Winner Take All

This week, we had the opportunity to sit down with Adrien Nussenbaum, Co-founder and CEO of Mirakl. With over 400 marketplaces powered by its technology and surpassing $6 billion in gross merchandise volume, Nussenbaum is an invaluable resource into the industry's trajectory and the future it holds. From humble beginnings in 2012, Mirakl has become a driving force behind the B2B marketplace revolution. The company empowers businesses to create and operate their own online marketplaces, connecting buyers and sellers on a global scale. Mirakl has also launched additional product offerings around related value added services like financing, advertising, finding suppliers, seller operations, and product data. Nussenbaum’s new book, The Online Marketplace Advantage, is a comprehensive guide to launching, operating, and scaling online marketplaces in today's dynamic eCommerce landscape. The book explores factors driving the exponential growth of online marketplaces and offers insights from 30+ leading brands that have successfully transformed their businesses.

In this interview, we sit down with Tyler Ellison, the founder of ChemDirect, a leading B2B marketplace connecting buyers and suppliers in the chemical industry. Tyler shares his insights on how logistics and supply chain services have been a key driver for ChemDirect. He also discusses the unique characteristic of having users who are both buyers and sellers on the same B2B platform. This interview provides a fascinating look into the world of B2B marketplaces and the challenges and opportunities that come with connecting buyers and suppliers in a highly specialized industry. #chemical #supplychain #founderstories —

Alex Moazed speaks with Bar Geron, founder of Balance, a fintech company that focuses on digitizing B2B e-commerce payments by developing one-click checkout payment tools. Balance was co-founded by Bar Geron and Yoni Shuster, who were former employees of PayPal, the company helps B2B e-commerce merchants and marketplaces to get paid instantly, process any payment method, and offer flexible terms. Balance has raised $87 million in total funding, including a recent $56 million Series B funding round led by Forerunner. The company works with hundreds of merchants and dozens of B2B marketplaces, targeting legacy industries not as digitally savvy in payments, including lumber, chemicals, steel, retail, and food. The checkout space is reflective of a new stage of the economy, where Balance is taking the next step in eCommerce for the entire supply chain, offering self-serve transactions in ways that were only previously available in B2C channels. #fintech #b2b #startupfounders

In this interview, I speak with Fabrice Grinda, a founder of FJ Labs. With over a thousand unique investments made across different life cycles of FJ funds, Fabrice shares his Marketplace-centric approach to investing, and the importance of investing in extraordinary people who are trying to solve the world's problems. Fabrice also talks about his accidental transition from being a tech founder and CEO to becoming a VC and why he chooses to invest in network effect businesses and marketplaces. Throughout the interview, Fabrice discuss various topics related to investing in marketplaces, including investing in marketplaces all over the spectrum from B2C to B2B, both product and service-oriented platforms. This interview is packed with valuable insights for anyone interested in the world of marketplaces and VC investing! Fabrice talks about how he believes B2B marketplaces are at the very beginning of their journey both in the US and globally. Fabrice highlights that the penetration of digital is very low in B2B and about how the entire supply chain needs to be digitized, including ERP integration, payments tracking, and how suppliers are involved. Grinda suggests that in some cases, the elasticity of supply and/or demand is such that a platform cannot have a take rate. Fabrice suggests that there are many tricks to making B2B marketplaces work, such as offering a free tool to the supply side or demand side to help them manage their business better. Also highlighted, that monetization of B2B marketplaces may not come from the transaction of the marketplace component. Instead, B2B marketplaces may monetize through SaaS or by offering ancillary services for insurance, factoring, or logistics. Fabrice gives an example of a hairdresser and barber shop marketplace that grew to a volume of billions of annual GMV and monetized by getting an extraordinary deal on payments and sharing part of that discount with the barber shops. #venturecapital #marketplaces #investorinsights —

In this interview, we speak with Rob Johnson, the President of the Institute for New Economic Thinking, about the state of the U.S. economy in 2023 and the recent closure of Silicon Valley Bank. Johnson shares his insights on a range of topics, including: - The overall health of the U.S. economy and its prospects for growth in the coming year - The impact of inflation on consumers and businesses, and whether it is likely to persist - The role of the Federal Reserve in shaping economic policy and its response to recent events - The closure of Silicon Valley Bank and what it says about the state of the tech industry and the broader economy Johnson brings a wealth of experience to these topics, having served as Chief Economist of the Senate Banking Committee and as a Managing Director at Soros Fund Management. He is a leading voice on economic policy and has been featured in numerous media outlets. #economy2023 #economicpolicy #techindustry — 📚 Grab a copy of the Amazon Best Seller Modern Monopolies: https://amzn.com/B017RC8CBC ❓ Are you part of a large enterprise interested in spinning out a platform business? Connect with us here: https://resources.applicoinc.com/wta-contact/ 🎧 Listen to an audio version of the WTA Podcast here: https://anchor.fm/winnertakeall At Applico, we identify untapped, intrinsic assets that give existing enterprises an enormous advantage to spin-out new tech companies. WisdomTree licensed Applico's Platform Insights Data Product to aid in the creation of the PLAT ETF.

