Matchmakers

The New Economics of Multisided Platforms

Business & Finance, Management & Leadership, Planning & Forecasting, Management, Economics
Cover of the book Matchmakers by David S. Evans, Richard Schmalensee, Harvard Business Review Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: David S. Evans, Richard Schmalensee ISBN: 9781633691735
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press Publication: May 3, 2016
Imprint: Harvard Business Review Press Language: English
Author: David S. Evans, Richard Schmalensee
ISBN: 9781633691735
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
Publication: May 3, 2016
Imprint: Harvard Business Review Press
Language: English

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.

Don’t let the flashy successes fool you, though. Starting a matchmaker is one of the toughest business challenges, and almost everyone who tries to build one, fails.

In Matchmakers, David Evans and Richard Schmalensee, two economists who were among the first to analyze multisided platforms and discover their principles, and who’ve consulted for some of the most successful platform businesses in the world, explain how matchmakers work best in practice, why they do what they do, and how entrepreneurs can improve their chances for success.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, an investor, a consumer, or an executive, your future will involve more and more multisided platforms, and Matchmakers-rich with stories from platform winners and losers-is the one book you’ll need in order to navigate this appealing but confusing world.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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.

Don’t let the flashy successes fool you, though. Starting a matchmaker is one of the toughest business challenges, and almost everyone who tries to build one, fails.

In Matchmakers, David Evans and Richard Schmalensee, two economists who were among the first to analyze multisided platforms and discover their principles, and who’ve consulted for some of the most successful platform businesses in the world, explain how matchmakers work best in practice, why they do what they do, and how entrepreneurs can improve their chances for success.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, an investor, a consumer, or an executive, your future will involve more and more multisided platforms, and Matchmakers-rich with stories from platform winners and losers-is the one book you’ll need in order to navigate this appealing but confusing world.

More books from Harvard Business Review Press

Cover of the book Information Wants to Be Shared by David S. Evans, Richard Schmalensee
Cover of the book HBR Guide for Women at Work (HBR Guide Series) by David S. Evans, Richard Schmalensee
Cover of the book Managing With Power by David S. Evans, Richard Schmalensee
Cover of the book Competing for the Future by David S. Evans, Richard Schmalensee
Cover of the book How Will You Measure Your Life? (Harvard Business Review Classics) by David S. Evans, Richard Schmalensee
Cover of the book An Everyone Culture by David S. Evans, Richard Schmalensee
Cover of the book Harvard Business Review Emotional Intelligence Collection (4 Books) (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series) by David S. Evans, Richard Schmalensee
Cover of the book Return on Character by David S. Evans, Richard Schmalensee
Cover of the book Immunity to Change by David S. Evans, Richard Schmalensee
Cover of the book Harvard Business Review on Succeeding as an Entrepreneur by David S. Evans, Richard Schmalensee
Cover of the book Dual Transformation by David S. Evans, Richard Schmalensee
Cover of the book Rapid Transformation by David S. Evans, Richard Schmalensee
Cover of the book Authentic Leadership and Organizations: The Goffee-Jones Collection (2 Books) by David S. Evans, Richard Schmalensee
Cover of the book How to Write a Great Business Plan by David S. Evans, Richard Schmalensee
Cover of the book Leading Transformation by David S. Evans, Richard Schmalensee
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy