CB Insights - it’s here: the Fintech 250

Hi there, 

We released our third annual Fintech 250 today. 

Our analysts combed through 16,000 cos to handpick 250 of the most innovative fintech cos globally, which work across every fintech realm you can think of: payments, crypto, asset management, banking, lending, compliance, and more. 

Some interesting tidbits from this year’s cohort: 

• 13% of the startups on this list are unicorns

• The top-funded co is Grab, which has raised $9.7B across 22 rounds 

• 46% are based outside of the US, with the UK coming in second place for the most Fintech 250 startups

• Ribbit Capital is the most active investor, with participation in 45 Fintech 250 deals since 2018  

For our methodology, more insights, and the interactive collection, check out our post here.

Mentally I am here (at home)
 

Knowledge workers are more productive at home, according to a Harvard Business Review study.

But are offices over? We visualize what the post-Covid office could look like in this report. 

Voice your concerns now
 

Amazon recently introduced Halo, a fitness wearable that will track your physical activity, sleep, and emotional state — by analyzing snippets of your voice.  

From the rollout of its voice-first digital front door to its control over the pharmacy supply chain, we look at how Amazon — as well as the rest of big tech — is targeting the healthcare industry here. 

Trust issues

Facebook took down fake accounts and pages linked to a disinformation group — which had previously interfered with the 2016 presidential election — today. 

We cover the technologies, tactics, and implications of disinformation in this report.

New gigs
 

Uber and Lyft's recent court battles regarding gig workers' statuses have drawn much attention to the gig economy — which counts 57M workers in the US alone. 

Expert Intelligence clients can check out 70+ fintech cos that are building services for this growing labor market here.

WWD. Adriana Lee (@adra_la) mentions CB Insights research and quotes CB Insights senior lead retail analyst Laura Kennedy in covering e-commerce trends.

Morning Brew. Ryan Duffy (@RyanfDuffy) cites CB Insights’ AI In Numbers Q2’20 report in the Emerging Tech Brew’s What is AI? guide. 

Glossy. Emma Sandler (@EmmaSandler) reports on Henkel’s men’s grooming brand launch and quotes CB Insights analyst Kenya Watson.
 

P.S. 25+ winners from the Fintech 250 will be presenting at our upcoming fully virtual Future of Fintech Conference (November 16-18). Save $250 off your ticket with code top250.

The Blurb
 

E-ships ahoy. Autonomous ships could make navigating and researching marine environments more efficient and cost-effective.

WSJ

Wrong way. American transportation planners have used travel demand modeling to determine what to build for decades, but it’s often wrong.

VICE

Chillax. Elephants at the Warsaw zoo will receive liquid CBD doses to test how it reduces their stress levels.

The Guardian

Star stuck. Astronomers are developing strategies to mitigate the impact of satellites on observations. 

Nature

Counterfactual. Most publishers do not fact-check nonfiction books, leaving authors to hire their own fact-checkers out of pocket — if they do at all.

Esquire