The API-ification of business

Uber isn’t just Uber. It’s Google Maps, Checkr background checks, Braintree payments, and Twilio texts. The best way to do business isn’t to build it all in-house. Top companies are increasingly piecing together a composite of APIs from specialized startups. That lets them concentrate on their unique value-add rather than reinventing the wheel.

Now those building blocks are turning into big businesses of their own with unique challenges. How do they get traction for their APIs? What does it take to support a developer ecosystem? How much should they charge?

Accel thinks it can help. It’s learned from investments in Braintree, Segment, Slack, and Checkr.