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Matchmakers cover

Matchmakers

The New Economics of Multisided Platforms

The economics of platforms that serve two sides at once.

by David S. Evans and Richard Schmalensee

Two pioneering economists explain how multisided platforms create value by bringing together distinct groups, such as buyers and sellers or riders and drivers. They examine pricing, the chicken-and-egg launch problem, and what makes some platforms thrive while others fail. The book blends economic theory with real company examples.

Founders building marketplaces get a rigorous grounding in why platforms price one side below cost and how to ignite both sides at once. It explains the hardest problem in platforms, the cold start, from an economist's view. The frameworks help founders reason about platform pricing and growth.

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