CB Insights - smart people suckered

Hi there, 

I don’t mean to brag…

…but I just got a bluetooth-enabled toothbrush.  

Anyways, I thought you should know.

Alright, now on to some chicanery.

One of the greatest marketing/PR tricks startups have pulled off in the last 5 years has been labeling themselves "mission-driven.”

It’s an amazing sleight of hand that I see smart people fall for regularly.

In a down market, all that mission-driven talk seems to be drying up.

January was when we hit peak "mission-driven” news mentions.

I should have shorted the market then. Damn.

The top 100 AI companies

It's our 6th year at CB Insights doing the AI 100.

And every year, the winners keep tackling an even broader set of problems, ranging from recycling plastic waste to improving hearing aids to combating toxic online gaming behavior.

These companies — like their peers before them — will go on to sign huge customer deals, partnerships, investment rounds, and also be acquired or go public.

Our track record on the companies selected is pretty ridiculously good.

If you want to find out who the top AI companies in the world are and what they're working on, dig into the 2022 AI 100. 

Telling it like it is

Got questions about tech? The nerds at CB Insights are all ears.

In our upcoming virtual events, we will be discussing the:

• State of Digital Health, June 2

• Future of the Wallet, June 7

• Future of the Last Mile, June 8

• Future of E-Commerce, June 9

• State of CVC, June 30

Save your spot using the above links.

Quantum FOMO 

Any company that can quickly scale up quantum computing will find itself with a dramatic advantage across far-reaching areas like optimization, simulations, and AI.

While formidable challenges remain, big tech players don’t want to miss out.

See how Google, Microsoft, Amazon, IBM, and Intel are battling for the future of computing here.

All 5,280 feet

Getting goods across the last mile to the consumer is $$$. 

Retailers need to reduce these costs — and delivery management software is increasingly becoming an answer.

These solutions allow retailers to more effectively track how an item is ordered, identify where inventory is located, and better control how the order will be fulfilled.

Major companies like Walmart, Kroger, Gap, and Unilever are partnering with startups in the space.

We outline the market outlook on delivery management software for retailers in this brief, including key benefits of the tech and the top players.

In the lap of luxury 

Luxury retailers accelerated investment in their digital capabilities during the pandemic. 

Today, startups are collaborating with fashion brands to spur innovation beyond traditional e-commerce in areas like virtual goods, sustainable materials, and more.

Check out 70+ early-stage (seed/angel and Series A) private companies looking to reshape luxury retail here.

Wall Street Journal. Meghan Bobrowsky (@MeghanBobrowsky) and Vipal Monga (@vipalmonga) discuss VCs’ survival advice for startups and reference CB Insights data.

Axios. Erin Brodwin (@erinbrodwin) covers mental health-focused funding using the CB Insights State of Digital Health Q1’22 Report.

Nikkei Asia. Sayan Chakraborty (@c_sayan2015) reports on startup layoffs in India and cites CB Insights data.
 

P.S. Get your application in for this year’s Fintech 250 awards before June 21. Apply here.

True blue. Acquiring a new customer can cost anywhere from 5 to 25 times more than retaining an existing one — here are the loyalty & retention tech companies making waves.

Cup half full? Q1'22 insurtech funding fell 58% QoQ to $2.8B, a 7-quarter low.

Food fight. DoorDash has been investing in opportunities to grow beyond restaurant delivery to address all of a consumer’s “local commerce needs."

Digital asset custody primer. With the rising prevalence of digital assets comes the rising need to secure them.