Marketplace Strategy
Why Vertical Marketplaces Keep Winning (And What Founders Miss)
A growing number of niche marketplaces are outperforming horizontal platforms. The reason is not what most founders think.
·5 min read
Solving the chicken-and-egg problem at launch.
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A growing number of niche marketplaces are outperforming horizontal platforms. The reason is not what most founders think.
The founder of Chowbus started by convincing one restaurant owner with a handmade order operation. Today half their restaurant partners are exclusive. The strategy was never about scale — it was about depth.
Many early-stage marketplaces fail to reach meaningful traction despite having both supply and demand. Liquidity — not user count — is the real problem.