Jeff Lawson took Twilio from an idea that no one had a name for to an IPO and now a $63bn market cap company. Here he discusses how he validated the idea and the counterintuitive strategies that made Twilio outstanding.
Thanks to a new SEC regulation, Gumroad, a startup that helps creators sell their work, is raising $5m of a $6m round at a $100m valuation through equity crowdfunding. The new rules give founders greater access to capital while opening the doors to non-accredited investors.
Great report by the team at Shopify, summarizing the magnitude of e-commerce marketplaces, which account for half of all global e-commerce sales. The report outlines several key recommendations for brands as they explore their marketplace strategy.
The trend of embedded finance is giving rise to a new wave of embedded procurement. This will allow businesses to buy the things they need through vertical B2B apps rather than through sales reps, distributors or individual merchant’s websites.
a16z updated its yearly ranking of the largest and fastest-growing consumer-facing marketplace startups and private companies from food delivery to outdoor travel. Despite a difficult year, many marketplaces proved to be extraordinarily resilient - a testament to the flexibility of the model.
GoStudent, our Austrian portfolio company that connects students with tutors, has raised a €70m Series B. The round was led by Coatue with participation from all major existing investors.
Our portfolio company Packhelp, which enables brands to create custom-branded packaging, has published a comprehensive guide to building a more sustainable business. It’s free to download - get your copy here.
March was a busy month for marketplaces, with lots of new funding & IPO announcements, particularly in the grocery delivery and tutoring segments. Here is a selection of the ones we found interesting…
Our portfolio companies are always hiring exceptional talent! If you or someone you know would love to work in a fast-paced marketplace startup, check out the open jobs at our startups here.
We hope you enjoyed this issue, brought to you by Alexandra on behalf of the Speedinvest Network Effects team ✌️
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The Speedinvest Network Effects team invests in SaaS-enabled platforms and marketplaces and other Network Effects-driven businesses where the value of a product increases with every new user. Enabled by new technologies in areas we cannot even imagine today, the team believes these are the businesses that will continue to revolutionize the world.