Yolanda Martin Olivas, Global VP of Design, ClearScore, joins us on this episode to talk about the challenges and strategies involved in building platform capabilities within organizations. 

From her experience of building platforms at companies like Farfetch, Hearst, Canonical, Kaluza, and ClearScore etc., she takes us through the realities (sometimes difficult) of what it’s like to enable platform transformation and growth.

She argues for organizations to rethink the “growing through acquisition” approach while reiterating the need to focus on a strong infrastructure layer.

As a passionate learner, practitioner, and enabler of platform design; Yolanda is one to take tune into. 

Being one of the earliest learners of the Platform Design Toolkit, Yolanda has been a staunch practitioner of the platform business model and has played a pivotal role in enabling it in several organizations. 

In this episode, we talk about organizational motivations to shift towards platform design models, primarily driven by the need for economies of scale and new growth opportunities, and why focusing on your “why” is important. 

From her experience as a Design Director, she further shares practical advice on fostering a broader ecosystem perspective among design teams. She underscores the need for strong leadership commitment to enable this. 

In this conversation we get insights into what made organizations “make it or break it”, so tune in, and get ahead of the curve. 

Key Highlights

👉 Building platform capabilities is complex, time-consuming, and resource-intensive. Organizations, need to make a special commitment to platform design and implement exclusive strategies targeted toward this, not simply extending their existing practices.
👉 Successful platform transitions often start with integrating internal operations before enabling it to external partners.
👉 Design leaders play a crucial role in guiding organizations through platform transitions by fostering a broader, ecosystem-wide perspective; which does not look at design problems in a silo, but as a cog in a larger ecosystem.
👉 The lack of a mature platform infrastructure can make growth efforts expensive and inefficient. 
👉 There is a high risk in prematurely diverting investment from platform infrastructure to other growth avenues, such as acquiring and creating brands.
👉 Effective platform transitions require targeted education and training for different parts of the organization, tailored to their involvement in the platform’s development stages.

Topics /chapters

(00:00) Navigating Platform Transitions with Yolanda Martin - Intro
(00:58)    Introducing Yolanda Martin
(02:50)	Building platform capabilities inside organizations?
(11:05)	Adapting to platformization changes 
(15:55)	Design Leadership for Platformization
(20:53) Stories of Transition
(27:23)	What did not work for Farfetch platform?
(32:35)	Building or Buying the Ecosystem?
(37:05)	Looking beyond User-Centered-Design
(43:34)	What helps the organization re-arrange?
(48:19)	Breadcrumbs and Suggestions

Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/yolanda-martin

Episode recorded on March 20, 2024

Get in touch with Boundaryless:

Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast

Twitter: https://twitter.com/boundaryless_
Website: https://boundaryless.io/contacts
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo

Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://blss.io/Podcast-Music

The Boundaryless Conversation Podcast: Season 5

#101 - Navigating Platform Transitions with Yolanda Martin

We are thrilled to have Prof. Daniel Trabucchi and Prof. Tommaso Buganza from the School of Management at Politecnico di Milano join us today. In this episode, they share valuable insights from their innovation-driven book, Platform Thinking: Read the Past. Write the Future.

Platform Thinking is the ability to center platform-based mechanisms in digital business transformations. From Uber to Airbnb, platforms have reshaped millions of lives, yet their true potential often goes unrecognized. This episode demystifies platform ecosystems, offering a step-by-step guide to creating value through platform models. Backed by a decade of research, the faculty members provide practical tools and a clear framework for driving digital transformation, making it essential for anyone curious about the power of platforms.

Please join me in warmly welcoming Prof. Daniel Trabucchi and Prof. Tommaso Buganza to our podcast.

This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. For more information, please visit www.globalmanagementconsultancy.com.

Disclaimer:

A. The background music used in this video is the property of its respective developer and is protected by Copyright. Although it is a free version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy and Deepak Bhatt do not hold the rights to this music.

B. Prof. Daniel Trabucchi & Prof. Tommaso Buganza has granted permission to share insights from their book, “Platform Thinking: Read the past. Write the future”, on Business Talk Podcast Channel. The uploaded video contains copyrighted material; therefore, any modifications to graphics, music, or the presence of the author or host are strictly prohibited.

Revolutionizing Innovation: Prof. Daniel Trabucchi & Prof. Tommaso Buganza on Platform Thinking

Pete Flint, General Partner at NFX and founder of Trulia, joins us for an expansive conversation on how AI is reshaping the foundations of entrepreneurship, platform economies, network effects, and defensibility strategies.
Drawing from his deep experience as both a founder and an investor, Pete breaks down what it means to build in a world where CAC is difficult to change and requires expanding LTV by designing invisible, agent-powered experiences and adopting “stackable” approaches to product development.

