Venture capital has long been the lifeblood of innovative and disruptive tech startups - specifically marketplaces and digital platforms. But what do VCs look for when investing in marketplaces? What are the red flags that VCs avoid? During this episode of the Platform Podcast, Pritzker Group Partner Sonia Nagar talks through her investment philosophy, including what she considers when investing in marketplaces and, importantly, what turns her off. Sonia discusses her interest in marketplaces and how she views risk and the need for leadership teams to have strong advice and counsel when it comes to managing that risk.

Regutations for digital platforms have been a long time comng - as they have been largely unregulated. Until now. The EU, UK, US, Australia and other countries are starting to regulate platforms that host user-generated content or facilitate user-to-user engagement in an effort to make them safer for consumers. In this episode, Online Dating Association CEO Dr. Hannah Shimko introduces us to the trade associaiton that she leads on behalf of a variety of dating platforms. She talks about various regulations impacting digital platforms and what they aim to achieve, including the EU's Digital Services Act and the UK's Online Safety Bill. She also discusses the impact of GenAI and synthetic media on platforms - positive and beneficial applications, as well as nefarious uses of GenAI by bad actors and fraudster. You can hear more from Dr. Shimko at the upcoming Global Summit in London Oct 30 - Nov 1.

Identity verification should be the cornerstone of all trust & safety efforts. In this episode of the Platform Podcast, PEAK IDV Founder and digital identity evangelist Steve Craig dives deep into the world of identity verification - from the early days through to the latest technology available - and everything in between. He explores identity verification solutions for marketplaces and digital platforms, including when and how to choose the right solutions based on the most commonly leveraged signals - document, data and device.

The sharing economy is not a new phenomenon. In fact, it's been around for centuries or more. In this episode of the Platform Podcast, Thanks for Sharing author Elle Tucker explores her journey from sharing economy consultant and advisor to author as a means to making the sharing economy accessible and relevant to every day people. With a big focus on the positive environmental impact, Elle shares a glimpse into her journey convincing her family to borrow, rent and share some traditional, and not so traditional, every day items.

Trust & safety as a concept, function and profession is relatively new - largely a creation of technology platforms connecting users around the globe over the last decade or so. But as an academic discipline, trust & safety is even less developed. In fact, just in the last few years have significant investments been made to develop trust & safety curriculum in order to train educators, teach students and advance the profession. During this episode of the Platform Podcast, Stanford Internet Observatory Research Scholar Shelby Grossman dives into the significant advances being made to study, train and educate about trust & safety, including through the Trust and Safety Research Conference, Journal of Online Trust and Safety, and the Trust and Safety Teach Consortium.

You can learn more here:

*Trust and Safety Research Conference: tinyurl.com/trustsafetyconference

*Journal of Online Trust and Safety: tsjournal.org

*Trust and Safety Teach Consortium: tinyurl.com/teachingtrustsafety10

In the latest episode of the Platform Podcast, our host Elle Tucker is joined by Ruth Yankoupe, Vice President of Customer Experience at Getaround. Ruth tells Elle about her role, which encompasses trust & safety, insurance and customer service, and talks about her passion for peer-to-peer carsharing and the potential it has for both people and the planet. She goes on to introduce Getaround’s new AI model, TrustScore, which uses machine learning to assess data and provide dynamic pricing calculation for each trip, providing greater transparency and building trust on both sides of the carsharing transaction.

Eric Goldman, Professor of Law at Santa Clara University School of Law, joins host Elle Tucker in this episode of the Platform Podcast. Professor Goldman will kick off this year's Marketplace Risk Management Conference (SF, May 16-18) with his keynote ‘How the Internet Improves Humanity’, and is an expert in Internet law, intellectual property and advertising & marketing law. In the podcast, Elle gets a taster of what Eric will discuss at the conference and is intrigued by his theory that the internet can improve human interactions compared to offline interactions - and the implications this has when it comes to Internet law and policy.

In the latest episode of the Platform Podcast, our host Elle Tucker is joined by David Sullivan, Executive Director at the Digital Trust and Safety Partnership. David tells Elle about his unique and fascinating career path towards the world of digital trust and safety, which began in Africa. He goes on to talk about the Digital Trust and Safety Partnership, which was founded in 2021, and the goals of the organisation. Is it possible, Elle asks, to create global standards in this area? David talks about the benefits of collaboration and his hopes for the future, in this absorbing discussion.

Adrian Brown, co-founder of Authillo and one of the newest members of the Marketplace Risk Advisory Board, joins host Elle Tucker in this episode of the Platform Podcast. Adrian describes himself as ‘an engineer at heart’ and has been involved in some of the early social media platforms, such as Yik Yak, helping to solve trust and safety issues. Elle asks Adrian about Authillo, a passwordless login provider that prevents fake accounts on any online platform that he co-founded, and also about his new project, Apollo. Adrian goes on to talk about the potential of AI to make platforms a safer place in this not-to-be-missed conversation.

In the latest episode of the Platform Podcast, our host Elle Tucker is joined by Steve Craig, Founder and CEO of PEAK IDV. Steve kicks off by telling Elle about his background and what led him into the world of ID verification, before going on to talk about the challenges he sees in the market for providers and practitioners, as well as those for customers interacting with marketplaces and platforms. Elle asks Steve about the different "faces" of IDV, and he explains how digital identity is evolving, and talks about the impact of Web3 and AI on this fast-moving space.