CB Insights - Apple doesn’t like the metaverse

Hi there, 
 

Public company CEOs doing earnings calls in the metaverse may be a dream you’ll have to wait for a bit longer. 

Mentions of “metaverse” on earnings calls are starting to fall off.

Execs scrambled to understand the implications of the metaverse post-Facebook’s rebrand in 2021. 

Now, could some be avoiding the “M word”? 

Apple CEO Tim Cook, for example, has circumvented the term on earnings calls when asked directly about “the metaverse opportunity”:
 

“Well, that's a big question. But we're a company in the business of innovation. So we're always exploring new and emerging technologies…Right now, we have over 14,000 ARKit apps in the App Store, which provide incredible AR experiences for millions of people today. And so we see a lot of potential in this space and are investing accordingly.” — Q1’22 results

Competitors may be looking to distance themselves from Meta’s vision of the metaverse, favoring terms like AR and VR instead.

Who will define the metaverse? We break down the companies making the metaverse a reality in this market map.

Future nostalgia

Imagine a world in which we can:

• Control devices with our minds

• Reprogram cells to treat diseases

• Build next-gen semiconductors using diamonds

You don’t even need a flux capacitor-equipped DeLorean to experience this reality. There are companies building tech to make the above scenarios and others possible right now. 

Check out our Game Changers report to find out who they are and how their tech could change the world in the next 10 to 20 years.

Direct-to-disaster

D2C brands like Casper and Brandless received significant attention in their early days. 

After all, getting consumers hyped up to buy a mattress or italian herb gluten-free pizza crust mix is an incredible feat. 

However, many of these brands have struggled to turn a profit, lost valuation, or shut down altogether in recent years.

Learn what caused the D2C spark to fade and what today’s brands can do to relight it in our D2C Survival Guide. 

A drug’s life 

Drug discovery and preclinical experiments are time-consuming and expensive. 

But they don’t have to be. 

New technologies — like organoids and protein discovery & design platforms — are emerging that help pharmaceutical companies and contract research organizations (CROs) address these challenges. 

We identify 130 of the companies building them and sort their solutions across 12 categories in this tech market map.

Disrupting women’s health

Women tend to use and spend more money on healthcare than men.

However, traditional women’s health services have proven inadequate in meeting the needs of women due to lack of access, convenience, and personalization.

A number of femtech startups have risen up to tackle these issues across areas like fertility, primary care, and sexual health. Notably, they drew $2.7B in funding last year as a result. 

Find out how these startups are disrupting women’s health here.

Loan origination automation

What can lenders do when they automate the loan origination process?

A.) Reach a wider audience

B.) Accelerate application turnaround time 

C.) Mitigate fraud

D.) Enhance the customer experience

E.) All of the above 

If you guessed E, you’re correct. Now, can you name more than 100 companies developing innovative loan origination solutions?

We can. Check them out in this tech market map. 

Observer. Sissi Cao (@sissicao) discusses Shein’s $100B valuation and quotes CB Insights intelligence analyst Liam Tack. 

Silicon Valley Business Journal. Cromwell Schubarth (@SVBizCrom) explores late-stage tech startup valuations and quotes CB Insights Intelligence Unit SVP Brian Lee. 

VentureBeat. Ben Dickson (@bendee983) takes on AI investment activity and uses CB Insights research. 

I love you.

Anand

@asanwal