Winner Take All

In this interview, we sit down with Tyler Ellison, the founder of ChemDirect, a leading B2B marketplace connecting buyers and suppliers in the chemical industry. Tyler shares his insights on how logistics and supply chain services have been a key driver for ChemDirect. He also discusses the unique characteristic of having users who are both buyers and sellers on the same B2B platform. This interview provides a fascinating look into the world of B2B marketplaces and the challenges and opportunities that come with connecting buyers and suppliers in a highly specialized industry.

#chemical #supplychain #founderstories —

Alex Moazed speaks with Bar Geron, founder of Balance, a fintech company that focuses on digitizing B2B e-commerce payments by developing one-click checkout payment tools.

Balance was co-founded by Bar Geron and Yoni Shuster, who were former employees of PayPal, the company helps B2B e-commerce merchants and marketplaces to get paid instantly, process any payment method, and offer flexible terms. Balance has raised $87 million in total funding, including a recent $56 million Series B funding round led by Forerunner. The company works with hundreds of merchants and dozens of B2B marketplaces, targeting legacy industries not as digitally savvy in payments, including lumber, chemicals, steel, retail, and food. The checkout space is reflective of a new stage of the economy, where Balance is taking the next step in eCommerce for the entire supply chain, offering self-serve transactions in ways that were only previously available in B2C channels.

#fintech #b2b #startupfounders

In this interview, I speak with Fabrice Grinda, a founder of FJ Labs. With over a thousand unique investments made across different life cycles of FJ funds, Fabrice shares his Marketplace-centric approach to investing, and the importance of investing in extraordinary people who are trying to solve the world's problems. Fabrice also talks about his accidental transition from being a tech founder and CEO to becoming a VC and why he chooses to invest in network effect businesses and marketplaces. Throughout the interview, Fabrice discuss various topics related to investing in marketplaces, including investing in marketplaces all over the spectrum from B2C to B2B, both product and service-oriented platforms. This interview is packed with valuable insights for anyone interested in the world of marketplaces and VC investing!

Fabrice talks about how he believes B2B marketplaces are at the very beginning of their journey both in the US and globally. Fabrice highlights that the penetration of digital is very low in B2B and about how the entire supply chain needs to be digitized, including ERP integration, payments tracking, and how suppliers are involved. Grinda suggests that in some cases, the elasticity of supply and/or demand is such that a platform cannot have a take rate.

Fabrice suggests that there are many tricks to making B2B marketplaces work, such as offering a free tool to the supply side or demand side to help them manage their business better. Also highlighted, that monetization of B2B marketplaces may not come from the transaction of the marketplace component. Instead, B2B marketplaces may monetize through SaaS or by offering ancillary services for insurance, factoring, or logistics. Fabrice gives an example of a hairdresser and barber shop marketplace that grew to a volume of billions of annual GMV and monetized by getting an extraordinary deal on payments and sharing part of that discount with the barber shops.

#venturecapital #marketplaces #investorinsights

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In this interview, we speak with Rob Johnson, the President of the Institute for New Economic Thinking, about the state of the U.S. economy in 2023 and the recent closure of Silicon Valley Bank. Johnson shares his insights on a range of topics, including:

- The overall health of the U.S. economy and its prospects for growth in the coming year

- The impact of inflation on consumers and businesses, and whether it is likely to persist

- The role of the Federal Reserve in shaping economic policy and its response to recent events

- The closure of Silicon Valley Bank and what it says about the state of the tech industry and the broader economy

Johnson brings a wealth of experience to these topics, having served as Chief Economist of the Senate Banking Committee and as a Managing Director at Soros Fund Management. He is a leading voice on economic policy and has been featured in numerous media outlets.

#economy2023 #economicpolicy #techindustry

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At Applico, we identify untapped, intrinsic assets that give existing enterprises an enormous advantage to spin-out new tech companies. WisdomTree licensed Applico's Platform Insights Data Product to aid in the creation of the PLAT ETF.

