Paging Dr. Patel

Hi there,

We received lots of questions about the NY Times - CB Insights VC rankings.  Answers below.

But first...

Spotted this on a box of my daughter's Legos.

We've arrived.




Higher and higher

Global corporate venture capital activity is still on the rise. CVCs around the world participated in 1,791 global deals worth $31.2B in funding in 2017.

For more on CVC investment activity, check out our 2017 Global CVC Report.




VC rankings: what not to do

As mentioned yesterday, we're working with the NY Times for the 3rd year on VC rankings. This year, we'll be expanding the rankings — also detailed in yesterday's newsletter.

Thanks to the hundreds of you who've already submitted data via the CBI Editor.



We also got lots of questions.

First, the deadline for submission is Feb 16, 2018. If you wait to the last minute and encounter issues or have questions, that is not our fault. Get your PR firm or your comms team to get the data in early and going forward, have them update it weekly or monthly using The Editor.

Also, there are 2 things not to do.

#1 - Don't ask us to do a briefing on your fund strategy, value, etc.

We don't do briefings.

The rankings are data-driven, so if you think you should be featured or just want to get on our Intelligence Analysts' radars, get us your data via The Editor.

#2 - Don't try to get cute and bury your failures.

Every year, a couple of VCs (or their PR hacks) will try to make the case that they didn't invest in some failed startup or somehow provide some revisionist history of what happened.

Do not do this.  

The rankings are data-driven, and while a "batting average" of sorts is considered in the final rankings, it is one of several factors — as you'll see detailed in the methodology here.


Amazon's next victim: healthcare

Amazon is partnering with Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan to provide "technology solutions" that will offer their US employees "simplified, high-quality, and transparent healthcare at a reasonable cost."

We previously took a look at other companies investing in healthcare startups or focusing on internal initiatives aimed at healthcare innovation as the industry becomes more consumer-centric.




Need I say more?

Here are two of the many reasons you should be at the Future of Fintech conference June 19 - 21 in NYC:

1. Blessing of unicorns. More than a third of the 25 global fintech unicorns will be speaking on stage including Robinhood, Oscar, Affirm, AvidXchange, and Kabbage.

2. (Real) industry leaders. Joining the lineup of unicorns are:

• Adena Friedman, CEO & President of Nasdaq
• Joe Lubin, Co-Founder of Ethereum
• Harit Talwar, head of Marcus by Goldman Sachs

Interest piqued

US corporates are showing interest in AI abroad. In 2017, US-based Intel Capital and Qualcomm Ventures were two of the most active CVCs in the space, backing a total of 11 AI companies in Asia.

Find out what other corporates were active in AI in our 2017 Global CVC Report.




I coulda been a contender

Amazon is location-scouting for its second headquarters and has narrowed its search down to 20 finalists.

We're creating a bracket to predict the winner and see how wise the crowd actually is.

Help us seed the bracket by selecting the cities you think are the top 8 contenders. Vote here.




The Industry Standard

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

Washington Post. Caitlin Dewey (@caitlindewey) reports that Keurig Green Mountain has acquired Dr Pepper Snapple to reach consumers “throughout the day.” The article quotes CB Insights senior retail analyst Zoe Leavitt (@zoe_leavitt).

SingularityHub. Peter Rejcek (@poliepete) writes about the emerging trend in smart home health tracking and cites CB Insights’ patent research.

Money. Olivia Zaleski (@oliviazaleski) reports that Goldman Sachs participated in a $65M investment in Ripple Foods and references CB Insights’ food and beverage research.

Fast Company. Rina Raphael (@rrrins) reports that startups are filling the gaps for accessible fertility care and cites CB Insights’ femtech research.


I love you.

Anand
@asanwal

P.S. If you have a speaker in mind for the 2018 Future of Fintech conference, you can nominate that person here.

The Blurb