CB Insights - RFT → RFP

Hi there, 

Media M&A is picking up.

Here are some recent M&A valuations and price/revenue multiples based on CB Insights data.

Notable 2022 deals:

• Axios acquired by Cox Enterprises for $525M (6.2x trailing 12 months, 5.3x next 12 months)
• Industry Dive acquired by Informa for $525M (6.2x TTM, 4.8x NTM)
• The Athletic acquired by The New York Times for $550M (8.5x TTM)

Some 2020 and 2021 deals by way of comparison:

• POLITICO acquired by Axel Springer for $1B (6.3x TTM)
• Morning Brew acquired by Insider for $75M (3.8x TTM)
• The Hustle acquired by HubSpot for $27M (2.3-2.7x TTM)

Axios’ valuation history is given in the below screenshot. You can dig into Axios' profile here.

Requests for Technology

In this past Saturday’s newsletter, we featured 3 Requests for Technology (RFTs) from enterprises looking for technology vendors.

Just in case you missed those, here they are:

• RFT #1 — A major eyewear manufacturer is looking to provide customers and optical professionals with a remote eye test solution.
• RFT #2 — A global tax consultancy wants to use synthetic data to train machine-learning algorithms for auditing transactions. 
• RFT #3 — A multinational bank and financial services company is looking to create a digital vault for its clients and is examining vendors to work with. 

If you’re building technology which can assist with any of this (or know a company that can), submit an Analyst Briefing here.
 

Trial and error

Clinical trials are key to getting new therapies and medical devices to market. 

But from Phase 1 to approval, they can take up to a decade and cost billions of dollars.

Today, pandemic tailwinds are spurring innovation in the clinical trials space. Pharma cos are also looking to emerging solutions to build more efficient and effective trials. 

In our Future of Clinical Trials report, we cover the key areas clinical trials will evolve next, including decentralizing trials and simulating patient populations.

We also analyze the players looking for an edge, from startups to big tech giants like Google and Apple. Download the free report here.

Need for speed

Fast fashion is about to get faster. Blame SHEIN for that.

If you're a clothing retailer (or just a person who wears clothes), you should probably be worried about the fashion behemoth and the impact it has on the environment and the way we shop.

In just over a decade, SHEIN has grown to become the third most valuable unicorn in the world with a valuation of $100B. 

It’s also overtaken Zara, H&M, and Forever 21 to claim the largest portion of US fast-fashion sales — all while existing completely online.

Check out this brief for an in-depth analysis on companies helping fashion retailers compete with the likes of SHEIN.

Take it to the next level

HVAC systems account for around 40% of all energy usage in commercial buildings. 

New digital sensor tech is enabling building managers to optimize these systems.

From HVAC optimization to digital twins, we evaluate 11 tech markets maximizing building efficiency. 

Clients can see which ones building managers should prioritize now here.

TechCrunch. Alex Wilhelm (@alex) takes on unicorn (over)valuation and cites CB Insights data. 

Bloomberg. Kim Bhasin (@KimBhasin) discusses Serena Williams and Selena Gomez’s $5M mental health meetup in the venture capital world using CB Insights research.

Reuters. Yuvraj Malik (@elnovw) covers Indian and global digital lending funding activity and mentions CB Insights research.
 

P.S. Got questions? Our expert is tackling blockchain trends to watch next week. Register here.