Shifting Gears: Get Ready for the Marketplace Conference of the Year!
Hot off the presses, this is the 43rd edition of The Marketplace Snippet curated by Irene, Mathias and Jeroen on behalf of the Speedinvest Marketplaces & Consumer team đ„
In this edition:
- Our first 10 MPC speakers and a special discount code for our beloved snippet subscribers
- AI, AI, AI everywhere - The impact of Network Effects on Generative AI & the deck that raised a âŹ100m+ AI âseedâ round
- VC 1o1: Balancing valuation and ownership for VCs
- Fundraising in todayâs tough market  and the secondaries rush
More on these topics and additional thought-provoking discussions below.
If youâve missed past newsletters or simply canât get enough, catch up on recent editions here.
Road to The Marketplace Conference: First Speakers Announced!
Only two months to go until our highly anticipated Marketplace Conference, and we couldn't be more thrilled to share some exciting news with you. With our theme, "Shifting Gears: Navigating Change in the Marketplace Landscape," we are curating an exceptional lineup of 30+ industry experts and thought leaders who will take the stage to share their insights and experiences.
Today, we are delighted to announce the first 10 speakers who will be joining us at the conference, so check out our Speaker's page. Drawing from their rich operational and investment backgrounds, they will take a deep dive into the intricacies of marketplaces and more.
If you havenât attended our previous events and would like to get a better impression of what The Marketplace Conference has in store for you, take a moment to indulge in the highlights of last yearâs edition, where we welcomed more than 450 attendees for one day filled with insightful talks and networking about all things marketplaces and network effects. Whether itâs your first time or youâre a repeat visitor, we look forward to having you there!
If youâre already hyped enough and you donât want to miss out on this yearâs event, tickets are on sale and selling fast! Make sure to save your spot for the leading event for marketplace founders, funders and aficionados. Donât forget to use our exclusive 15% discount for snippet subscribers by adding SNIPPETREADERS_at_MPC_23 at checkout! đ„
Insights From Marketplace Operators
Itâs all about AI:
- Peter Yang, Product Lead at Roblox, shares the 5 main questions he advises founders to ask themselves to understand if their gen AI product will be successful and which red flags to beware of.
- What about Network Effects? They have always taken a crucial role in dictating the success of technologies in the past - and AI is no exception. Dinkar Jain, former Head of AI for Ads at Meta and Sheen Levine, Behavioral Researcher at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia, deep dive into data network effects, how they work and the implications that companies should consider.
Marketplaces, Pricing and Transaction Costs
Dan Hockenmaier, Head of Strategy and Analytics at Faire, analyzes how to leverage transaction costs to identify vertical disruption opportunities, evaluate TAM and correctly address pricing for your marketplace.
Movie Night but Make it Startup
If you fancy a video, watch this episode of Founders Feature featuring Mike Evans, Co-Founder of GrubHub, sharing his journey of building a billion dollar food delivery platform.
The $105M Seed Deck
Not marketplace-y but still worth a look as AI is all the rage right now: Check out the deck that Paris-based Mistral used to convince investors that they were worth a $105M âSeedâ bet in the AI space - four weeks after launch and with no product.
Insights From Marketplace Investors
Gatekeepers of the New World
Benedict Evans, independent analyst and former Partner at a16z, shares his popular annual analysis of the macro environment and strategic trends in the tech world, from the end of free money, to the new gatekeepers and the hype of generative AI. A must read for everyone in tech.
Launching a Marketplace Business: Where to Start?
Our own Marc MĂŒhling shares insights from marketplaces professionals (Accel, NFX, Eurazeo, EQT Growth, Vinted, and Timberhub) and summarizes the 7 picks to kickstart your marketplace business.
The âValuation Questionâ and How it Matters
Venture Capitalists from NEA, AngeList, Homebrew and more discuss their approach on balancing ownership and valuation in negotiation talks, understanding the impact of such a choice and keeping discipline in an unstable environment.
Weâre Up for a Secondaries Summer
Rebecca Szkutak, Senior Writer at TechCrunch, takes us through an analysis of the current market for secondaries and makes some predictions on investor appetite over the summer break, with the search for liquidity starting with Tiger Global opening up their entire portfolio to individual bids.
Fundraising Now? Hereâs What to Advertise
10 VCs share their insights on fundraising in the current environment and present a summary of what they are currently most looking for in a startup and a founding team, how they prefer to be approached and more.
News From Our Portfolio
Congrats to Smiler for their Series A round
We are excited to keep backing the Smiler team in their recent âŹ7.9M Series A round led by Octopus Ventures, powering their mission of facilitating access to professional photography around the world.
Jumba gets backing from the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund
We are proud to see our Kenyan-based portfolio company Jumba being backed by Google as part of their 2023 Black Founders Fund Cohort in Africa and are excited to keep backing this great team for whatâs to come!
Not Just Greenwashing: LiefergrĂŒnâs Emissions Report
At Speedinvest weâre serious about our climate and we only invest in true game changers. Weâre very proud to see the results published by our portfolio company LiefergrĂŒn, active in sustainable deliveries, on their emissions and carbon footprint, leading the way to a greener future!
Supply Chain & Collaboration - A Chat with Neeral Shah from our portfolio company Yardlink
Neeral Shah, Founder & CEO of our own portfolio company YardLink, shares his insights about the benefits of collaboration in the supply chain, as well as about how YardLink is evolving their equality, diversity and inclusion principles.
New Investments in Marketplaces Around the Globe
FoodTech, EdTech, HealthTech, Sustainability and much moreâŠ
With 26 deals announced, including one of our own at Speedinvest, June 2023 marketplace deal activity is showing early signs of recovery  compared to the previous months.
Join Us!
We are always on the lookout for top-tier talent! Have a look at our open positions at Speedinvest and across our portfolio.
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