Speaking on the low barriers to entry for startups, he highlights why speed now trumps precision, saying, “There is no prize for being right, but there is one for being fast.”
This conversation is a must for anyone navigating the fast-moving world of AI, platform innovation, and startup strategy.
What does it mean to build a startup in a world of frictionless tools and unpredictable technological shifts?

In this episode, Pete, one of the world’s most prominent internet entrepreneurs, helps us unpack how the dynamics of company-building are being transformed - not just by AI, but by new patterns of behaviour, demand, and value creation. 
We explore consumers’ hyper-personalised requirements and what that means for founders navigating shifting entry points and stackable business models. 
He also speaks on cultural foundations and how an organisation’s ecosystem affects outcomes.

For anyone grappling with how to lead or build in this dynamic landscape, this episode offers a take on what truly matters.


Key Highlights
👉 AI-native startups demand a new mindset - where building fast and embracing imperfection is often more strategic than over-optimising from the start.
👉 “Stackability” is emerging as a core design principle: founders should think in terms of layers and expansions, starting with a powerful wedge into the market.
👉 In an age of low switching costs and high user expectations, designing invisible, agent-driven experiences is becoming critical for product stickiness and defensibility.
👉 Founders must be hyper-intentional about their initial entry point - the “killer wedge” - which creates unfair economic or experiential advantages and unlocks further growth.
👉 In a world where CAC is hard to move, the focus is shifting towards expanding LTV by designing invisible, agent-powered experiences and adopting “stackable” approaches to product development.
👉 Large organisations struggle with speed due to risk aversion and fear of failure, highlighting how startup culture can remain a competitive edge if properly nurtured.
👉 The importance of geography and culture: proximity to dense information and strong execution cultures compounds the advantage of high-velocity teams.


Topics /chapters
(00:00) Stackable Business Models: Startup Strategy in the AI-Native Era
(01:40) Introducing Pete Flint
(03:38) AI and Platforms - Industry Overview
(09:48) Is Stackability the next step of Super Apps?
(11:55) What is the future of Marketplaces with AI?
(17:28) Revamping UX with Agent Marketplaces
(21:15) Changes in Network Effects for the Future
(24:54) Changes for a user
(30:57) How can a Founder Be Future-Proof?
(34:22) Do Future Predictions Matter?
(40:31) Breadcrumbs and Suggestions

Remember that you can always find transcripts and key highlights of the episode on our website: ⁠https://www.boundaryless.io/podcast/flint-pete⁠

Episode recorded on Apr 04, 2025


Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at ⁠https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast⁠

Get in touch with Boundaryless:
Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/boundaryless_⁠
Website: ⁠https://boundaryless.io/contacts⁠LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/boundaryless-pdt-3eo⁠

Music
Music from Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: ⁠https://blss.io/Podcast-Music


#120 - Stackable Business Models: Startup Strategy in the AI-Native Era with Pete Flint

In this episode of Bulletproof Your Marketplace, Jeremy sits down with attorney Krishan Thakker to explore the critical role of Terms of Use as liability shields. With over 15 years of experience advising companies like Wish, Match Group, and Meta, Krishan explains why these agreements are far more than legal formalities: they are a platform’s first line of defense and, when crafted carefully, can prevent costly disputes while safeguarding business integrity. The conversation highlights common mistakes founders make, from borrowing irrelevant terms to neglecting user assent, and underscores the risks of misalignment between marketing promises and contractual language. Through practical insights and real-world examples, this episode shows why Terms of Use must be treated as a living strategy rather than boilerplate text, offering founders, legal counsel, and trust and safety leaders the tools they need to strengthen their marketplace’s foundation and scale with confidence in an increasingly complex legal environment.

User Contracts as Liability Shields — Terms of Use

Welcome to Business Talk, your go-to podcast for the latest trends, insights, and thought-provoking discussions in the business world. Whether you're a business professional, entrepreneur, researcher, or academic, our episodes will challenge you to rethink conventional wisdom and inspire actionable ideas.

Brought to you by Global Management Consultancy, we are committed to driving innovation and excellence in the business community. All content Copyrighted 2024 by Global Management Consultancy.

For more information about our past and upcoming podcasts, please click here:https://www.deepakbbhatt.com/businesstalk

Boundaryless helps global customers with Business Strategy and Organization Design for the age of Ecosystems.
We do it by creating openly accessible frameworks and by supporting a community of organizations, institutions, and individuals through workshops, training, and consulting services. 

In this space we host all our audio recordings, including the Boundaryless Conversations podcast, a show focused on exploring the future of large scale organising by leveraging on technology, network effects and shaping narratives. We explore how platforms can help us play with a world in turmoil, change, and transformation: a world that is at the same time more interconnected and interdependent than ever but also more conflictual and rivalrous. 

We used to be online at platformdesigntoolkit.com... now find us on our new website: www.boundaryless.io!

Email: hello@boundaryless.io

New tracks tagged #PlatformEconomy