How to Build a Marketplace Startup That Solves the Chicken-and-Egg Problem

How to build a marketplace startup without getting stuck in the chicken-and-egg trap comes down to sequencing, not simultaneous execution. OpenTable solved it by selling restaurants standalone software before the diner side existed. Airbnb solved it by targeting a single event in a single city. The founders who got it right didn't crack the paradox. They sidestepped it.