Unlocking the potential of multisided platforms in their growth stages: real-life validated methods for business model definition

Multi-sided platforms (MSPs) have become prominent in the last years as disrupting models of the traditional business-to-business and business-to-customer value chains, raising interest in scholarly literature due to their high adaptability and cost-saving orientation. Even if the idea behind MSPs' business model appears very simple, their conception and scalability across the market have proved challenging over the years, often due to existing constraints that the current methodologies do not tackle. How can existing businesses pivot towards new MSP-based business models? How can they be assisted in generating value through such business models? The intent of this research is to showcase how boundaries and limitations can be handled by applying well-proven practices and how improvements can be incorporated. The selected case study led to the adoption of a methodological approach to MSP business model development, matching existing business canvases with ad-hoc developed tools to ease the selection of strategic drivers.