Are Startup Marketplaces Picked Over?
Marketplaces have been great businesses for 5,000 years, I don’t see that changing anytime soon
As a marketplace founder, I frequently get this question and at times it can seem like marketplaces are picked over, but in reality marketplace opportunities just evolve with changes in technology, consumer expectations, and economic factors. According to Battery Ventures, 50% of the top 16 recent/projected IPOs are marketplaces. It would be hard to imagine living your life without Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, and DoorDash to name a few. Here is why marketplaces continue to make such great investments and what to look for in the next era of marketplaces.
Marketplaces solve an age-old problem
Marketplaces are one of the oldest forms of human interaction with the first documented marketplace emerging around 3,000 BCE. And for good reason, marketplaces solve an important problem for two groups of people:
- Customers need to buy things
- Businesses need to sell things
