CB Insights - D2C disasters

Hi there, 

Discussion of "tight labor market" on earnings calls is at a 5-year high.

Mentions are concentrated among real estate, construction, hospitality, healthcare, and HR tech/service providers. 

The D2C survival guide

The direct-to-consumer narrative — cutting out retailer middlemen, invigorating “tired” industries, etc. — has captivated investors and consumers over the past decade. 

But many D2C brands today are facing dropping valuations, declining revenue, and even total shutdown. 

What makes D2C life so difficult? 

From Casper to Peloton, we identify lessons learned from major D2C brands that dug themselves into a hole.

Get the report here. 

Looking for an out

AI exits more than doubled in Q2’22 from the previous quarter, jumping from 51 to 110. 

Healthcare AI was the top category for acquisitions, capturing just over 20% of AI M&A deals.

As exits jumped, funding trended downward for the third straight quarter to near 2020 levels.

See top deals, most active investors, unicorn counts, and more in our just-released State of AI Q2’22 Report.

Seeing the forest for the trees

Back in February, Sequoia Capital announced the launch of a $500M+ crypto fund focused on liquid tokens and digital assets. 

While the VC firm has already backed some of the largest companies in crypto — like FTX, StarkWare, and Fireblocks — the new fund signals that Sequoia is doubling down on its existing crypto-related bets, even at the beginning of the crypto market downturn.

In addition, Sequoia’s sister funds in China and India have announced investment strategies focused on the Web3 ecosystem.

Hypermarché

French grocery retailer Carrefour plans to transform into a “digital retail company” by 2026. 

The retailer is investing $3B over the next 4 years to digitize its operations from its supply chain to retail media capabilities. 

We mined CB Insights data on Carrefour’s recent acquisitions, investments, and partnerships to uncover its strategic priorities. Get our analysis here.

Just what the doctor ordered

After seeing substantial gains over the past 2 years, the medical device market has begun to cool off.

But bright spots like AI and wearables continue to gain traction. 

We break down what you need to know about medical device funding and the market drivers shaping the future of the sector in this client-only brief.

Wall Street Journal. Eric Sylvers (@EricSylvers) uses CB Insights data to dig into VC funding in Europe. 

Betakit. Meagan Simpson (@megesimpson) covers layoffs at Hootsuite and mentions CB Insights valuation data. 

Wall Street Journal. Marc Vartabedian (@marcvarta) and Berber Jin (@berber_jin1) look at VC firms’ cash stockpiles and mention CB Insights research.

P.S. We’re talking the future of clinical trials next week. Sign up here.