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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 | Dartmouth MEM | MIT IDE | Thinkers 50 | WEF | Platform Strategy Institute
I am a professor of engineering in the Thayer School at Dartmouth College where I also serve as Director of the Master of Engineering Management Program. In addition, I am a visiting scholar and research fellow at the MIT Sloan School’s Initiative for the Digital Economy where I lead platform industry research studies and co-chair the annual MIT Platform Strategy Summit. I work to understand the economics and strategy of network “platform” industries. I co-developed the theory of “two sided networks” which provides a mechanism to explain pricing in network markets. I work with numerous organizations to help them understand and craft their platform strategies. WW Norton published our book “Platform Revolution” in 2016 – this is our attempt to make the research accessible to a wide audience. It’s now in 10 languages and we’re gratified to hear that people are using it to help inform their platform strategies.

Leonardo Serra

Capgemini Invent and 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. He holds a master’s degree in Information Systems from the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

Dr. Leonardo Weiss Ferreira Chaves

Global Head of Intelligent Products & Services, Capgemini Invent
Leonardo is a Vice President at Capgemini Invent, leading the global activities around Intelligent Products and Services. His focus lies in helping companies to transform traditional products and services into green, intelligent ones to create new services and business models. He supports his clients from strategy, through product design, and into implementation, unlocking top line growth and process efficiency.

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