CB Insights - Zuck goes shopping

Hi there, 

Random observation to kick things off:

When one of your colleagues suddenly starts doing lots of thought leadership stuff on social media, they’re looking for a new job.

Don’t believe me? Just watch for it. 

Anyways, let’s dive into WhatsApp.

WhatsApp groups — just crazy for Indian people?

My family in India loves WhatsApp groups. It’s like getting every internet chain letter, religious video, and inspirational quote plus 6,000 "happy birthday" messages every day.

It’s all pretty overwhelming. Is it similar across cultures?  

Anyways, with all these people hooked on WhatsApp globally, the “WhatsApp-first” startup ecosystem is growing rapidly. 

Since Meta acquired the messaging platform for $22B in 2014, the company has built out features making it easier for businesses to engage with the app’s 2B+ users. 

Funding to companies building their services or helping others build their businesses on WhatsApp has jumped over the last 2 years, according to CB Insights data.

Meta is also leveraging WhatsApp to plant its stake in India’s retail market.

Shoppers in India can now browse and buy groceries directly through WhatsApp, thanks to Meta’s recently launched partnership with JioMart (a venture of Reliance Retail and Jio Platforms, in which Meta has invested billions). 

Meta’s WhatsApp partnerships and investments point to its bigger ambition: becoming a customer engagement platform across the path to purchase. 

Not your Disney’s AI 

The Disney Channel Original Movie "Smart House" came out more than 2 decades ago. Here’s the TL;DR on that film: a family wins a fully automated house, complete with an AI personality named PAT that takes over their lives. 

Smart homes as we envision them now look similarly intelligent but far less dystopian. 

They are set to make managing our work and home lives easier. The homes of the future could also enable retailers to understand their customers better. 

From robotic assistants that (ideally) won’t take control to AR/VR for remote work, we cover the technologies shaping our future homes in this report.

Requests for Technology 

Every week, hundreds of CB Insights customers source technology vendors on our platform.

Here are a few recent RFTs we’ve received:

RFT #1 — A healthcare institute is looking to purchase virtual scribe automation technology to speed up clinical notes.

RFT #2 — A large American consumer brand with offerings in nutrition, beauty, and wellness is exploring collaboration opportunities in the hydroponic space.

RFT #3 — An international engineering and consulting company is looking to evaluate climate risk analytics offerings for the purpose of providing additional value to its clients.

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

Optum-ism

Optum is ambitious. 

In Q2’22 the health services giant saw its revenue grow 18% year-over-year to reach $45B+. And its plan is to get even bigger and even better. 

The company is actively making acquisitions, investments, and partnerships to expand further beyond its pharmacy benefits management roots. It’s eyeing:

• Behavioral health

• Remote patient monitoring

• Value-based care 

• And more

Uncover and unpack all 5 of its most important strategic priorities in this strategy map.

You belong with Web3

Payments leaders, can’t you see that blockchain is the one that understands you?

The proliferation of digital payment channels is fueling massive growth in your industry. Global B2C digital transactions alone could cross $8T in 2022.

As digital payment volumes continue to rise, blockchain and distributed ledger tech could help you make these transactions faster, cheaper, and more accessible. 

That’s why we identified 125 blockchain and crypto companies addressing 8 tech priorities that you face, including crypto payments acceptance & payouts and fiat-backed stablecoins.

Check them out in this tech market map.

Forbes. Nina Bambysheva (@ninabambysheva) covers Web3 challenges and cites CB Insights data. 

Business Insider. Madeline Stone (@MadelineLStone) digs into Shopify’s investment strategy and quotes CB Insights principal analyst Laura Kennedy. 

Becker’s Hospital Review. Laura Dyrda (@LauraMiller19) identifies the digital health startups poised to disrupt EHR giant Epic using CB Insights research.

I love you.

Anand

@asanwal