Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • June 2016 (Revised January 2018)
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

Airbnb, Etsy, Uber: Growing from One Thousand to One Million Customers

By: Thales S. Teixeira and Morgan Brown
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:14
ShareBar

Abstract

By 2016, two-sided online platforms (or marketplaces) were pervasive among the highest growing internet startups around. These marketplaces sought to match suppliers of assets for rent, physical products or services with customers demanding them. Among the most notable two-sided platforms in terms of their tremendous early growth were Airbnb, Etsy and Uber. They offered short-term property rentals, handcrafted goods, and car rides, respectively. As two-sided markets grew to scale, network effects kicked in as more consumers bred more suppliers and vice versa. But how did these platforms ride the second wave of growth? How did they grow from one thousand to one million customers?

Keywords

Airbnb; Etsy; Uber; Growth Hacking; Two Sided Markets; Digital Platforms; Marketing; Digital Marketing; Growth Management; Service Industry

Citation

Teixeira, Thales S., and Morgan Brown. "Airbnb, Etsy, Uber: Growing from One Thousand to One Million Customers." Harvard Business School Case 516-108, June 2016. (Revised January 2018.)
  • Educators
  • Purchase

Related Work

    • June 2016 (Revised January 2018)
    • Faculty Research

    Airbnb, Etsy, Uber: Growing from One Thousand to One Million Customers

    By: Thales S. Teixeira and Morgan Brown
Related Work
  • Airbnb, Etsy, Uber: Growing from One Thousand to One Million Customers By: Thales S. Teixeira and Morgan Brown
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College