In this interview, I sit down with Sultan Meghji, a seasoned entrepreneur and former Chief Innovation Officer at the FDIC. Sultan was the FDIC's first ever Chief Innovation Officer and ended up leaving the position and penning an op ed in Bloomberg titled: Why I Quit as FDIC Innovation Chief: Technophobia. I talk with Sultan about the blockers he ran into at the FDIC and what he witnessed as the agency continuously jury-rigged 20th-century rules to cover 21st-century technology. Get an inside look into Sultan's journey from his background in finance to his innovative work at the FDIC, and gain valuable insights into his thoughts on the future of innovation, crypto, and global leadership in the financial sector. Why I Quit as FDIC Innovation Chief: Technophobia: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-02-22/i-quit-as-fdic-innovation-chief-because-of-regulators-technophobia #FDIC #Fintech #innovation — 📚 Grab a copy of the Amazon Best Seller Modern Monopolies: https://amzn.com/B017RC8CBC

We open the show with a look at the ongoing turmoil around TikTok and parent company ByteDance. We look at what AI ChatGPT thinks of TikTok and at news that ByteDance is expanding into enterprise software offerings. Next, Twitter files have revealed that the Federal Government sent payments to Twitter. We look at the emerging evidence about these payments and ponder what Elon being Cheif Twit means for these arrangements. Also covered, the long term effects of the FEDs rate hikes and inflation now coming down, Amazon settling with the EU (sorta)", and an overview of how B2B distributors are looking at tech going into 2023. 00:00 - Follow Applico for the latest on platforms 00:38 - ChatGPT on TikTok 04:32 - ByteDance Expanding to Enterprise Software 05:46 - Why was Twitter paid by the Federal Government? 11:49 - Interest rates and inflation in 2023 19:23 - Amazon settles with the EU 29:08 - B2B Distribution Tech Survey #techpodcast #b2bbusiness #2023predictions —

I connect with Kristin Savilia to talk about JOOR, a platform that connects brands and retailers globally to deliver seamless digital wholesale management from connection to payment. Applico ranked JOOR #2 in our 2022 Top 50 B2B Marketplaces ranking. 00:00 - Follow Applico for the latest on platforms 00:20 - Joor in Applico's Top 50 B2B Marketplaces ranking 00:44 - Kristin Savilia background 01:31 - What does Joor do? 02:58 - Joor growth and GMV 04:19 - Joor's hybrid apporach to the fashion industry 06:33 - Brands and catagories on Joor 08:59 - Fashion is a relationship business 10:09 - Will Joor look to monetize building new connections/relationships for brands? 11:01 - Marketplace is only one segment of Joor's business 14:18 - The SaaS to marketplace trend 16:47 - Rollout of Joor Pay 20:36 - Joor's international geograpies 22:01 - Partnerships vs building tech yourself 25:01 -- Do retailers get product data from Joor? 26:26 - A one stop procurement solution for retailers, buyers and merchandisers 29:33 - Will Joor expand into other verticals like cosmetics and home? 31:50 - How Joor is approaching sustainability and supply chain vetting 35:39 - Kristin Savilia bullish on this kind of fashion marketplace 37:50 - Joor's focus and priorities for 2023 39:35 - Why DTC brands need to consider wholesale 41:01 - Closing remarks JOOR | The World's Premier Wholesale Management Platform - https://www.joor.com/ #Joor #fashion #wholesale —

It's a packed episode with analysis of Amazon's complaints about regulation in India, YCombinator changing up it's president to Garry Tan, and Home Depot moving into B2B. Also covered in this episode, Reid Hoffman sticks by the blitz scaling strategy, and what Zuckerberg said during his visit with highly scrutinized podcast kingpin Joe Rogan. 00:00 - Subscribe and fight big tech! 01:28 - Amazon vs India regulators 09:27 - YCombinator Exec Changes 15:39 - Home Depot and Lowe's target B2B revenue 24:40 - Was Blitz Scaling a good idea? 29:20 - Zuckerberg on Joe Rogan reactions #BlitzScale #ycombinator #podcasts

The episode kicks off with an in-depth look at Farfetch's deal to buy Yoox Net-a-porter from Richemont. The luxury fashion space is an especially interesting vertical for platform innovation and there's a lot of unpack and ideate on with this new deal. Next, news has come out that Chinese tech giant Tencent is divesting its assets under pressure of an economic downturn and aggressive tech regulation in China. We close the show with a laugh at GameStop's newly launched NFT marketplace. 00:00 - Subscribe and fight big tech! 00:44 - Farfetch YNAP Deal 20:27 - Tencent sells off investments 28:40 - Gamestop's NFT Marketplace Tencent divestment strategy sends chill through China’s tech sector: https://www.ft.com/content/24f7b605-3052-4476-ae2d-a2d0028e70a4 #businessnews #B2Bnews #platformbusiness —

