CB Insights - predicting unicorns

Hi there, 

We released our fourth annual Fintech 250 today.

Our analysts combed through 17,000 companies to handpick 250 of the most promising fintech companies globally across payments, insurance, crypto, digital banking, and more.

Highlights from this year’s cohort include:

• 36% are based outside the US. The UK is home to the 2nd most Fintech 250 startups

• Ribbit Capital is the most active VC investor, with participation in 41 Fintech 250 deals since 2019 

Get access to the full list & data here. 

Reading the signals

Commercial 5G has already been deployed across more than 1,500 cities in 60+ countries worldwide.

From retail to financial services, we dig into 20 industries that 5G could transform here.

The gang’s all here

In the last 90 days, the number of unicorns has grown from 728 to 842.

Topping the list are ByteDance ($140B valuation), Stripe ($95B), and SpaceX ($74B). 

Check out our $1B+ market map to see all 800+ unicorns in one infographic.

Right on the money

Speaking of unicorns, since publishing our 2020 Future Unicorn list with Fast Company, we’ve reached a 76% hit rate. Yes, 3 of every 4 picks have hit the $1B valuation mark.

See all of our picks here.

99 problems but cash ain’t one

Money ≠ execution. 

We highlight 210+ of the most expensive startup flameouts in history here. 

The biggest companies in the world use blockchain

Our friends over at Blockdata reported that 80+ of the world's top 100 public companies are using blockchain.

More findings and a deep dive on the technologies they're using — from Hyperledger Fabric to Ethereum — in the full report here.

Bloomberg. Pavel Alpeyev (@pashakun) covers SoftBank’s dealmaking and cites CB Insights data. 

TechCrunch. Alex Wilhelm (@alex) reports on India’s booming startup scene using CB Insights research.

Fast Company. Jeff Beer (@jeffcbeer) discusses mental health co Calm’s strategy and cites CB Insights data.
 

P.S. We’re hiring for a senior director of customer success. Check out the role here.