CB Insights - fart-class flights

Hi there,

Lots of goodness in today’s newsletter.  

1. Applications for the 2021 Fintech 250 are now open.

2. The Future of Fintech is in person and coming back to NYC this fall.

But before we get into all that, I’m happy to report that I booked my first flight in over 14 months last week for a little family vacation later this summer. Hello San Diego.

No sooner did I book than I saw a CNN article about new experimental cabin designs including this double-decker format.

Thankfully this monstrosity won’t be on airplanes any time soon.

Seriously, just imagine being on the bottom row and a dude in the top row lets one rip.

Just truly unacceptable. Say no to fart-class seating.

Snap, crackle, and pop

Etsy has acquired clothing resale rival Depop — which is popular with Gen Z — for $1.6B. 

We looked at how rising e-commerce players like Depop are leveraging trends like social connection to compete against Amazon. Check out the report here.

Join the club

We are excited to open up applications for the 2021 Fintech 250. 

This is CB Insights' 4th annual review of the 250 most promising fintech companies from around the world.

The companies that make the Fintech 250 go on to do big things.  

Here’s a look at what the 2020 list accomplished after being named to the Fintech 250:

• They raised over $24B across 150+ deals 

• 12 companies exited through M&A (examples include Divvy, acquired by Bill.com, and TaxJar, acquired by Stripe)

• 7 went public or filed to go public

To be considered for the 2021 Fintech 250,  you need to get on the radar of our analysts.

How do you do that?

Simple.

Fill out this < 3-minute initial application for the 2021 Fintech 250 before July 1. 

We look forward to learning more about what you’re building.

These streets will make you feel brand new

The Future of Fintech conference is BACK.

And it’s in person (with an online option).

It’s going to be at the amazing Glasshouse in NYC from October 5-6.

As always, we’ll be bringing together the best & brightest founders of fintech companies with the leading financial institutions.

Our promise to you is that you’ll leave Future of Fintech ridiculously knowledgeable and networked.

Knowledgeable about new technologies, new business models, new markets, and new threats.

Networked via meetings you’ll have with a global group of fintech innovators. In fact, at the last Future of Fintech, the typical attendee set up 4 meetings, with the most networked attendee doing 53. Can you top that?

What are you waiting for? Reserve your ticket today.

Seeing right through you

AI is driving faster, cheaper, and higher-accuracy medical imaging.

Clients can check out our analysis of the leading vendors in the market in this ESP Vendor Assessment Matrix. 

Business Insider. Yeji Jesse Lee (@jesse_yeji) reports on patents and the psychedelics industry and cites CB insights data. 

Financial Times. Chris Nuttall (@ChrisNuttall) writes about healthcare AI investment in the #techFT newsletter using CB Insights research.

Wall Street Journal. Yuliya Chernova (@ychernova) looks at Brazil-based VC firm Kaszek and references CB Insights unicorn data.
 

I love you.
 

P.S. Join us for our webinar next week (June 9) to learn about the latest mobility trends. Register here.

Pssst. Private sales of homes — known as pocket or whisper listings — are on the rise in the US.

WSJ  

Sailing off into the sunset. The Luna, a $353M superyacht, is at the center of London’s largest divorce case.

Bloomberg 

Listen up. Audiobook sales rose 12% in 2020 to $1.3B, according to the Audio Publishers Association.

Publisher's Weekly 

Throwback. Retro gamers are on the hunt for old tube TVs, which can better display older games. 

WIRED

Clear skies ahead. Twitter has partnered with a meteorologist to launch a weather news service, with subscriptions starting at $10 a month. 

Quartz