspaces
Choplife
Last modified on March 24, 2020 at 5:59 pm
Slack is a network of networks, people and apps.
HUYA – the Amazon’s Twitch of China
Amanda Dong
Posted on March 22, 2020 at 8:54 am
      Introduction HUYA Inc. is a leading game live streaming platform in China with a large and active game live streaming community. Established in 2014 as a game live streaming business unit of YY Inc. (a leading online [...]
ifood: Innovation and Differentiation for Sustainability
Fernanda Pedreira
Last modified on March 27, 2020 at 9:58 am
iFood is the leading food delivery platform in Brazil and has expanded into Colombia, Mexico and Argentina. It has fared well on the scalability test. Amidst increased competition in the industry, however, can it ensure profitability and long term sustainability?
Appear Here: “Airbnb of Retail”
Dora Du
Posted on March 24, 2020 at 6:00 pm
Appear Here is an online marketplace for short-term retail space. Appear Here functions as something of an Airbnb for retail space, its online platform that allows landlords to list their empty space for free, for brands to book it as [...]
RateSetter – Australia’s disruptive P2P lender
Brian Westlake
Posted on March 24, 2020 at 12:46 pm
RateSetter establishes itself as the dominant P2P consumer lender in Australia.
Saatchi Art: Equal Opportunity to Sell and Own Original Art
Austen Eliot
Posted on March 24, 2020 at 4:46 pm
Saatchi Art is a platform that connects up-and-coming artists to users interested in owning original artwork. This democratizing disruption of the art industry has allowed Saatchi Art to create value for both artists and art lovers.
Patreon: A Platform for the Creative Community
Jennifer Yang
Last modified on March 24, 2020 at 5:36 pm
Patreon is a platform specialized in enabling creators to monetizing their content.
Faire: Empowering the Shop Local Movement
HK
Posted on March 21, 2020 at 11:25 pm
Faire is an online marketplace connecting small independent retailers with artisans (makers) to bolster the Shop Local movement and build local economies. 
Despegar: from tech darling to struggling business
Miguel Dysenhaus
Posted on March 24, 2020 at 2:05 pm
What are the main competitive advantages Despegar has in its favor to fight competition in a market where differentiation seems to be hard.
The Latin American Ebay transforms the region
Sky Deck
Posted on March 24, 2020 at 6:24 pm
The Latin American Ebay transforms the region.
Upwork: Can value creation spur value capture?
HBSstudent0918
Posted on March 24, 2020 at 3:41 pm
Upwork needs to create a stickier platform that participants are willing to pay a premium for in order to both create value and capture value over the long term.
Letgo: Grabbing Hold of the Classifieds Market and Not Letting Go
iBot
Last modified on March 24, 2020 at 6:00 pm
Letgo is a second-hand marketplace, connecting buyers and sellers of consumer goods ranging from televisions and clothing to cars and real estate, revolutionizing classifieds listings and innovating on the foundation established by dated offerings like Craigslist and local newspapers -- [...]
Plex TV: From Personal Media Server to Mediaverse
Jared V.
Last modified on March 24, 2020 at 6:17 pm
Over the years Plex has found a niche with cord-cutters by enabling customers to set up their own personal media servers and access their content across a variety of internet-connected devices. Recently, however, Plex began aiming its sights on the [...]
Blind: Building and Scaling Anonymous Community
vertigo
Last modified on March 23, 2020 at 2:02 pm
“Anonymous community for the workplace.” - Kyum Kim, Head of US operations and co-founder of TeamBlind “Most of our U.S. users are tech employees and there are tons of topics on Blind. Many of them talk about compensation, salary, company [...]
TaskRabbit: how weak network effects prevent companies to scale
Jona Babi
Last modified on March 23, 2020 at 11:01 pm
TaskRabbit is an online and mobile marketplace that matches freelance labor with local demand, allowing consumers to find immediate help with everyday tasks, including cleaning, moving, delivery and handyman work.
Zocdoc: A two-sided platform charging one side
ka
Last modified on March 24, 2020 at 1:15 pm
Zocdoc connects patients with healthcare providers. It recently adjusted its pricing structure for several markets to attract new physicians to the site. However, Zocdoc must balance the fee structure of its existing physician base with new account acquisition.
Grupo Fleury moves into the new economy
RicardoN
Last modified on March 24, 2020 at 3:17 pm
Grupo Fleury, a large Brazilian diagnostics provider, moves to a platform strategy.
Intuit Quickbook Desktop OR Quickbook Online – what to choose?
Ashima_Singh
Posted on March 24, 2020 at 5:24 pm
Intuit Inc. is a leading financial software company that develops and sells accounting and tax preparation software and services for small businesses, accountants and individuals. They have an array of products such as TurboTax, QuickBooks, ProConnect Tax Online and others. [...]
Netflix: Creating value in the Covid-19 era
Carla SanchezArmas
Posted on March 27, 2020 at 12:11 am
 The DVD rental site founded in 1997 had a first-mover advantage when it introduced their streaming service[1] in 2007; three years later they surpassed 20 million subscribers. Today they are reaching 150+ million subscribers and operate in 190 national markets[2]. [...]
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