Back 2 B2B

Did our B2B utopia die in the dotcom disaster, or can we still do it all better online?

By Amanda C. Kooser • Nov 1, 2002

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

It's easy to look back and debunk most of the dotcom hype.But some ideas are too tantalizing to let go. B2B exchanges weregoing to change the way we do business. Buyers and suppliers weregoing to save time and money in online marketplaces. Now, if youcan name one B2B exchange, you're in the minority. Whathappened? Can anything be salvaged?

Of course, exchanges haven't completely disappeared. Theauto industry's Covisint (www.covisint. com) is the posterchild for B2B survivors. But independent public exchanges-mostlyentrepreneurial-went down the tubes at an alarming rate. Where didthey go wrong?

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