The world of B2B marketplaces can sometimes be glamorous, even exciting. After all, B2B marketplaces are the fastest growing digital commerce sales channel, according to a Digital Commerce 360 ​​projection.

And even in a softer economy and with greater scrutiny, investors are still pouring a lot of money into B2B e-commerce. For example, Freightos Ltd. raised $80 million in new funding in January with an initial public offering. Freightos is a new public B2B marketplace for air and sea freight that brings together shippers and freighters.

And Based in Boston PartsTech, a B2B marketplace and parts sourcing platform, raised $35 million in new funding in May. The influx of working and business development funds from existing OpenView and PartsTech investors, including Insight Partners and BP Ventures, will be used for new product and business development, the Founder and CEO said. Greg Kirber.

But as exciting as the allure of B2B marketplaces may be for many investors and others, the B2B marketplace market is entering a new phase of development. Over the past two years, the B2B marketplace has been dominated by new business expansion with the launch of hundreds of new platforms across multiple industries.

“Verticals that can credibly make the case for a SaaS-enabled marketplace business will continue to attract outsized investment,” says Michael Straub, CEO of Bowery Capital. “Marketplaces that offer meaningful SaaS tools will also generally fare better when it comes to fundraising, compared to marketplaces that operate effectively like business websites and lack a software component.”