Marketplaces (e.g Etsy, Airbnb, Uber) are the platforms (middlemen) that connect buyers and sellers. On Mar. 22, venture capital firm, a16z, released their annual list of the largest 100 consumer marketplace companies.
While most companies on this list are privately traded, the list gives a peek at emerging trends — and also companies that could go public in the coming year.
You know the old saying – if at first, you lose forty billion dollars, try, try again.
Two years after its epic IPO failure, WeWork is again planning to go public – this time, via SPAC, BowX Acquisition Corp. ($BOWX) at a valuation of $9b.
First there was Carvana ($CVNA) disrupting how consumers purchased used cars (known for its car vending machines).
Now there’s ACV Auctions — an online wholesale marketplace disrupting how dealerships purchase used cars to resell — which went public on Mar. 24.
In 2019, Popeyes’ chicken sandwich took the world by storm — going viral and leaving customers wanting more, so much that Quavo tried selling second-hand sandwiches for $1k each.
Restaurant Brands International ($QSR), the owner of Popeyes, Burger King and Tim Hortons, is now looking to take that success internationally.
NFT’s are digital assets that can be used to represent unique ownership of digital files (i.e. digital art, video files, items in games, etc.).
By being hosted on the Blockchain, no one else can change the identity/record of ownership. One of the first NFT uses was CryptoKitties — a blockchain-based platform launched in 2017 to trade virtual kittens.
When it rains, it pours – and China’s biggest tech companies are in the middle of a hurricane.
On Mar. 12, China’s antitrust regulator followed through on its threats to rein in the internet economy by fining 12 companies, including Tencent ($TCEHY) and Baidu ($BIDU), over past acquisitions and investments.