When marketplaces work and when they don't
Thanks to Uber’s meteoric rise in valuation , several startups are trying to mimic the idea of building marketplaces with instant gratification. So much so, that there is an aptly titled poem, " Uber for X ", devoted to this. Though the jury is still out on Uber or Airbnb, some others like Exec and Homejoy have already failed to be sustainable businesses. Here are a few thoughts on the characteristics of marketplaces, including so-called sharing economy startups, which decides their eventual fate. ...