AI for clinical trials. 150+ wellness startups. Apple's new charging tech.

Everyone before me was dumb

Hi there,

Sometimes a new person joins your team and immediately decides the way things are done is stupid and/or inefficient. They invent their own process without taking the time to understand why existing processes are in place.

Bobby Ghoshal and Nick Stamas designed this brilliant framework that describes this situation.

They’ve dubbed it The Prior Idiots Phenomenon.

This might be good to include in employee onboarding everywhere.




Cheaper, better, faster, stronger

The $65B clinical trial market needs a makeover. For patients and pharma companies alike, trials are cost- and time-intensive. Many fail due to enrollment issues.

AI could change all of that. From matching patients with trials, to enrollment, to data collection, we look at how the technology could streamline every stage of the clinical trial process. Check it out here.




So you want to be a millionaire…

Huge, if true.




Are you well?

From sipping kombucha to experimenting with the latest CBD oil to napping in an airport sleep pod, wellness has invaded our society — and startups are riding the trend.

We rounded up 150+ companies that are promoting wellness in nutrition, fitness, business, travel, and more. Check them out here.




 Cloud wars

Amazon dominates the public cloud landscape with 64% of tech professionals running applications on AWS. But Microsoft and Google have each acquired 24 cloud-related companies over the last 5 years — twice as many as Amazon.

We take a closer look at how Microsoft and Google are making a run at Amazon’s cloud dominance in this brief and this client-only note from last week.




Tell me something new

Consumer focus on gluten-free foods has grown over the last decade, and big food and beverage companies continue to release gluten-free products to match that. 

But on earnings calls, these companies gluten-free initiatives are old news.

We take a look at what might be causing the dropoff.




Start me up

Apple is looking to get into wireless charging tech. Its new patent describes charging its devices by stacking them on top of each other and matching up charging points, which can both send and receive power.

See our complete patent analysis here.





Smoke up, Johnny

More governments are legalizing recreational and medical marijuana. Analysts estimate that the cannabis industry will hit $50B by 2026, so startups are rushing to cash in.

We mapped out 100+ marijuana companies that are growing the legal cannabis industry. Clients can view the full map here.




There are riches in niches

In Gartner’s next hype cycle, this will be called “micro thought leadership.”

Note: micro thought leaders needn’t worry about grammar or spelling.




Walk the walk

You’ve seen our Innovation Benchmark Survey. Most companies say innovation is important, but few are pursuing transformative change.

That’s why we’re launching the inaugural TRANSFORM, a CB Insights Conference (December 4-5 in NYC).

TRANSFORM cuts through the fog about the digital revolution and teaches you how to conceive, execute, and scale strategies that ensure your organization owns the future.

RSVP at our early registration rate today to save your seat. Bring the team.




The Industry Standard

CB Insights data is the most trusted by those in the industry and the media. A few recent hits.

Forbes. Alejandro Cremades (@acremades) discusses the inner workings of venture capital firms and mentions CB Insights.

Business Insider. Bob Bryan (@robertbryan4) writes about the growing corporate concern over Donald Trump’s trade war and references CB Insights research.

Entrepreneur. Nidhi Singh (@nidhi_march) reports that Singapore-based ride-hailing startup Grab has hit $2B in funding and cites CB Insights data.


I love you.

Anand
@asanwal 

P.S. We'll be discussing the future of materials on August 9. Sign up here to join us at the briefing.


P.P.S. Stay up to date on all things healthcare with our Digital Health newsletter. Subscribe here.

The Blurb

A curated mix of articles worth sharing.

A private matter. Trading for Tesla shares was halted earlier today after Elon Musk said he is thinking about taking the company private.
TechCrunch


What’s in a name? Neighborhoods that are mislabeled in Google Maps are being renamed IRL.
New York Times

So that was wrong. A full investigation by the FCC's inspector general proves that there was no cyberattack to its filing system last May after all.
The Verge


That’s shocking. Making electricity is becoming a less profitable business, which means the electric grid could suffer the same fate as the landline telephone.
Wired

So long, farewell. Indra Nooyi is stepping down as CEO at PepsiCo and will be replaced by Ramon Laguarta.
Reuters

Changing habits. WeWork’s decision to be a meat-free company is changing its employees habits outside of work.
FastCompany

No money there. Making hardware is hard, but making profitable hardware is even harder.
Slate
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