Amazon vs. Etsy – an incumbent’s futile attempt to disrupt the “vintage” category
Why Etsy witnessed the entry and fall of the giant Amazon in the niche category of handmade and vintage items
Submissions
YC: organizing the seed-funding ecosystem
Y Combinator (YC) started in early 2005 to create a better seed funding ecosystem. Since then, it has spurred a new category of incubators and accelerators such as TechStars, AngelPad. These accelerators provide short-term intensive coaching and mentorship. Before this […]
eBay – A tale of creating, capturing…and losing value in platform markets
What it takes to create and sustain in a platform market
From Product to Platform: John Deere Revolutionizes Farming
See how a 179-year-old company has created the go-to platform for the agricultural industry, allowing John Deere to compete against both other farm equipment manufacturers as well as new Ag Tech entrants.
Uber: Revolutionizing transport – one ride at a time!!
Uber started out in San Francisco as a simple on demand cab service. Today, no company better exemplifies the power of platforms in an era where digital and physical environments are beginning to merge.
Making Higher Education Accessible – Coursera
Challenges along the way in creating innovative higher education solutions.
Li & Fung – The Downfall of a Platform
On March 6th of this year, the supply chain management giant Li & Fung will be unceremoniously removed from the Hang Seng Index, a globally recognized index of Blue Chip Hong Kong Companies, to be replaced by Greely Automobile. It will mark the another step in the steep decline of a company which was once synonymous with outsourcing and cheap Asian manufacturing.
Wayfair.com, a platform for furniture shopping
How does an platform eCommerce company compete in the age of Amazon? Offer more to the supply side.
Craigslist: a platform eroded by platforms
Craigslist grew rapidly by leveraging hyper-local network effects – but now faces market share erosion as other platforms enter niche segments. Who will win, and how?
Snapchat, a “camera” for Gen Y and Z?
Snapchat is a social messaging app that features self-deleting image and video taking. It has proven success among younger users of Gen Y and Z and has taken increasing wallet share from advertisers who like to target this group. However the unique feature may become a double-edge sword and opens multi-homing for advertisers and places a question mark on the life span of the products