Strategies for Two-Sided Markets

T. R. Eisenmann; G.  Parker; M.  van Alstyne

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Article | Harvard Business Review | October 2006

Strategies for Two-Sided Markets

by T. R. Eisenmann, G. Parker and M. van Alstyne

Keywords: Strategy; Two-Sided Platforms;

Format: Print

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Citation:

Eisenmann, T. R., G. Parker, and M. van Alstyne. "Strategies for Two-Sided Markets." Harvard Business Review 84, no. 10 (October 2006).

About the Author

Thomas R. Eisenmann

Howard H. Stevenson Professor of Business Administration

Entrepreneurial Management

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Case | HBS Case Collection | March 2017 (Revised October 2018)

Catalant: The Future of Work?

Thomas Eisenmann, Jeffrey F. Rayport and Christine Snively

Catalant, founded in 2013 as an online marketplace where MBAs could bid on consulting projects posted by small- to medium-sized businesses, had expanded by 2016 to provide Fortune 1000 companies with access to over 35,000 independent experts. The founders envisioned extending their matching solutions to help enterprises staff projects with a mix of current employees and external experts, hypothesizing that the “future of work” would involve more flexible employment arrangements. They debated how much to invest in new functionality versus improving their existing marketplace and how to pitch their evolving strategic vision to investors.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Human Resources; Recruitment; Labor; Market Platforms; Growth and Development Strategy; Employment Industry; Consulting Industry; United States;

Citation:
Eisenmann, Thomas, Jeffrey F. Rayport, and Christine Snively. "Catalant: The Future of Work?" Harvard Business School Case 817-103, March 2017. (Revised October 2018.) View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | November 2016 (Revised October 2018)

IguanaFix

Frank V. Cespedes, Thomas R. Eisenmann, Maria Fernanda Miguel and Laura Urdapilleta

IguanaFix is a rapidly scaling Latin American startup that provides an online platform connecting consumers with home improvement contractors. The founders have acquired customers through both B2C and B2B methods. But in seeking to grow and scale the business, they now must make decisions about the relative emphasis on building their consumer brand or its B2B partnerships as well as the implications for product offerings and marketing methods ranging from search engine marketing and Facebook ads to sales and account management.

Keywords: Sales; entrepreneurial marketing; marketing; home improvement services; marketing management; scaling; Entrepreneurship; Marketing; Sales; Online Advertising; Latin America;

Citation:
Cespedes, Frank V., Thomas R. Eisenmann, Maria Fernanda Miguel, and Laura Urdapilleta. "IguanaFix." Harvard Business School Case 817-056, November 2016. (Revised October 2018.) View Details

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Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | August 2018

IguanaFix

Frank V. Cespedes and Thomas Eisenmann

Teaching Note for HBS No. 817-056. IguanaFix, based in Argentina, is a platform business that connects consumers with home improvement contractors. The founders are evaluating growth options and an investment offer. The case focuses on scaling issues for a venture engaged in both B2C and B2B initiatives in a business model where there are important links, but also trade-offs and choices, between these approaches. The teaching note discusses some core marketing tools primarily relevant to a B2C versus a B2B approach in a venture; the complementarities and resource-allocation implications of the choices facing the founders; and scaling options and requirements ranging from new products and new markets to new channel partners and acquisition. The case is suitable for use in MBA and executive courses on Entrepreneurial Management, Business Marketing, Consumer Marketing, Sales, Making Markets, and Launching Technology Ventures.

Keywords: entrepreneurial marketing; home improvement services; marketing management; scaling; Entrepreneurship; Marketing; Sales; Market Platforms; Growth and Development Strategy;

Citation:
Cespedes, Frank V., and Thomas Eisenmann. "IguanaFix." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 819-029, August 2018. View Details

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Strategies for Two-Sided Markets

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