Karen Webster

Market Platform Dynamics

Market Platform Dynamics (MPD) is a management consulting firm that helps companies find, ignite and monetize innovation. 

The cornerstone of our work is the economics of industries (in economics these are called two-sided markets) that operate in complex ecosystems where getting multiple customers on board a single platform is essential for success. MPD principals are pioneers in this area, having done much of the early research and having devised a framework for how to design and execute catalyst strategies. Our frameworks and insights have been documented in several books, including Catalyst Code: The Strategies Behind the World's Most Successful Companies (Harvard Business School Press, May 2007), Invisible Engines: How Software Platforms are Transforming Business and Reshaping Industries (MIT Press, 2005 and winner of the American Publishing Association's Best Business Publication in 2006) and Paying with Plastic (MIT Press, 2nd Edition 2007). As a result, we are regarded as the foremost thought leaders, practitioners and consultants in this area.

MPD has a wealth of experience within industries that are characterized by complex ecosystems: payments, mobile/telecoms, digital and advertising-supported media, social networks and software-based businesses. We work with both incumbents and new entrants, giving us a unique lens into the dynamics that shape the competitive playing field. In addition to traditional consulting-based services, MPD’s Catalyst Ventures provides intellectual and human capital to new firms.

MPD’s experts include economists, econometricians, product development and pricing specialists, and strategic and social media strategists who apply cutting-edge economic and business theory and statistical methods to the practical problems of building and running a profitable catalyst business.

SKUx

Board of Advisors

Sezzle

Member Board of Directors

firmly

Advisor

Bryzos

Board Member

AI-ID™

Advisory Board Member

PYMNTS.com

PYMNTS.com is reinventing the way in which companies in payments share relevant information about the initiatives that shape the future of commerce and make news. This powerful B2B platform is the #1 site for the payments industry by traffic and the premier source of information about “what’s next” in payments. C-suite and VP level executives turn to it daily for these insights, making the PYMNTS.com audience the most valuable in the industry. It provides an interactive platform for companies to demonstrate thought leadership, popularize products and, most importantly, capture the mindshare of global decision-makers. It’s where the best minds and best content meet on the web.

Lynx

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Board of Trustees

Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Alliance

Chairman of the Board

Entrepreneur, advisor and board member for companies operating in the payments/commerce, mobile, software platform, technology and digital media industries. Platform innovation and monetization is a key focus, particularly in the commerce sector. Founder of PYMNTS.com, the industry's leading B2B marketing platform. Recognized industry thought leader and frequent industry speaker, ranked among the top 10 money and finance writers on LinkedIn and among the top 50 retail industry influencers ranked by Vend University. Author of numerous published articles and whitepapers on payments, mobile, social strategy, product design, pricing/incentives, and customer acquisition, retention and loyalty.  

Passionate philanthropist and fundraiser. Co-founder of twoAM (Two Women on A Mission), which raises awareness and funds for innovative breast and ovarian cancer research. Launched Living Conversations, a web-based community of breast cancer survivors, which was profiled on The Today Show.

Specialties: Platform innovation and monetization with a particular emphasis on problems at the intersection of payments, mobile, social, advertising and software platforms. Solving complex business problems, particularly related to the design of plausible strategic roadmaps, launching and igniting businesses and new business ventures, product pricing, incentive strategies and design, strategic marketing, customer engagement and behavior.

What a fun and insightful conversation yesterday on the Fintech NerdCon Main Stage with Tom Adams.
 
I had a whole list of questions ready but our conversation took a few spontaneous (and very interesting) twists and turns so we went with the flow. The topic was AI, and not surprisingly, we spent a lot of time talking about the importance of “plumbing,” the role of data governance and data quality and why less could actually be more, AND the always spicy build versus buy conversation which surfaced a few surprises given Adyen’s focus on always building. 
 
Speaking of surprises, there was a little one towards the end when I asked Tom what Adyen expects of him, as CTO, when it comes to deploying AI across the business. 
 
My thanks to Adyen for the invitation to participate, and to Simon Taylor and the #FinTechNerdCon team for your gracious hospitality and a fantastic show. Congratulations on your maiden voyage. 
 
Oh, and the fact that it was in nice warm and sunny Miami was a real bonus, too!

Founder and CEO PYMNTS | Board Member and Advisor | Platform and Payments Industry Expert

People always ask when PYMNTS will have another event like The Innovation Project at Harvard that we hosted every year from 2012 to 2017. This year my answer is different. 