The show opens looking at the Twitter leak from whistleblower Peiter “Mudge” Zatko. Next, eBay has purchased a trader card company called TGCplayer. Is this a good move for the struggling auction based eCommerce platform? Also covered, Penn National completing its acquisition of Barstool sports and DoorDash teaming up with Facebook to deliver marketplace items. 00:00 - Subscribe and fight big tech! 00:18 - Twitter Whistleblower 11:56 - eBay buys TCGplayer 23:50 - Penn National acquires Barstool Sports in full 31:58 - DoorDash and Facebook Marketplace team up #Platformbusiness #Podcast #startupinvesting —

Elon Musk has successfully completed his $44 billion deal to purchase Twitter. The newly self dubbed "Chief Twit" walked into Twitter offices carrying a sink. Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal and CFO Ned Segal have left the company after day one of Elon's takeover. Musk will take the company private and many reports indicate Twitter will see trimming of unnecessary staff members. The Tesla CEO marked the occasion by tweeting “the bird is freed". #elonmusknews #breakingnews #twitterdeal

We kick off the show with an update on Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter. Next, I document why I think manufacturers are making a big mistake around tech investments and why B2B distributors need to be weary. We close the episode with a look at two happenings out of China, a new article detailing how Chinese startups depend on U.S. market public offerings and what is going on with Bytedance founder Zhang Yiming. 00:00 - Subscribe and fight big tech 01:29 - Elon is Buying Twitter 16:29 - B2B Manufacturers grave mistake 32:03 - Chinese Startups Need U.S. IPOs 41:48 - Bytedance Founder Leaves China? #elonmusknews #b2bmarketplace #ipostocks —

It's a quick episode of the show covering two topics! First off, I look at the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, a bill that prohibits certain large online platforms from giving preference to their own products on the platform. I look at how this bill could benefit companies damaged by big tech's ongoing anti-competitive practices and, to be fair, also look at Amazon's literature on the subject. Next, I detail continued investments from Manufacturers into tech startups. I analyze some recent deals and question whether or not manufacturers may just be teeing up the B2B industry for a big tech takeover. #BigTech #Podcast #Anticompetitive

We kick off the show looking at a new leak showcasing Facebook's devious actions in Australia after Australia had passed a world-first law aimed at making Google and Facebook pay for news content on platforms. Also as a bonus, we have a laugh at Facebook's anti-facebook chat bot. Next, video platform Rumble is suing Google for suppressing search results and favoring YouTube. Also in this episode, continued volatility of tech and PE valuations and why startup debt deals may become more commonplace over the next few years. We end with a look at Flow, WeWork founder Adam Neumann's new venture backed by Andreessen Horowitz. #investingnews #startupinvesting #bigtech —

The episode starts with a look at tech companies big and small cutting back on workers and slowing hiring. Next, an in-depth look at grocery delivery analyzing what incumbent grocers are rolling out delivery tech and whether or not they're keeping up with disruptive startups in this space. Also in this episode, startup accelerator YCombinator pivots away from having larger class sizes and Google faces a new antitrust battle. The show closes looking at Butler Hospitality's sudden closure in what appears to be a catastrophic management failure. #podcast #MBA #bigtech —

Applico CEO Alex Moazed and Director Nick Johnson sit down with 3 time tech disruptor Mitch Lowe. Lowe is known for heading up MoviePassas CEO, being a founding executive at Netflix, and President of RedBox. Mitch has detailed his amazon journey from high school dropout to tech executive in his new book Watch and Learn: How I Turned Hollywood Upside Down with Netflix, Redbox, and MoviePass—Lessons in Disruption. We asked Mitch about the new relaunch of MoviePass, the role Web3 will play as media evolves, how he managed the enormous growth MoviePass experienced, what COVID would've done to the subscription service, and lessons learned from Netflix and from Reed Hastings. #moviepass #ceointerview #startupinvesting —

We start the show with a look at the bizarre narrative around inflation and why so many sources are trying to claim that a recession is not happening in the United States (and how big tech is helping spread this misinformation). Next, Amazon has made waves with its proposed acquisition of One Medical, a technology-powered national primary care organization. Also covered, how some big tech players have failed to innovate around health, Twitter's kerfuffle about user growth before the whole Elon Musk Saga, and a hindsight view at the tech valuation mania of the past few years. #podcast #startupinvesting #venturecapital —

The show opens with a look at LIV, a new professional golf tour funded by the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. LIV has quickly become a challenger to the PGA via a marquee strategy. I do some analysis on how sports leagues can be considered platforms and what strategies are being employed in this new battle for the top spot. Next, a look at how members of congress trade stocks and a bill that may put a stop to lucrative trading on insider information. We close out with a look at some updated analysis on Amazon's efforts in B2B markets. #AmazonB2B #StockTrading #Podcast —

To start the episode we take a look at a recent Financial Times story detailing how fake social media posts from Chinese misinformation groups attempted to derail a new rare earths mining operations in the U.S.. Next, Alex looks at TikTok's response to the BuzzFeed leaks and a report detailing how China is putting pressure on Elon Musk over Starlink internet being used in the Ukraine. The show concludes with a look at the U.S. potentially limiting tech investment into China. #podcast #businessnews #China