I’ve had a bunch of conversations with friends, and clients and companies recently that indicate the digital market is just getting more complicated; and that understanding your customer, or user and yourself has never been more paramount. Buy vs. Build seems so BC(before covid). Now its a hybrid approach and has become very fluid.

Taking it from a software vendor perspective, in the capital markets it has evolved much in the last decade to a mostly distribution model. Traders are not buying trading software from vendor. They get it from their broker. That is where distribution has gone. Selling screens is passe. Your just part of the cost. In some cases a vendor became a broker like Ninja Trader. In others, a vendor will distribute purely through brokers but also partner with brokers to build technology for them or even partner with other technology vendors. To complete the circle, brokers are now building their own platforms or thinking of commercializing their own tech and selling to other brokers.

It makes me remind people that you need to know your market, you need to know what makes you competitive and expert and who makes the buying decision for your product. What do you want to be known for and what drives your revenue should inform the buy build partner decisions as much or more now as before we were all technology companies.