PaaS Decoded

Product-as-a-Service propositions are seen as a key business model for implementing the circular economy. However, PaaS comes with specific challenges:

Why should people rent and not buy?
What are the differences between B2B & B2C customers?
What software is best to manage all the contracts?
How to fund the assets?
Does PaaS save resources?

And, in the case of launching it from inside a linear company: Do stakeholders understand the different characteristics of PaaS and adapt the steering accordingly?

While many of these challenges may be clear, possible solutions are too often hidden. So, let’s unveil them!

Welcome to PaaS Decoded – 16 conversations about the fine details of Product-as-a-Service!

All released episodes:

PaaS-related interviews and posts:

Debt Financing of PaaS Assets

Grover is a role model for debt-based asset funding. With nearly € 2bn of debt from various lenders in multiple rounds Grover has shown a way of separating startup and asset risk. In this episode,…
Circular X – Identifying and Mitigating Rebound Effects

Description Do PaaS models reduce overall resource consumption? Enhancing circularity is one motivation for starting PaaS. But PaaS does not necessarily deliver on that promise. It requires monitoring consequences and benchmarking them with other behaviours….
Circularity Capital – The Asset’s influence on Funding

Description When is a business model considered circular? A fund with circularity in its name must answer this question. Andrew Shannon, Partner at Circularity Partners, gives us her answer. A benchmark market method is used…
Commerzbank – Financing a PaaS Business

Description Funding the assets is a prominent challenge for PaaS businesses. Assets have to be prefinanced, as customers only pay a monthly few. Generally, three partners can provide support: venture capital investors, banks, and strategic…
Philips – Operating & Communicating Refurbishment Successfully

Description Running a Product-as-a-Service Business includes refurbishing products. It is not only a process in itself. It can also be another business model in itself. Philips created a symbiotic relationship between PaaS and Refurbishment. PaaS…
Lizee – Finding the best Circular Model for Customers &  Business

Description Consumers are looking to adopt a circular economy, based on renting and buying second-hand. Anna Balez, founder and CEO of Lizee, shares her insights about consumer preferences with us. Customers demand solutions for their…
HP Instant Ink – Scaling a Value Proposition around the World

Never run out of ink – that is the promise of HP Instant Ink. This promise attracts millions of customers worldwide. Shuchir Bhatia, Global Product Manager for HP Instant Ink takes us on a journey…
MUD Jeans – Close the loop with Lease-a-Jeans

Description In this episode, Bert van Son, founder and spokesperson of MUD Jeans, presents the Lease-a-Jeans proposition. Launched already in 2013, this proposition is a key instrument for closing the loop. Bert shares the reasoning…
PaaS Potential Wheel: Does my Product work as-a-Service?

Is it a match? Or not? Or maybe? There are indicators that help to assess the PaaS potential of a product. Not all physical products qualify to be integrated in a winning Product-as-a-Service. Some products…
Why do companies launch Product-as-a-Service businesses?

Product-as-a-Service attracts a lot of interest. They have been launched in many industries, on many continents, in B2C & B2B. There are even arguments that Product-as-a-Service is a superior way of doing business concerning resource…