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Many of the most dynamic public companies, from Alibaba to Facebook to Visa, and the most valuable start-ups, such as Airbnb and Uber, are matchmakers that connect one group of customers with another group of customers. Economists call matchmakers multisided platforms because they provide physical or virtual platforms for multiple groups to get together. Dating sites connect people with potential matches, for example, and ride-sharing apps do the same for drivers and riders.
Although matchmakers have been around for millennia, they’re becoming more and more popular—and profitable—due to dramatic advances in technology, and a lot of companies that have managed to crack the code of this business model have become today’s power brokers. Three of the five largest firms by market cap are matchmakers as are 7 of the 10 largest unicorns, which are startup companies valued at over a billion dollars.
Following Dr. Evans’s presentation Dr. Evans will then moderate a panel of executives from Uber and Visa, a leading Singapore startup, and the Computer and Communications Industry Association. They will be joined by two of the foremost antitrust and regulatory experts in the world.
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Matchmakers is an insider’s look at one of the critical business models of our era—one that only looks easy because the drivers around successful multi- and two-sided networks are anything but self-evident. It’s an entertaining read, yet filled with the insights essential for anyone interested in starting or scaling these complex yet powerful businesses.