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Marketplaces, platforms and fintech

Online classifieds platform financial model, built free.

A three-statement Excel model for an online classifieds platform, built from your own figures and checked to balance.

  • Free account
  • No card
  • Usually ready within the hour

We use generative AI in parts of our process, so mistakes can occur. Every model should be checked by a person before it is relied on. Read more

The business

Runs the leading marketplace for listing property, cars, jobs or general goods, charging agents, dealers, employers and private sellers per listing (with premium depth products) or by subscription, plus display advertising and adjacent services.

See the sampleHow the model works

In short

  • 01

    Three linked statements

    Income statement, balance sheet and cash flow, linked in every period.

  • 02

    Valued two ways

    Discounted cash flow and trading multiples, side by side.

  • 03

    Monthly to annual

    Monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or annual periods, for up to 30 years.

  • 04

    Checked every period

    A Checks sheet shows the balance sheet balances and the cash reconciles.

The sample

The sample, as Excel draws it.

Built by the same system and checks as yours, on illustrative figures: every sheet as Excel draws it, or live.

Annual · 10 years · Low detail
Online classifieds platform sample model.xlsx
The Summary sheet of the sample online classifieds platform model

Illustrative figures: the sample describes no real business. The live preview shows values; your model’s Excel file has every formula.

How it works

How the model works for an online classifieds platform.

  1. How it earns revenue3 formulas
    Listings and yield · All transaction platforms
    Listing revenuePaid listingsYield (revenue per paid listing)
    Advertising revenue · All audiences
    Advertising revenueAd impressions soldCPM (price per thousand impressions)
    Advertising revenue · All audiences
    Ad impressions soldAd opportunitiesFill rate (share of ad opportunities sold)
  2. What drives its costs3 formulas
    Operating expenses · Across the business
    Total FTEsOperations and deliverySales and marketingTechnologyFinance, HR and administration
    Operating expenses · Across the business
    Total average FTEsOperations and deliverySales and marketingTechnologyFinance, HR and administration
    Operating expenses · Across the business
    Total staff costsSalariesOn-costsOther costs per FTE
  3. What it invests in3 formulas
    Corporate fixed assets
    Capital expenditureRevenuefrom statementsCapex as % of revenueAdditional planned capex
    Corporate fixed assets
    DepreciationDepreciation of the opening asset baseDepreciation of new capex
    Corporate fixed assets
    Closing net book valueOpening net book valueCapital expenditureDepreciation
  4. How it is funded3 formulas
    Debt
    RepaymentsScheduled repaymentsPrepayments from an equity raise and the cash sweep
    Debt
    Closing balanceOpening balanceDrawdownsRepayments
    Debt
    Interest expenseOpening balanceAll-in interest rateshare of the year
  5. How profit becomes cash3 formulas
    Working capital
    Trade receivablesRevenuefrom statementsDebtor daysDays in period
    Working capital
    InventoryDirect costs (positive)from statementsInventory daysDays in period
    Working capital
    Trade payablesCash operating costs (positive)from statementsCreditor daysDays in period
What it covers

17 parts, each one tested.

Every part is a tested building block with its own checks: yours is put together from the ones your business needs.

  • CPI forecastConsensus curve with long-run anchor
  • Operating expensesHeadcount build by function
  • Working capitalFull working capital
  • Income taxCorporate rate with tax losses
  • Corporate fixed assetsStraight-line over remaining life
  • DebtAmortising term loan
  • Dividends and distributionsPayout of net profit
  • Discounted cash flow valuationDCF on free cash flow to the firm
  • Multiples valuationEV / EBITDA multiple
  • Key-metric summaryLast-twelve-month and run-rate metrics
  • Case selectionStackable stress toggles
  • R&D and capitalised developmentGross R&D × capitalisation rateResearch and development expense after capitalisation, with the capitalised software asset and its amortisation.
  • Headcount plan by functionHiring plan by functionEmployees and staff cost by function (cost of revenue, sales and marketing, R&D, G&A).
  • Sales and marketing not attributed to plansPercentage of revenueEntity-level sales and marketing for businesses without product plans (marketplaces, payments, ad platforms, game studios) and for central brand spend deliberately not allocated to plans.
  • Listings and yieldListings × yieldPaid listing volumes and the average revenue per listing (yield) on a classifieds vertical, including depth products and subscriptions.
  • Users and engagementUser growth with DAU/MAU ratioDaily and monthly active users of an app, property or region.
  • Advertising revenueImpressions × CPMAdvertising revenue earned from an audience, by impression, click or advertiser.
Key numbers

The numbers it tracks.

  1. 01listings
  2. 02yield per listing
  3. 03depth penetration
  4. 04audience share
  5. 05EBITDA margin
  6. 06EPS
Used for

What it is used for.

Also used for
  • Scenarios and sensitivities
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Looking for an online classifieds platform financial model template? Ours arrives built for your business, with your figures in it.

See a finished model, sheet by sheet

The sample is built on illustrative figures and describes no real business. Models are calculations prepared from the information you provide. They are not financial advice and must be independently verified. See our terms.