The future of digital platforms
AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
5th June 2025
5th June 2025
An initiative by Launchworks & Co
Platforms and their ecosystems are now part of our daily lives. They are redefining the way we work, the way we learn, how we innovate and how we collaborate. As a community of platform leaders, how do we ensure that the full potential of these digital ecosystems is realised for all?
What is Platform Leaders?
Platform Leaders brings together entrepreneurs, policy makers, academics, investors and practitioners to exchange insights and best practices on the future of digital platforms and ecosystems. These communities don’t always talk to each other, yet are collectively building the platform economy. Platform Leaders provides strategic insights into key topics and allow experts to share complementary perspectives to shape the debate so that the potential of digital markets can be unlocked for all.
Agenda
How can we combat misinformation and fake news on social media platforms? How should we regulate to promote both competition and consumer protection in a platform and AI-driven world? How can service marketplaces leverage AI effectively? Join us on June 5, 2025, as we address these crucial questions. Full programme available below.
Below are confirmed speakers for 5 June 2025
Marshall Van Alstyne
Marshall Van Alstyne
Professor Van Alstyne is one of the world’s foremost experts on network business models and coauthor of the international bestseller Platform Revolution. He conducts research on information economics, covering such topics as the economics of speech markets, platform economics, intellectual property, social effects of technology, and productivity effects of information. He has been a major contributor to the theory of two-sided networks taught worldwide, and to the theory of platforms as inverted firms, applied in antitrust law. His work has received more than 27,000 citations , includes a top 50 all-time article for Harvard Business Review, and was recognized by Thinkers 50 as among the most important management contributions globally. Research impact ranks in the top two percent of all scientists.
Honors include two patents, National Science Foundation SaTC, IOC, SGER, SBIR, iCorp and Career Awards, a dozen best paper awards, as well as INFORMS IS 2020 and Herbert Simon 2021 awards for research with real world impact. Articles or commentary have appeared in Science, Nature, Management Science, Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, Strategic Management Journal, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. He is a husband and dad, who loves dogs, exercise, travel, and questions of governance.
Annabelle Gawer
Annabelle Gawer
A world-class academic pioneer in platform strategy, Prof Annabelle Gawer is a thought leader and expert advisor on the business of digital platforms and platform-based innovation ecosystems. Professor Gawer was elected as a Fellow of the British Academy in 2023. Author of 40 articles and 4 books on platforms including The Business of Platforms: Strategy in the Age of Digital Competition, Innovation, and Power with M Cusumano (MIT) and D Yoffie (Harvard Business School) (2019) and Platform Leadership with Michael Cusumano, her 2021 study Online Platforms: Economic and Societal Effects (with N Srnicek) was published by the European Parliament. Her Google Scholar profile indicated over 27,500 citations as of October 2024.
Prof Gawer was appointed an independent digital expert for the UK Competition and Markets Authority in 2023 to help ensure fair competition in digital markets. She has advised the European Commission on the regulation of online platforms as an Expert Member of the European Commission’s Observatory of the Online Platform Economy (2018-2021). She has also advised the UK Parliament House of Lords, the UK Government, and the OECD. She regularly consults for major international corporations on platform and ecosystem strategy.
Sébastien de Lafond
Sébastien de Lafond
Sébastien de Lafond is a French entrepreneur renowned for his impactful ventures in both the real estate and education technology sectors.
He is currently the Co-Founder and CEO of Edumapper, a platform aimed at simplifying higher education orientation for students and families. By leveraging data science and user feedback, Edumapper seeks to provide a transparent and collaborative tool for educational orientation. The startup secured a €5 million seed funding round from investors including Daphni, Eurazeo (via HEC Ventures), Ring Capital, and Kima Ventures in March 2025.
Prior to this, Sébastien co-founded MeilleursAgents in 2007, a leading online real estate valuation platform in France, connecting users with real estate agents. Under his leadership, MeilleursAgents became a significant player in the French proptech scene and was acquired by Axel Springer in 2019 for approximately €200 million.
