The current network environment cannot support the creation and operation of virtual enterprises effectively. The paper analyzes characteristics of virtual enterprises, including information, communication, interaction, and the existing network environment, and then presents an electronic market architecture for virtual enterprises, which is a peer-to-peer network (P2P-VEN, Peer-to-Peer Virtual Enterprise Network). We discuss the core technologies of P2P-VEN, including communication, transfer, search and security. P2P-VEN supports the creation and operation of virtual enterprises, and provides effective information sharing and exchange. It ensures autonomy and privacy of individual enterprises, and is appropriate as the network infrastructure of virtual enterprises.