Creating Online Marketplaces

Nov 3, 2023

In this engaging discussion, Shirish Nadkarni, a serial entrepreneur with a rich background including co-founding Livemocha and roles at Microsoft, shares his insights on digital marketplaces. He recounts his experience in acquiring Hotmail and launching MSN, linking them to his entrepreneurial journey. Shirish highlights the evolution of online platforms from eBay to Uber, and the critical need for fair competition against monopolies. He emphasizes the importance of understanding consumer pain points and building trust to foster successful products in the marketplace.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

From Passion to Innovation: A Journey Through Technology and Entrepreneurship

01:58 • 3min

Navigating the Digital Marketplace Evolution

05:11 • 24min

Understanding Consumer Pain Points for Successful Product Development

28:45 • 2min

Understanding Product-Market Fit Through Retention Metrics

30:22 • 2min

Navigating Product Management and Trust in Marketplaces

32:08 • 8min

In this episode, Kyle interviews Shirish Nadkarni, a serial entrepreneur and author. We talk about his early experience as a product manager at Microsoft, and his work on the acquisition of Hotmail, which inspired him to eventually start his own company. We discuss the companies Shirish founded, Livemocha and TeamOn Systems, and the lessons he learned from each of those.

We also discuss his latest book, Winner Takes All, and the history of digital marketplaces as well as what we can learn from the largest marketplaces in the world. And how to compete against monopolies and regulate monopolies like TicketMaster and Amazon. You won’t want to miss this amazing discussion.

Shirish Nadkarni

Shirish Nadkarni is a serial entrepreneur with proven success in creating multiple consumer businesses that have scaled to tens of millions of users worldwide. Shirish was the co-founder of Livemocha, the world’s largest language learning site with 15+ million registered members from over 200 countries. Livemocha was acquired by RosettaStone in 2013. Prior to Livemocha, Shirish was the founder of TeamOn Systems, a mobile wireless email pioneer that was acquired by BlackBerry in 2002. The TeamOn technology served as the core foundation for Blackberry Internet E-mail which serviced over 50 million BlackBerry users. Shirish started his career at Microsoft where engineered the acquisition of Hotmail and launched MSN.Com which became a leading web portal in the early days of the internet.

Shirish received his MBA from Harvard Business School and a BSE in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. He serves on the board of TiE Seattle where he chairs a number of programs including the GoVertical Startup Creation Workshop, the TiE Entrepreneur Institute and the Z5 Catalyst funding initiative.

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: Shirish Nadkarni
Book: Winner Takes All: How Online Marketplaces Are Creating Modern Monopolies

Links: ShirishNadkarni.com

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