Digitizing Traditional Industries

B2B marketplaces - the final frontier of digitization

tekst

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Opportunities

• Vertical B2B marketplaces: given how specialized and complex most traditional industries are, the most interesting opportunity for digitizing traditional industries is through vertical marketplaces. In order to be successful as a platform, you will likely need to tailor your solution very specifically to the challenges in the industry you are targeting. Many of the B2B sectors are deceptively large, and virtually any industry that is large, fragmented and predominantly offline, is ready to be disrupted by a vertical marketplace.

• Embedded Fintech: in an industry driven by offline transactions based on trusted relationships, the risk for disintermediation is  large and the opportunity to monetize existing partnerships is limited. One way to overcome both of these problems is by offering each side of the marketplace various fintech solutions to smooth the transaction process and reduce friction. Examples here are inventory financing solutions and insurances and I see more and more B2B marketplaces moving into that direction. It helps to lock in customers to your platform, unlock transactions that would otherwise have not happened and allows for better monetization of the transaction volume.

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Selected Investments

• Timberhub: as the name suggest, Timberhub is a marketplace for procuring timber. More specifically, the platform connects saw mills with manufacturers and contractors that are looking for sawn timber. Timberhub facilitates the transaction by taking care of payments, logistics and digital documentation. The company is backed by Creandum, HV Capital and Speedinvest.

• byrd: a major struggle for all ecommerce companies is managing fulfillment. byrd provides an all-in-one fullfilment solution, directly connecting e-commerce stores to a network of warehouse and logistics providers that will handle the storing, picking, packing and shipping of goods. Major investors in byrd are Cambridge Capital, Mouro Capital and Speedinvest.

• Schuttflix: construction sites require timely delivery of all kinds of construction materials in order to have an efficient construction process. Through Schuttflix, construction companies can easily procure all kinds of bulk materials while digitizing the transaction all along the way. Molten Ventures, HV Capital and Speedinvest are leading investors in the company.

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