How about May 5-6 in New York at the Refinery at Domino? 
 
This NEXT newsletter features my sit-down with PYMNTS Chief Content Officer John Gaffney and Emmy Award–winning producer Vinnie Potestivo (who is our fabulous collaborator), to discuss why 2026 is the year we decided to bring back live events, why CHNG is different, and how video + content + a surprising mix of speakers will fill the gap that so many people in the industry say has been missing. .
 
Until NEXT time. And Happy Thanksgiving!
 
Thank you to the 20,000 subscribers who’ve already said yes to what’s NEXT.

People always ask when PYMNTS will have another event like The Innovation Project at Harvard that we hosted every year from 2012 to 2017. This year my

Open article: The Who, What and Why of CHNG. by Karen Webster • 6 min read

“We’ll [soon] be talking about the Fortune 500 wanting the agility of the Fortune 5 million.” 
 
That statement from BILL CEO and founder René Lacerte transitions nicely into what he describes as his firm’s go-forward thesis: AI agents can absorb enough of the financial back office that small businesses can redirect scarce energy toward creativity, strategy and growth.
 
Our previously live conversation serves as a deep dive into how AI, automation, and a fundamental shift in software design is helping SMBs play like their enterprise counterparts. 
 
Thanks to Rene for joining me, and sharing his perspective on how AI is changing the competitive landscape for providers helping SMB’s manage the office of the  CFO. 
 
It’s all right here: https://lnkd.in/ewHaRdmk

How Gradium plans to make voice the smart, conversational interface layer for the AI economy, and why investors gave them a $70M seed round to get it done. 
 
As many of you who have followed me for a long time know, I’ve always been a big fan of voice – for more than a decade. It is the most universal and ubiquitous access interface. Yet we’ve all been disappointed when we have tried to use them, despite that potential. Mostly because it’s really not possible to have a conversation. Gradium co-founder Neil Zeghidour agrees, saying “the potential of voice AI is mostly unrealized today. And one reason is because the interaction is too brutal.”
 
You might even agree that it’s a great word to describe the voice outcome and experience today. 
 
Our conversation marks the day that Gradium emerged from stealth – just three months from its formation – to announce that they have raised a $70 million seed round to become “the technical backbone for global voice technology.”
 
I was excited to hear how Gradium is taking conversational AI from typing to talking, when voice assistants reach their fullest and smartest, potential.  
 
My thanks to Neil for such an interesting conversation. The back story of the company, its cofounders and investors, including Eric Schmidt, is really interesting. Get the inside scoop right here:

Open article: Gradium Gets $70 Million to Turn Voice Into AI’s Universal Interface | PYMNTS.com by pymnts.com

Gradium Gets $70 Million to Turn Voice Into AI’s Universal Interface | PYMNTS.com

We’re watching two very different ideas battle to define how AI agents buy.

ACP routes agents into the merchant’s existing systems.

AP2 routes merchants into Google’s structured product graph.

One fits today’s commerce stack.

One asks the ecosystem to rebuild around a new one.

The protocol that earns trust, not the one that’s most elegant, will shape the next era of commerce.

I have my own thoughts. Would love to know how you see it. 

Until NEXT time.

Changes in how consumers shop and pay never happen all at once. The transformation doesn’t make a grand entrance. Change happens when the friction tha

Open article: The Protocol Power Struggle Reshaping AI-Driven Commerce. by Karen Webster • 11 min read

The Protocol Power Struggle Reshaping AI-Driven Commerce.

The $6 billion live shopping company you probably never heard of. 
 
My conversation with Whatnot’s Armand Wilson explained how they went from the purveyor of pint-sized vinyl characters with giant eyes to a $6B live commerce universe, the largest live shopping platform in the world. He told me the secret isn’t just the format, it’s creating a community that people actually want to spend time in. 
 
One of the most interesting parts of our conversation was when Armand discussed how Whatnot is walking the tightrope of incorporating AI into an experience where it’s the humans who make the commerce fun.
 
For What’s Next for Whatnot, tune into the our episode of The SKU, now streaming on PYMNTS TV: https://lnkd.in/gfK7hRaK

On ChatGPT’s third birthday, let’s revisit how The Prompt Economy™ is already changing the ways people think, learn, shop, buy, and how markets work.  
 
This NEXT Newsletter is from October, but the insights from PYMNTS data paints a picture of how much GPT has worked its way into the everyday lives of consumers. 

