CB Insights - state of AI

Blockchain disruption.
Huge cybersecurity moves. Insurtech 50 awards.

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March 9, 2022

Play long-term games

Hi there,

Below is CB Insights’ revenue in our first 6 years.

🟩 = $1M

It took us 3 years to hit $1M in revenue.

I know it's not the popular narrative/newsworthy, but sometimes, building isht just takes time.

⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️

⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🟩

⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🟩 🟩

⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 🟩 🟩 🟩

⬜️ ⬜️ 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩

If you’re out there building something, we’re rooting for you.

AND NOW, THE RESEARCH

Cloud battle

Google announced it’s acquiring cybersecurity firm Mandiant for $5.4B. The publicly traded company will join Google Cloud.

This marks Google’s second-largest acquisition after Motorola in 2012, and its second cybersecurity acquisition of the year after Siemplify.

Google is not the only tech giant getting serious about cybersecurity and the cloud.

In 2021, for example, Microsoft acquired companies to secure everything from IoT devices (ReFirm labs) to the cloud (CloudKnox).

Both Google and Microsoft have made public commitments to spend $10B+ on cyber solutions over the next 5 years — and they’re not alone. We analyze big tech’s cybersecurity strategies in this report.

State of AI

2021 was a record year for AI with $66B+ in funding, a surge in M&A activity, and a 5x increase in unicorn births.

Healthcare AI grabbed the spotlight, accounting for nearly a fifth of total funding and 3 unicorn births in Q4’21.

For deeper insights and a boatload of private market data, download the State of AI 2021 Report here.

Big tech’s playbook

From Google’s $5.4B purchase of Mandiant to Microsoft’s $19.7B acquisition of conversational AI company Nuance, big tech has been making bigger — though fewer — publicly disclosed acquisitions in recent years.

At the same time, the group has upped their investment activity across areas like mobility, consumer marketplaces, and enterprise tech.

We analyze all of big tech’s 2021 acquisitions & investments in this report.

IN OTHER NEWS

Banking is only the beginning

Annual spending on blockchain solutions is expected to reach nearly $16B by 2023.

Entrepreneurs are targeting a wide range of industries with the tech:

Insurance — Insurance giants and startups alike are using blockchain technology to prevent insurance fraud, track medical records, file claims, and more.
Real estate — Real estate blockchain applications can help record, track, and transfer land titles, property deeds, liens, etc. When merged with virtual reality and gaming, blockchain is making it possible to buy virtual land.
Food & beverage — As a decentralized ledger that records, stores, and tracks data, blockchain provides a way to monitor the food supply chain and trace contamination issues to their root.

See 62 other industries blockchain could transform here.

No participation trophies here

Building something remarkable in insurance tech?

We just opened applications for our first-ever Insurtech 50 awards, and we want to hear from you.

Here’s how to apply in 2 simple steps:

Fill out this 3-min survey to request an analyst briefing.
Blow us away with your insurtech product.

Apply before March 29 here.

Yummy in my tummy

The grocery supply chain has been hit hard by Covid-19, labor shortages, and shifting consumer demand.

To create a more secure supply chain, CPG companies and retailers are working to transform how food is transported, tracked, prepared, and sold.

We map out 120+ companies using technologies like AI, blockchain, IoT, and robotics to optimize the grocery supply chain in this market map.

EXPERT INTELLIGENCE

The Industry Standard

Healthcare Dive. Rebecca Pifer (@RebeccaMPifer) covers telehealth usage and cites CB Insights data.

Protocol. Jonathan Douglas and Kevin McAllister (@k__mcallister) rank consumer lending companies and mention CB Insights research.

Bloomberg. Matthew Boyle (@bizboyle) discusses the startups addressing employee mental health assistance and references CB Insights data.

I love you.

Anand
@asanwal

P.S. Got technical and leadership chops? We’re looking for an engineering manager. Apply here.

Client-Exclusive Research

[Cybersecurity]
Next-gen tech. Early-stage companies are bringing new solutions to market across the cybersecurity industry.

[E-commerce]
Join the club. Almost half of all e-commerce unicorns were born in 2021.

[Retail]
Here to help. We map out 130+ customer service tech companies.

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