School of Business and Management Department of Information Systems, Business Statistics and Operations Management 210 Department of Information Systems, Business Statistics and Operations Management Digital Leadership and Digital Transformation Supervisor: LEE Dongwon / ISOM Student: ZHANG Mengting / QFIN Course: UROP 1100, Fall Thriving emerging technologies continuously have a strong impact on business operations, companies and customers, so digital transformation is inevitable for companies in different industries. This project aims to research the platform and two-sided market concepts and apply them in the AI industry. Some typical companies have been studied to have a better insight into the application of the two-sided market in AI companies. First is NVDIA which positioned CUDA as a platform to connect two key groups. Second is Google, a platform company with one side of the engine used and the other side of ads providers. This report provides a summary of my research processes and insights into the two-sided market in the AI industry. On Identifying Web3 Business Opportunities and Challenges Supervisor: LEE Dongwon / ISOM Student: WANG Wanping / RMBI Course: UROP 1100, Spring UROP 2100, Summer This report examines the economic trade-offs in token incentive design for decentralized networks, focusing on the tension between scaling participation and preventing rent re-centralization. By synthesizing fifteen empirical studies across DeFi, labor platforms, and content ecosystems, we find that mechanisms lowering entry costs (e.g., zero-fee certification, low-L2 gas fees) often dilute signal value and concentrate benefits, despite increasing user numbers. Key findings include liquidity concentration on low-fee L2s (Gini up to 0.71), wage premium erosion after free skill certification (-$12.90/hr), and supply shocks from star creator exits (- 20%). We propose a novel Signal–Cost Framework, recommending context-specific solutions like progressive stake taxation and granular reputation disclosure. The results advocate for moderate-friction, moderateprecision designs to optimize decentralization and welfare. On Identifying Web3 Business Opportunities and Challenges Supervisor: LEE Dongwon / ISOM Student: ZHANG Jiayi / FINA Course: UROP 1100, Spring This study investigates the evolving landscape of decentralized finance (DeFi) and decentralized exchanges (DEX) in 2025, focusing on their business models, operational frameworks, and emerging challenges. We did case analyses of leading platforms—including Aave (lending/borrowing), MakerDAO (stablecoins), Curve Finance (yield/staking), and Uniswap (DEX innovation)—by researching key mechanisms such as overcollateralization, concentrated liquidity, and regulatory dynamics. Findings reveal significant growth in DeFi adoption, driven by advancements such as real-world asset tokenization and cross-chain interoperability. However, systemic risks, regulatory ambiguity persist as critical barriers. The findings underscore DeFi’s transformative potential in reshaping financial ecosystems, but the need for robust governance frameworks and adaptive regulatory policies to ensure sustainable growth still exists.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDk5Njg=