De Lafond graduated from HEC Paris and began his career in finance, working at Paribas in Luxembourg. He then served as Vice President at JPMorgan in Paris and New York, advising family businesses and entrepreneurs on mergers and acquisitions. In 1997, he joined Montgomery Securities in California as Head of European Technology. By 1999, he co-founded Add Partners in London, a venture capital firm that invested in over 20 European tech startups.
Benoit Reillier
Benoit Reillier
Benoit Reillier specialises in strategy and corporate development for innovative high growth companies and platform businesses/ecosystems. He has been advising the boards and top management teams of many blue chip companies as well as regulators and Governments for more than 20 years.
Prior to founding Launchworks Benoit was Director of Economics and Regulation at KPMG where he focused on Telecommunications, Media and Technology clients globally.
Benoit is a guest lecturer in a number of top business and engineering schools and is in charge of the executive Platform Strategy module of the HEC Paris MBA.
He is a graduate from IMT Business School in Paris and holds Master degrees in Management, Economics and Law. Benoit is also a graduate from Columbia University in New York and London Business School (MBA).
He is the co-author of Platform Strategy: How to unlock the power of communities and networks to grow your business and Mission BlaBlaCar.
Alexander Baker
Alexander Baker
Laure Claire Reillier
Laure Claire Reillier
Laure Claire Reillier is Co-founder and COO of Launchworks & Co, the leading experts for designing and scaling marketplaces & platforms. Formerly a senior exec at eBay Europe, she has 20 years’ experience in developing, managing and marketing products and services for digital, e-commerce, and platform companies.
Laure Claire was appointed in 2019 as one of the 8 experts on digital platforms at the World Economic Forum. She is also the co-author of Platform Strategy: How to unlock the power of communities and networks to grow your business and Mission BlaBlaCar.
Rory O'Donoghue
Rory O'Donoghue
Rory O’Donoghue is currently a global competition policy senior analyst, where he supports the company in navigating competition regulations across the globe. As part of this role, Rory has worked on addressing issues related to competition law, economic competitiveness and data protection. He has also acted as a Google spokesperson with the press.
Prior to his tenure at Google, Rory worked in the UK Civil Service, across the Cabinet Office and Northern Ireland Office. During his time in the Cabinet Office, Rory worked on strategy and coordination for the COVID-19 Taskforce, leading the policy Guidance team. He provided briefings and strategic counsel to cabinet committees, ministers, and senior civil servants. Rory was previously in private public relations practice where he provided analysis and advice to some of the world's leading companies, navigating complex regulatory landscapes and public affairs challenges.
Rory is a graduate from Trinity College Dublin where he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics (BA).
Tito Unda
Tito Unda
Tito Unda is an accomplished entrepreneur and seasoned product leader renowned for his strategic vision and innovative approach to technology-driven solutions. Most recently, Tito served as the Vice President of Product at Job&Talent, a leading global staffing marketplace headquartered in Madrid, Spain.
At Job&Talent, Tito was instrumental in scaling product development, operations, and analytics teams, successfully placing over 300,000 workers across more than 3,250 companies in sectors such as logistics and retail in 2024 alone. His leadership significantly advanced the company's mission to transform the temporary employment market through the application of artificial intelligence and real-time data.
Prior to his impactful tenure at Job&Talent, Tito co-founded Gonway, a successful professional networking platform tailored specifically for students, exemplifying his dedication to connecting emerging talent with professional opportunities. He started his career in financial services at Banco Santander, where he specialized in global banking and markets.
Javier holds degrees in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Navarra and IESE Business School.
Daniel Gordon
Daniel Gordon
Daniel Gordon is a partner at the Greenlight Group. Prior to that he was Senior Director of Markets at the Competition and Markets Authority, having previously been Chief Economist at the Competition Commission. He has over 30 years' experience in competition policy and regulation, including as Director of Competition Policy at Ofcom, the UK’s telecom regulator, and Director of Market Studies at the UK Office of Fair Trading.
In the earlier part of his career, Daniel was at the UK Treasury where he headed teams focused on the microeconomics of private and public sector productivity; an economic adviser at the Monopolies and Mergers Commission; and an economic consultant.
He was educated at Corpus Christi College and Nuffield College, Oxford University.
