What Makes Asset Sharing Platforms Thrive?

A session at SXSW Interactive 2012

Zipcar and Netflix signaled its coming, and smart money bets on peer-to-peer platforms like Airbnb, RelayRides, Taskrabbit, ThredUp, and Zimride announced its arrival: the Sharing Economy is here.

And while many Internet startups have emerged to help citizens share a wide variety of physical assets, only a small handful have gotten serious traction. For sharing entrepreneurs and investors the question remains: what qualities make sharing platforms thrive?

This panel will explore this question with expert panelists, discussion with the audience, and research by Shareable Magazine and partners designed specifically to address this question. We'll focus on challenges unique to tech startups that help people share physical assets rather than startups in general. And look at the influence of a few key factors like reputation systems, community building, and asset categories on success.

With an increasing crowded planet and dwindling natural resources, there may be no more important challenge than making sharing sexy, fun, and scalable. The panelists will share their insights to help the SXSW community succeed in the sharing economy.

About the speakers

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Reiko Ann Miura-ko

General Partner, Floodgate

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Shelby Clark

Founder & Chief Community Officer, RelayRides

Shelby is the founder and Chief Community Officer of RelayRides, the world's first peer-to-peer carsharing marketplace. He first tried carsharing when his car died after a cross-country move to California. He loved living a car-free life, but thought carsharing would work better and grow faster if it was "for the people, by the people", a neighbor-to-neighbor experience. So he founded RelayRides. Shelby obtained his MBA from Harvard, where he cultivated his passion for entrepreneurship and social impact. Before Harvard, Shelby helped launch three socially focused startups. He was an early employee at Kiva.org, one of the fastest-growing nonprofits in history, where Shelby provided strategic direction while building internal systems to scale the organization. Previously, Shelby worked at Oliver Wyman as a management consultant, advising Fortune 500 companies on strategy and operations. Prior to Harvard, Shelby graduated with a degree in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern.