Executive Summary: trivago is a hotel booking platform that gathers and displays listings from over 100+ travel-related websites across the web. Users can browse a selection of over 2.5 million hotels and make a booking on trivago’s partner site (including platforms such as AirBnB or Booking.com). The business model of trivago is based on a Cost-Per-Click (CPC) model. The company, therefore, makes money whenever a user clicks on one of its listings. Another source of…

Executive Summary: Instacart is a delivery platform that partners with so-called shoppers to deliver groceries within hours of an order. The company partners with over 30 retailers across the United States and Canada. The business model of Instacart is based on charging a delivery and service fee for every order made on its platform. The company furthermore makes money from receiving a share of the order volume, a subscription service (called Instacart Express), as well…

Executive Summary: Opendoor is a real estate platform that buys, sells, and trades homes online. The company utilizes artificial intelligence and other technological aids (such as an app) to speed up and improve its operations. The business model of Opendoor is based on selling the houses it buys up for a profit. The company furthermore makes money through a sales fee (paid by the home seller) as well as interest on mortgage loans. Founded in…

Eventbrite is an online event management and ticketing platform, which allows almost anyone to create, promote, and host events. These events are either hosted on-site or online and span across hundreds of categories, including music festivals, yoga classes, and many more. The business model of Eventbrite is based on charging transaction fees (paid either by customers or organizers) for every ticket sold. The company furthermore makes money from renting out physical equipment (e.g. scanning devices)…

Executive Summary: Stitch Fix is an online personal styling service that uses a combination of technology and human input to come up with styling suggestions. These styles, called Fix, are then shipped to the customer. Suggestions are based on the customer’s body type, gender, preferences, and past purchasing behavior. The business model of Stitch Fix is based on selling the clothes. The company offers over 1,000 brands as well as their own white-label clothing (called…

Executive Summary: HelloFresh is an online food delivery company that creates and ships meal kits for groups of two and four. Customers can choose from a variety of plans, including vegetarian, family-friendly, or low-calorie meals. The business model of HelloFresh is based on charging customers a subscription fee. The price paid is dependent upon the frequency of food ordered (two to four times per week) as well as the number of people it’s ordered for…

Executive Summary: Etsy is an online marketplace that offers handmade, vintage, or craft items from sellers around the world. Items are sold in categories such as Clothing & Shoes, Home & Living, and many more. The business model of Etsy is based on charging sellers a fee for listing products and whenever a successful sale is made. Additional sources of income include a website builder tool, Etsy Plus, product advertising, and payment processing. Founded in…

Executive Summary: Carvana is an online platform that buys and sells used cars. The whole buying experience takes place online, and consumers got the choice to have their cars delivered to their homes or pick them up at one of the company’s famous car vending machines. The business model of Carvana is based on selling the cars it buys up at a higher rate than they were purchased for. Additionally, the company makes money by…

Executive Summary: Medium is an online publishing service that lets both amateurs, as well as professional writers, publish content. The company acts as the underlying platform by providing all the necessary tools to create content. The business model of Medium is based on charging customers a subscription fee. The company makes money either through a $5/month or $50/year subscription fee. Parts of the subscription revenue is then shared with the content creators. Founded in 2012…

Executive Summary: Twitch is an online video streaming platform that allows creators to share audiovisual content. The platform’s primary focus is on live streaming video gameplay. Other categories include music, art, live cooking, or channels for simply chatting. The business model of Twitch is based on a variety of income streams. The company makes money by charging users a monthly subscription fee, offering their own digital currency, running video ads, as well as selling merchandise.…