Hola,
 

At the close of every year, we take stock of our data, survey our analysts, and project the year ahead in tech. 

We do this in not 1, but 3 cornerstone turn-of-year reports: the already available Tech IPO Pipeline, 2020 Game Changers, and the soon-to-be-published 2020 Tech Trends report.

BTW, if you know someone who might like to receive the upcoming report, send them this link to sign up for the newsletter: https://www.cbinsights.com/newsletter. 

This year, we’ll be covering 14 tech trends that will shape 2020, including: 

• How quantum computing will enter the commercial mainstream
• Why big tech will double down on the healthcare market
• How livestreaming transforms e-commerce and shopping culture
• The move to "zero-waste" supply chains
• A surprise twist in the future of crypto/digital currencies

Rest assured that unlike much of what is produced by the pundit-industrial-complex, our reports explain in depth why we've selected certain categories, companies, and trends for inclusion. They also offer evidence and data in support. 
 

Look for the Trends report on January 16. 

Let me know how I can be helpful

Turns out, those Airpod-wearing, Patagonia vest-clad VCs aren't just in San Francisco.

Check out our map of the most active VC firms in each state, ranging from Andreessen Horowitz in California to Lerer Hippeau in New York.

It's a Wall-E world
 

Waiting at the bar for a cocktail? Please. I’ll only accept cocktails delivered by drones, per Marriott Marquis’ 2017 grand opening in Chicago. 

From live entertainment to animal conservation to underground economies, here are 38 industries drone tech could shake up.

Have a great rest of the week.

• 439 unicorns: Fitness subscription service ClassPass, online real estate marketplace Loft, fintech SaaS platform HighRadius, and data analytics co Sisense all reached billion-dollar valuations to become the latest unicorns. The number of global unicorns now stands at 439. See them all on our tracker. 

• $400M: Quibi, a mobile-first streaming service looking to offer movies cut into 10-minute segments, raised $400M. The company has now brought in a total of $1.4B in disclosed investment, with investors including major entertainment companies like Disney and Warner Bros.
   

• $24B: Xerox said it had raised $24B to finance an attempted hostile takeover of HP. Xerox and HP were both early tech pioneers, with Xerox incubating products like the graphical user interface and the computer mouse. Read their stories, and more, in our report on corporate innovation products that changed the world. 
   

• 160+ years: One of the biggest dairy companies in the US, Borden Dairy Co., filed for bankruptcy after struggling to meet financial obligations. The company, which is over 160 years old, cited “market challenges facing the dairy industry” as a key driver behind the move. We dive into how industries like dairy and meat are being transformed by startups and emerging tech in this deep-dive report.

• ~$89B: Electric car company Tesla, headed by tech billionaire Elon Musk, saw its valuation swell to almost $89B, surpassing that of Ford and General Motors combined. The market for electric vehicles (EVs) is heating up, with even personal electronics maker Sony announcing a concept EV this week. We dig into which companies are vying for a piece of the EV market in our report on the race for the electric car.
   
• 360 employees: Pizza delivery startup Zume will lay off 360 employees and refocus its business on food packaging. The company, which raised $375M from SoftBank in 2018, previously attracted attention for using robots to make pizzas that were then baked en-route to customers.
   

• $155M: Sweden-based telehealth startup KRY raised a $155M mega-round. Interest in telehealth is gaining steam as providers look to digitize more aspects of healthcare. Take a look at more emerging healthcare trends in our latest global healthcare report.

• 700 people: Only around 700 people speak Seke, with almost 7% of them living in the same Brooklyn building, according to The New York Times. The rare language comes from Nepal, where it is reportedly spoken in just 5 villages. 
   
• 200 mph: Uber and Hyundai announced a partnership to develop a flying taxi service. Hyundai said that its concept vehicle would be able to ferry passengers around at speeds of up to 200 mph. Auto incumbents like Hyundai aren’t the only ones going after the space. Clients can see 8 startups looking to build flying cars here. 
   
• 26,000 lives: A study published in Nature Sustainability found that reduced air pollution, attributed to a shift from coal to gas in the US, saved over 26,000 lives between 2005 and 2016. While the full effects of air pollution are still being understood, another study published this month suggested that air filters fitted to classrooms significantly increased test scores. From sustainable shippers, to carbon capture, to next-gen nuclear energy, we highlight startups and emerging tech that could help reduce air pollution in our 2020 report on game changing startups.

This year, Olympic athletes will have a new kind of accommodation in the Athletes Village: cardboard beds.

Takashi Kitajima, the general manager of the Village, says that the bed frames are stronger than wood and can hold up to 440 lbs — though it should be noted that they may break in the event of post-medal-winning celebratory jumping.

The idea came about as the organizing committee was considering opportunities to use recyclable items. After the Olympic games conclude, the bed frames will be used to make paper products.