It’s a old post on 2021 but still worth reading.
2/ This by the team @BessemerVP is a great starting point
They discuss
- What’s changed that makes B2B marketplaces possible today
- The qualities of successful B2B marketplaces
- B2B marketplace models esp for high-friction goods
Roadmap: B2B Marketplaceshttps://www.bvp.com/atlas/b2b-marketplaces
3/ This by @onecaseman is particularly relevant to many B2B marketplaces
He digs into into 4 strategies for how to thrive in low frequency marketplaces.
Examples are more consumer but the principles likely hold for B2B
4/ Here is a quick way to think about frequency vs average order value (AOV)
The examples here are more consumer but again, within B2B, we’re seeing a diversity of marketplaces along this spectrum
Varies by good, industry
5/ @BoweryCapital has done a number of great conversations with B2B marketplace investors and operators and you can see the index of those here
I’ll highlight a couple I particularly liked
6/ This convo with AJ Rohde of @thomabravo is a good one
AJ is firmly in the camp for B2B marketplaces that the demand side is what you have to ‘tip’ first stating “you get a lot more done when the demand side (OEMs) blesses you.”
7/ This w/ @fabricegrinda is also good
Versus AJ, Fabrice believes B2B startups "lock in your supply by offering biz a free SaaS tool to incorporate into their workflows & manage their teams”
Clearly, there is no formula for B2B marketplaces
8/ “Magical Growth Loops” by @lennysan is excellent [paywall]
He covers:
Supply driving demand
Demand driving supply
Demand driving demand
Supply driving supply
Again, bit more consumer focused but highlights likes of Faire showing relevance to B2B
9/ No thread on marketplaces would be complete without @bgurley’s thinking
More consumer focused but here’s some of the greatest hits IMO
10 factors to consider when evaluating a marketplace is 
10/ For B2B marketplaces, a couple of pts in it are particularly relevant
#3 Where the technology offering greatly enhances the user experience
#9 Being part of the payment flow is superior to not being a part of the payment flow.
11/ We are seeing an incredible diversity in B2B marketplaces right now
And they’re starting to attack more complex, highly variable “SKUs” and higher consideration B2B buying decisions
12/ This evolution in B2B marketplaces we’re seeing from low variability SKUs to more highly variable SKUs is very analogous to what we’ve observed in consumer-focused marketplaces
13/ This by @jbreinlinger which is from 7 years ago on what type of marketplace are you is very enlightening
Given AOV and complexity of B2B purchases, it would seem most will be double commit but not always
https://acrowdedspace.com/post/95742275407/match-types
14/ Here is a graphic to explain and highlight the differences between a buyer vs supplier picks vs a double commit marketplace
15/ Another gem by @bgurley on @patrick_oshag podcast
He covers
- liquidity quality in a marketplace
- network effects and capturing those
And my favorite, why you want demand-side promiscuity in a marketplace
16/ Bowery metrics to evaluate both buy and sell side liquidity
“Liquidity is simply how easily and quickly buyers and sellers can find each other in the marketplace. A2-sided B2B marketplace should track both seller & buyer liquidity”
17/ A simple view on 2 dominant strategies to get to marketplace liquidity
Either by focusing on geography or category
Almost universal agreement that B2B marketplaces should start narrow, get liquidity and then expand
Niche down FTW
18/ I’ve got ~30 more podcasts and articles to go through by the likes of @peteflint of @NFX, @jeff_jordan & @andrewchen of @a16z as well as more from likes of @jbreinlinger, @lennysan and @onecaseman so will continue to add to this
In the meantime, 2 things
First, a question
19/ The answer is (a) 10.1%
This per a 2018 study by the @InternetAssn
20/ If we assume covid accelerated that by 2-3x, it still means 70-80% of the economy remains offline
This spells massive opportunity for B2B marketplaces
More resources to be added
Any resources on B2B marketplaces you really love?
21/ this by @JamesCurrier @NFX is 
Learnings:
-
in B2B mkts w/ brokers, help them do jobs better
-
don’t fear managed marketplace to create liquidity
-
network fx is goal but may embed a SaaS tool into the workflow of demand or supply-side
