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Business operations

B2B companies navigate platforms and portals

Standing at the crossroads

There are many differences between B2B and B2C platforms. Can the former ever be as successful as the latter? If so, what are some of the obstacles business models and strategies must overcome?

These are just a few of the issues we explore in the latest episode of the Future Sight podcast.

Geoffrey Parker, Leonardo Serra, and Leonardo Weiss join host Liz Lugnier to discuss key considerations for the four main types of B2B platforms: IP&S, IoT, Data Aggregation and Collaboration, and Marketplace. They tackle the difficulty of identifying a sound platform strategy, examine Platform Natives and Product to Platform models, and list several common pitfalls.

With platforms like Facebook, Uber, and Airbnb rising to global proportions, we are all familiar with B2C success. Yet, B2B platforms have struggled. There is no reason they cannot reach the same heights. They just need to adopt the right approach. The research and work done by today’s guests are aimed at helping them do just that.

Download or listen now for the low down on the rise of B2B platforms!

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About the Speakers

Geoffrey Parker

Professor of Engineering Innovation, Dartmouth College, Research Fellow at MIT Sloan School’s Initiative for the Digital Economy
Geoff is the Charles E. Hutchinson ‘68A Professor of Engineering Innovation at Dartmouth College, where he also serves as Director of the Master of Engineering Management Program. In addition, he is a visiting scholar and research fellow at the MIT Sloan School’s Initiative for the Digital Economy, where he leads platform industry research studies and co-chairs the annual MIT Platform Strategy Summit. His ambition is to understand the economics and strategy of network “platform” industries.
Leonardo Serra

Leonardo Serra

Manager, Capgemini Invent, Visiting Scientist at MIT Sloan School
Leonardo is a Senior Consultant at Capgemini Invent focusing on platform economics and digital services. He worked on helping companies ramp-up digital projects, adopt digital technologies and implement platform strategies and new digital services. He’s passionate about new technologies, their implementation into our everyday lives and synergies between big companies and smaller innovative providers. He is currently a visiting scientist at MIT Sloan School of Management and conducting the research on B2B platforms and their road to success.

Dr. Leonardo Weiss Ferreira Chaves