In this interview, I sit down with Sultan Meghji, a seasoned  entrepreneur and former Chief Innovation Officer at the FDIC. Sultan was  the FDIC's first ever Chief Innovation Officer and ended up leaving the  position and penning an op ed in Bloomberg titled: Why I Quit as FDIC  Innovation Chief: Technophobia. I talk with Sultan about the blockers he  ran into at the FDIC and what he witnessed as the agency continuously  jury-rigged 20th-century rules to cover 21st-century technology.   Get an inside look into Sultan's journey from his background in finance  to his innovative work at the FDIC, and gain valuable insights into his  thoughts on the future of innovation, crypto, and global leadership in  the financial sector.  

Why I Quit as FDIC Innovation Chief: Technophobia: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-02-22/i-quit-as-fdic-innovation-chief-because-of-regulators-technophobia  

#FDIC #Fintech #innovation  —  

📚 Grab a copy of the Amazon Best Seller Modern Monopolies: https://amzn.com/B017RC8CBC  

We open the show with a look at the ongoing turmoil around TikTok and parent company ByteDance. We look at what AI ChatGPT thinks of TikTok and at news that ByteDance is expanding into enterprise software offerings. Next, Twitter files have revealed that the Federal Government sent payments to Twitter. We look at the emerging evidence about these payments and ponder what Elon being Cheif Twit means for these arrangements. Also covered, the long term effects of the FEDs rate hikes and inflation now coming down, Amazon settling with the EU (sorta)", and an overview of how B2B distributors are looking at tech going into 2023.

00:00 - Follow Applico for the latest on platforms

00:38 - ChatGPT on TikTok

04:32 - ByteDance Expanding to Enterprise Software

05:46 - Why was Twitter paid by the Federal Government?

11:49 - Interest rates and inflation in 2023

19:23 - Amazon settles with the EU

29:08 - B2B Distribution Tech Survey

#techpodcast #b2bbusiness #2023predictions 

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The episode kicks off with an in-depth look at Farfetch's deal to buy  Yoox Net-a-porter from Richemont. The luxury fashion space is an  especially interesting vertical for platform innovation and there's a  lot of unpack and ideate on with this new deal. Next, news has come out  that Chinese tech giant Tencent is divesting its assets under pressure  of an economic downturn and aggressive tech regulation in China. We  close the show with a laugh at GameStop's newly launched NFT  marketplace.  

00:00 - Subscribe and fight big tech!
00:44 - Farfetch YNAP Deal
20:27 - Tencent sells off investments
28:40 - Gamestop's NFT Marketplace  

Tencent divestment strategy sends chill through China’s tech sector: https://www.ft.com/content/24f7b605-3052-4476-ae2d-a2d0028e70a4  

#businessnews #B2Bnews #platformbusiness  —

Elon Musk has successfully completed his $44 billion deal to purchase  Twitter. The newly self dubbed "Chief Twit" walked into Twitter offices  carrying a sink. Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal and CFO Ned Segal have left  the company after day one of Elon's takeover. Musk will take the company  private and many reports indicate Twitter will see trimming of  unnecessary staff members. The Tesla CEO marked the occasion by tweeting  “the bird is freed".  

#elonmusknews #breakingnews #twitterdeal  

We kick off the show with an update on Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter.  Next, I document why I think manufacturers are making a big mistake  around tech investments and why B2B distributors need to be weary. We  close the episode with a look at two happenings out of China, a new  article detailing how Chinese startups depend on U.S. market public  offerings and what is going on with  Bytedance founder Zhang Yiming.  

00:00 - Subscribe and fight big tech
01:29 - Elon is Buying Twitter
16:29 - B2B Manufacturers grave mistake
32:03 - Chinese Startups Need U.S. IPOs
41:48 - Bytedance Founder Leaves China?  

#elonmusknews #b2bmarketplace #ipostocks  

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It's a quick episode of the show covering two topics! First off, I look  at the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, a bill that prohibits  certain large online platforms from giving preference to their own  products on the platform. I look at how this bill could benefit  companies damaged by big tech's ongoing anti-competitive practices and,  to be fair, also look at Amazon's literature on the subject. Next, I  detail continued investments from Manufacturers into tech startups. I  analyze some recent deals and question whether or not manufacturers may  just be teeing up the B2B industry for a big tech takeover.  

