The Business Model taxonomy captures the fundamental way a company creates value and generates revenue. It focuses on the structural strategy behind the company’s operations, such as offering services, selling products, licensing intellectual property, facilitating transactions, or operating as a public-sector or mission-driven organization.
Business models reflect operational strategy, not industry classification. For example, a company in the software industry may operate as Software-as-a-Service, Business-to-Business, Subscription-Based, or Enterprise, depending on how it sells and delivers its products.
A single company may have multiple business models, but each assigned model should represent a distinct and significant component of the company’s core strategy and revenue-generating operations.
| Category | Taxonomy Label | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Service-Oriented Models | Service Provider | Businesses offering professional, technical, or personal services. This excludes mission-driven organizations that provide services for humanitarian purposes. |
| Service-Oriented Models | Education | Institutions or platforms delivering educational content or services. |
| Service-Oriented Models | Healthcare | Organizations providing medical, pharmaceutical, or wellness services. |
| Service-Oriented Models | Entertainment | Companies producing or distributing leisure, media, cultural, or entertainment content. |
| Service-Oriented Models | Logistics/Transportation | Businesses handling the movement of goods or people. |
| Product-Oriented Models | Manufacturing | Companies producing physical goods from raw materials, parts, or components. |
| Product-Oriented Models | Retail | Businesses selling goods directly to consumers through physical or digital storefronts. |
| Product-Oriented Models | Wholesale | Companies selling goods in bulk to retailers, distributors, or other businesses. |
| Digital-First and Market-Driven Models | Software-as-a-Service | Cloud-based software platforms typically offered through subscription or recurring access. |
| Digital-First and Market-Driven Models | E-commerce | Online businesses selling goods or services through digital channels. |
| Digital-First and Market-Driven Models | Subscription-Based | Companies generating revenue through recurring customer subscriptions. |
| Digital-First and Market-Driven Models | Marketplace | Platforms connecting buyers and sellers, service providers and customers, or other supply-and-demand participants. |
| Digital-First and Market-Driven Models | On-Demand | Businesses delivering services or products quickly through digital or platform-based channels. |
| Digital-First and Market-Driven Models | Business-to-Business | Companies selling products or services primarily to other businesses. |
| Digital-First and Market-Driven Models | Business-to-Consumer | Companies selling products or services directly to individual consumers. |
| Digital-First and Market-Driven Models | Enterprise | Companies targeting large organizations with high-value, complex, or large-scale products and services. |
| Revenue-Oriented Models | Licensing | Companies generating revenue by granting rights to use intellectual property, technology, content, trademarks, or other protected assets. |
| Revenue-Oriented Models | Franchising | Companies expanding or generating revenue through licensed franchise operations. |
| Revenue-Oriented Models | Advertising-Based | Companies generating revenue by selling advertising space, promoted placements, or audience access. |
| Revenue-Oriented Models | Crowdfunding | Platforms or organizations raising money from large groups of individuals. |
| Asset-Driven and Investment-Based Models | Investment Management | Companies managing pooled funds, portfolios, or investments to generate financial returns. |
| Asset-Driven and Investment-Based Models | Asset Management | Companies managing tangible or intangible assets on behalf of clients, investors, or stakeholders. |
| Asset-Driven and Investment-Based Models | Real Estate Development | Companies designing, financing, developing, or building real estate properties. |
| Mission-Oriented and Public Sector Models | Non-Profit/NGO | Mission-driven organizations operating without a primary profit motive. |
| Mission-Oriented and Public Sector Models | Government/Public Sector | Public institutions or government-backed organizations providing services funded or mandated by the public sector. |