Thanks to the popularity of startups like Uber and Airbnb, the on-demand economy — which is centred around online platforms where people can offer goods or services directly to customers — has grown significantly in recent years. According to the platform tracking firm Crowd Companies, more than 280 on-demand companies operate around the world today in 16 industries. Just two years ago, there were only 76 companies operating in six industries.

(Source: Harvard Business Review)

Published in Dawn, Business & Finance weekly, May 2nd, 2016