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 […]
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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
Netflix: Attracting Both Subscribers and Content Providers to the Party.
This post discusses Netflix’s reliance on network effects, and risks and benefits of their current model to attract users and content owners to their platform.
Box: Defending its Business through a Platform
Why Box's journey from product to platform is a matter of life or death.