Requests For Startups: Marketplaces with Jonathan Swanson and John Kobs

Today’s episode of Request for Startups features

* Jonathan Swanson: Founder and Chairman of Thumbtack and Athena. @swaaanson on X

* John Kobs: Founder and CEO of Giant and Apartment List. @JohnKobs on X

* Erik Torenberg: Investor, Founder of Turpentine. @eriktorenberg on X

In this Request for Startups throwback, Jonathan Swanson, founder of Thumbtack and Athena, with John Kobs, founder and CEO of Giant and Apartment List, joined Erik Torenberg to talk about their lessons from running their respective companies about what makes a good marketplace, and how prospective founders can find opportunities in the space. They also explore new opportunities for creating marketplaces from untapped market potential and integrating technology like VR and decentralized systems.

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(01:05) Thumbtack's origin

(03:52) John’s vision on ApartmentList

(05:49) Evolution of marketplaces

(09:38) Challenges and opportunities in marketplaces

(15:01) Sponsor: Brave

(16:47) Difficulties in developing marketplaces for other industries

(17:40) Building liquidity and overcoming challenges

(25:30) Future of marketplaces and new opportunities

(32:32) Concept of marketplaces for new behaviors

(34:29) Jonathan’s request for startups

(38:47) Wrap