#BigTech #Podcast #Anticompetitive

We kick off the show looking at a new leak showcasing Facebook's devious  actions in Australia after Australia had passed a world-first law aimed  at making Google and Facebook pay for news content on platforms. Also  as a bonus, we have a laugh at Facebook's anti-facebook chat bot. Next,  video platform Rumble is suing Google for suppressing search results and  favoring YouTube. Also in this episode, continued volatility of tech  and PE valuations and why startup debt deals may become more commonplace  over the next few years. We end with a look at Flow, WeWork founder  Adam Neumann's new venture backed by Andreessen Horowitz.  

#investingnews #startupinvesting #bigtech  —

The episode starts with a look at tech companies big and small cutting  back on workers and slowing hiring. Next, an in-depth look at grocery  delivery analyzing what incumbent grocers are rolling out delivery tech  and whether or not they're keeping up with disruptive startups in this  space. Also in this episode, startup accelerator YCombinator pivots away  from having larger class sizes and Google faces a new antitrust battle.  The show closes looking at Butler Hospitality's sudden closure in what  appears to be a catastrophic management failure.  

#podcast #MBA #bigtech  —

Applico CEO Alex Moazed and Director Nick Johnson sit down with 3 time  tech disruptor Mitch Lowe. Lowe is known for heading up MoviePassas CEO,  being a founding executive at Netflix, and President of RedBox. Mitch  has detailed his amazon journey from high school dropout to tech  executive in his new book Watch and Learn: How I Turned Hollywood Upside  Down with Netflix, Redbox, and MoviePass—Lessons in Disruption.  We asked Mitch about the new relaunch of MoviePass, the role Web3 will  play as media evolves, how he managed the enormous growth MoviePass  experienced, what COVID would've done to the subscription service, and  lessons learned from Netflix and from Reed Hastings.  

#moviepass #ceointerview #startupinvesting  —

We start the show with a look at the bizarre narrative around inflation  and why so many sources are trying to claim that a recession is not  happening in the United States (and how big tech is helping spread this  misinformation). Next, Amazon has made waves with its proposed  acquisition of One Medical,  a technology-powered national primary care  organization. Also covered, how some big tech players have failed to  innovate around health, Twitter's kerfuffle about user growth before the  whole Elon Musk Saga, and a hindsight view at the tech valuation mania  of the past few years.  

#podcast #startupinvesting #venturecapital  —

The show opens with a look at LIV, a new professional golf tour funded  by the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. LIV has quickly become a  challenger to the PGA via a marquee strategy. I do some analysis on how  sports leagues can be considered platforms and what strategies are being  employed in this new battle for the top spot. Next, a look at how  members of congress trade stocks and a bill that may put a stop to  lucrative trading on insider information. We close out with a look at  some updated analysis on Amazon's efforts in B2B markets.  

#AmazonB2B #StockTrading #Podcast —

To start the episode we take a look at a recent Financial Times story  detailing how fake social media posts from Chinese misinformation groups  attempted to derail a new rare earths mining operations in the U.S..  Next, Alex looks at TikTok's response to the BuzzFeed leaks and a report  detailing how China is putting pressure on Elon Musk over Starlink  internet being used in the Ukraine. The show concludes with a look at  the U.S. potentially limiting tech investment into China.  

#podcast #businessnews #China

The episode kicks off with a look at inflation and some real estate data  that may hint as to whether or not the FED's rate hikes are working  effectively. Next, we take a look at Elon Musk announcing that he is  backing out of the Twitter deal and I discuss if I think this  transaction will ever actually happen. Also covered, Amazon striking a  deal with Grubhub that could net the eCommerce giant a 15% stake in the  delivery platform and a look at the livestream shopping landscape in the  West. The show ends with discussion on Thrasio, an Amazon seller  aggregation business that is struggling with the current economic slowdown.   

Originally Aired: 07/15/22 

#Amazon #Podcast #Inflation —

It's the first official day of the recession in the U.S. and we kick off  the episode looking at what this means and why the media doesn't seem  to be paying attention. Next, in a move predicted on WTA pre pandemic,  Pinterest has finally made a change at CEO. Will new CEO Bill Ready be  able to finally tackle commerce on the platform? Also covered, venture  capital firms hurting as startup valuations continue to drop and Netflix  announcing they will offer an advertisement supported subscription  tier. We close out the show looking at news that TikTok's U.S. user data  is being accessed from China, something the platform had claimed was  not happening.  

#Podcast #NetflixAds #businessnews