Jeremy H. Gottschalk
Jeremy H. Gottschalk
Jeremy is a distinguished expert in the technology industry with over two decades of experience advising and counseling tech companies, including online marketplaces and digital platforms. His expertise lies at the intersection of risk management, trust & safety, regulatory compliance, and legal strategy. With a unique blend of legal expertise, business acumen, and technological insight, Jeremy is a thought leader and innovator in the marketplace and digital platform ecosystem, dedicated to helping companies navigate a complex and rapidly evolving landscape while driving growth and success. He's the author 'Bulletproof Your Marketplace: Strategies for Protecting Your Digital Platform'.
Driven by his passion for technology, Jeremy founded the Marketplace Risk platform, which has become the premier resource for education, networking, and collaboration for marketplaces and digital platforms worldwide. Through global conferences in Austin, London, New York City and San Francisco, cutting-edge virtual content, thought-provoking podcasts, blogs, consulting, and legal services, Marketplace Risk empowers online marketplaces and digital platforms to safeguard their communities, protect their companies, and contribute to a safer internet.
As the founding Executive Director of the Marketplace Industry Association, Jeremy is committed to representing, educating, and advocating for the benefit of the marketplace and digital platform ecosystem. He also serves on the board of directors of various tech companies and nonprofits, including the Committee on Sustainability Assessment, which accelerates sustainability in agriculture through mutual partnerships and assessment tools that advance the understanding and management of social, economic, and environmental impacts.
3:30PM – 3:35PM
WELCOME TALK
Introducing Platform Leaders.
3:35PM – 4:00PM
KEYNOTE: THE MISINFORMATION MACHINE – SOCIAL MEDIA, FAKE NEWS, AND THE FUTURE OF TRUTH
Misinformation and fake news have emerged as defining challenges of our era, capable of shaping public opinion, influencing elections, and impacting public health. In this insightful keynote, Professor Marshall Van Alstyne, co-author of Platform Revolution and a leading expert on platform economics, will address why existing regulatory and legal frameworks for social media struggle to address misinformation effectively. Drawing from his latest research, Marshall will propose a unique and innovative set of interventions designed to empower users and reduce negative externalities such as misinformation, hate speech, and illegal content on social media.
How can shifting central control from social media networks to users enhance the integrity of online discourse? What are "listener rights," and how can the concept of a "marketplace of filters" enable users to better control their exposure to content? What insights can we gain from recent experiments and regulatory approaches designed to manage misinformation through user-driven decentralised solutions? What practical steps should policymakers, platform leaders and users take to build healthier, more transparent social networks and digital communities?
4:00PM – 4:40PM
REGULATING FOR GROWTH
The UK is at a pivotal moment in shaping the regulatory landscape for digital markets. With the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCCA) coming into force, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is adopting a new, more proactive approach to overseeing major digital platforms. This includes its four P framework—Pace, Predictability, Proportionality, and Process—aimed at ensuring that regulatory interventions support competition, innovation, and economic growth while protecting consumers.
How will this new regime encourage investment and innovation with ensuring fair competition? And what does this mean for the UK’s position in global digital markets, especially in relation to regulatory approaches in other countries? How to ensure interventions contribute to economic growth?
4:40PM – 5:20PM
AI DISRUPTION AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUR BUSINESS: THE CASE OF SERVICE MARKETPLACES
AI is reshaping the landscape of service marketplaces—redefining user experience, personalising offerings, optimising matchmaking, and streamlining operations at scale. Yet, AI's impact isn't uniformly positive; in some instances, it has the power to disintermediate entire markets, creating significant disruption. This panel will explore real-world use cases and provide actionable insights on harnessing AI to boost efficiency, enhance customer satisfaction, and drive marketplace growth. Additionally, it will address the critical challenges and risks posed by AI, particularly the potential disintermediation of platform participants.
What are the primary opportunities and risks presented by AI? How should marketplaces prepare for, respond to, or pivot when AI threatens to desintermediate one side of their platform?
5:20PM – 5:30PM
CONFERENCE WRAP UP
Closing remarks and key insights from the event by our conference co-chair.
