Hi there,

Digitizing mom & pop retail shops (or corner stores) in India (and broadly South Asia) is shaping up to be an interesting and intensifying battle in the coming years. 
 

Within the last 5 months, a handful of smart VCs have jumped into or recommitted to the space through a variety of investments including:

• Sequoia recently invested in  this company

• Lightspeed and Matrix invested in  this company

• GGV Capital, Tencent, and Sequoia invested in  this company

• Y Combinator invested in  this company

The "informal retail" market (as it is known) is gaining more and more attention. We dig into the other ways technology is digitizing informal retail in India here.

The goods

2020 is projected to set a new funding high for consumer packaged goods as alternative proteins, fitness tech, and gaming companies continue to gain traction.

Take a look at the latest CPG trends in our just-released State Of CPG Q3’20 report.

Bounce back
 

After a tough first half of the year, insurtech companies saw funding surge by 63% in Q3'20.

For a look at the latest global insurtech trends, download our WillisTowersWatson Q3'20 report here. 

The biggest ant in history
 

Ant Group is expected to fetch up to $34B in its upcoming IPO, in what is expected to be the largest IPO in history. 

We cover what you need to know about the fintech giant and the headwinds and tailwinds it faces ahead of its public debut in this client-only brief.

A live Shark Tank?
 

Ever wonder what it's like to be in the room when a major deal happens?
 

We're thrilled to feature a Mystery Deal or Bust session at the Future of Fintech. Our host will be the dynamic Nathan Latka, best-selling author of "How to be a Capitalist" and podcast host. 

Attendees will get a chance to watch live as the founder of a $6M run rate fintech co tries to make a deal with one (or more) investors. Marty Chavez (former Goldman CFO) and Dimitar Karaivanov of Lazard (represented Visa on the Plaid deal) will be on hand to offer expert advice. Will a deal happen?

Register here to get in on the action. Save $300 with code dealorbust.

Modern Healthcare. Jessica Kim Cohen (@JessicaKimCohen) reports on Intuitive Surgical’s new venture fund and cites CB Insights data. 

Built In. Adrienne Teeley interviews CB Insights employees Pratiksha Patel, Puppy Tsai, and Tanja Stendahl about CB Insights’ core values. 

CNBC. Hugh Son (@Hugh_Son) breaks down JPMorgan’s moves in blockchain and cites CB Insights research.
 

P.S. Applications are now open for our upcoming Blockchain 50. Submit your co here.

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