Recording of the Everything Marketplaces Group Chat #213 (6/2) with Andrew Blachman, who’s a Partner at Marketplace Capital. Marketplace Capital is an early-stage venture fund that's backed 30+ marketplaces, including Solace, PalmStreet, TeachMe.To, Berry Street, and more.

‍0:04 Intro
‍1:02 Andrew's background
‍2:29 Andrew's marketplace operator learnings
‍6:07 An overview of Marketplace Capital as a venture fund
‍8:42 How AI is impacting marketplaces
‍11:24 The importance of the "why now"
‍16:01 The role product plays for marketplaces
‍18:31 Defensibility in the age of AI
‍22:09 The current state of fundraising
‍23:59 Tips for early-stage founders
‍27:14 Having a lead investor when fundraising
‍29:02 Group Q&A on common mistakes founders make when building ticketing & events marketplaces
‍32:07 Group Q&A on initial focus when starting a marketplace
‍36:02 Group Q&A on technical abilities in the age of AI
‍37:41 Group Q&A on narratives when pitching
‍39:25 Group Q&A on location
‍40:48 Parting marketplace advice
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Andrew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajblachman
Marketplace Capital: https://www.obsessedwithmarketplaces.com
Mike (Yoroomie) on Twitter/X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.x.com/yoroomie⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Mike (Yoroomie) on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoroomie
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You can also find this group chat in audio format as an episode on our Everything Marketplaces podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also connect with marketplace founders & leaders from our group chats in the Everything Marketplaces community.