It’s remarkable when you consider the pace of this three year old technology, whose adoption curve is a straight line up and to the right, and where already, the search for information is being replaced by a conversation, one that provides a more rewarding outcome, is curated, relevant, contextual, and decision ready.
 
Stay tuned – more data updates soon!

For nearly three decades, the internet rewarded people who knew how to find information fast. The pros learned to turn questions into a few notable ke

Open article: Why 30 Million US Consumers No Longer Search. by Karen Webster • 11 min read

Why 30 Million US Consumers No Longer Search.

It was fun this week to see The SKU come to life. Lights, camera, action! 

Season One is a 7-part PYMNTS TV documentary series on how some of the world’s most innovative retailers are using new tech and payments to reimagine their relationship with their consumers – and their brand. 

I found the conversations so interesting and appreciate how transparent they all were in describing the opportunities and challenges facing them in one of retail’s most dynamic periods. My thanks to Marqeta for their support in making these conversations possible. 
 
In this NEXT Recap you’ll find:

▪️ "Shifting Car Buying Digital and Into High Gear" w/ Cox Automotive Inc.’s Jessica Stafford 
▪️ "Omnichannel’s Makeover" w/ Ulta Beauty’s Josh Friedman
▪️ "Furniture Shopping Gets More Comfy" w/  Furniture.com’s Daniel Bennett
▪️ “Luxury Fashion, American Style" w/ Newtimes Brands’ Alex Angelchik
▪️ “What’s NEXT for Retail Media” w/ CVS Media Exchange (CMX)’s Parbinder Dhariwal
▪️ “The Creative Destruction and Rebuild of the Payments Business Model” from the NEXT Newsletter
 
Until NEXT time.

Shifting Car Buying Digital and Into High Gear. Jessica Stafford took me under the hood of how Cox Automotive Inc. built what they call the automotive

Open article: Retail’s Reinvention. by Karen Webster • 3 min read

“The consumer’s willing to spend, I think they’re very disciplined… especially with the affordability concerns, they’re being very rational.”
 
That quote from Synchrony CFO Brian Wenzel during today’s Monday Conversation, where he also brought up a subtle but profound insight. Consumers aren’t choosing financial products based solely on credit limits, interest rates, or fees. They’re choosing experiences.
 
To that end it was interesting hearing Brian describe how Synchrony’s strategy of not positioning itself not as a credit provider, but rather an experience infrastructure supplier for their partners.
 
It’s all on PYMNTS:

Open article: Synchrony CFO: Why Experience — Not Credit — Is the New Competitive Moat in Consumer Finance | PYMNTS.com by pymnts.com

Synchrony CFO: Why Experience — Not Credit — Is the New Competitive Moat in Consumer Finance | PYMNTS.com

Time to cash: not a back-office metric, but a core driver of business velocity.
 
That was the subject of a recent PYMNTS ON AIR conversation, where I was joined by Bottomline’s Jeff Feuerstein, FIS’ Pamela Novoa Ralli and Coupa’s Prashanth Ravishankar to discuss The Time to Cash Framework.
 
Developed by PYMNTS Intelligence, the framework is based on a study of 375 CFOs of emerging enterprises, and identifies the 12 levers that show how these companies are using advanced tech like AI to shape the next phase of financial agility.
 
71% of the CFOs we spoke to improved time to cash in the past year. Join the conversation to hear about why we all agree that the emerging enterprise’s path to accelerating time to cash is a combo of data, control and automation. It’s all on PYMNTS TV: https://lnkd.in/eW2cYYN7

taplio

Karen Webster's Linkedin Analytics

Karen Webster

Performance ScoreKaren Webster's LinkedIn Performance

What is Karen talking about?

Karen Webster's Best Posts (last 30 days)

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

.css-6ytdur{background-image:linear-gradient(284deg, rgba(39, 43, 72, 1) 0%, rgba(33, 47, 183, 1) 100%);color:transparent;-webkit-background-clip:text;background-clip:text;}Karen Webster's Linkedin Analytics

Karen Webster

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Karen Webster's LinkedIn Performance

What is Karen talking about?

Karen Webster's Best Posts .css-1emoo84{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:400;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);}(last 30 days)

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Karen Webster's Linkedin Analytics

Performance ScoreKaren Webster's LinkedIn Performance

Karen Webster's Best Posts (last 30 days)