Melbourne scale-up Envato is flying the flag for Australian tech once again in the annual list of the world’s best marketplaces released by a16z, the fund of legendary Californian venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.
It’s the 4th edition of a16z Marketplace 100, and Envato, which remains privately owned, after it was founded in a Bondi garage in 2006 by Collis and Cyan Ta’eed and Jun Rung, has made the cut every time.
The a16z list ranks the 100 largest consumer-facing marketplace startups and private companies.
San Francisco grocery service Instacart once again topped the list, with Valve – the owner of game marketplace Steam – in second place, while the notorious and ethically dubious ticket seller, Viagogo, which has fallen foul of Australian authorities for ripping off customers, and currently faces High Court legal action in New Zealand is No. 3 on the list.
Envato Market is the only Australian company on the list and one of only two from the Asia-Pacific region. US businesses dominate 90% of the list, with just ten ranked marketplaces based outside of the USA.
There were 34 new entries into the 2023 rankings, with experience marketplaces in food, travel and shopping revealing an emerging trend beside work marketplaces.
Envato CEO Hichame Assi welcomed the ongoing recognition of the company’s success
“We’re very proud of the longevity of Envato Market, which is approaching 17 years since it first started empowering creators around the world with a new way to level up their creative projects,” he said.
“Since day one, we’ve believed in creating genuine opportunities for creatives, making creative success achievable and accessible for all. Envato Market has been a big part of that purpose, and the community that supports it should be thrilled with this acknowledgment of their inspiration and commitment.”
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