Per my last email

Hola, 

I'm on vacation this week, so I'll be brief — but I did want to mention our summer research internships.

At a lot of internships, you "support" the staff and spend a lot of time on the sidelines. At CBI, we ask our research interns to dig through our data and tell us what they think the future will bring for business and society.

This year's interns put together a presentation about paint-based "ambient sensors," the shape of a new internet, deep space exploration, and more.

Check it out here.




'Cause we are living in a digital world...

Sixty percent of US bank customers are willing to try a financial product from a tech firm they already use. So JPMorgan is using its scale and capital to build out an entirely digital bank.

Its "Mobile First, Digital Everything" initiative is already showing positive results — JPM had around 48M active digital customers last quarter.

We dig into JPM's transformation strategy, investments, M&A, patents, partnerships, and much more.




Better than a T-shirt cannon

Personal entertainment systems are keeping fans away from live experiences like sporting events. Now stadiums are investing in technology to bring fans back to the stands.

From blockchain for ticketing to AI for analyzing crowd emotions, we take a look at 50+ startups scoring big points for stadium tech.




 Partner up

Last-mile delivery cost businesses $86B+ last year. Retailers like Domino's and Kroger are exploring ways to cut costs by using autonomous vehicles, an approach that's gained quite a bit of attention recently.

We take a look at other retailers partnering with OEMs and what their partnerships mean for the AV and brick-and-mortar food spaces. Clients can read about it here.




All's fair in blockchain and trade war

We take a look at five major blockchain consortiums working on distributed ledger technology for trade finance applications, including their recent activity and major milestones.




 Nothin' but a 5G thang

Widespread adoption of 5G technology may take the better part of a decade, but that isn't stopping telcos, chip makers, and OEMs from talking about it.

We take a look at what they have to say and which company has filed the most patents related to the technology. Clients can check it out here.

Have a great rest of the week.


Marcelo
@ballve

P.S. On August 28, we'll be discussing banks in fintech. Register for the briefing here.

This week in data:

• $16B: As of today, the Trump administration is imposing yet another round of tariffs, this time on $16B of Chinese goods. The US is now collecting additional 25% duties on 279 Chinese import product categories, including semiconductors, chemicals, plastics, motorbikes, and electric scooters. Public company executives in fields ranging from motorcycles to banking to food and beverage are taking note, with mentions of “tariff” skyrocketing in Q2 earnings calls. You can read more about what execs had to say here and here.
  
  
   
• 5.6 hours: That’s how long people spend checking their e-mail every weekday, according to Adobe’s fourth annual survey of more than 1,000 white collar workers in the US. The survey found that people thought the most annoying phrase used in e-mail is “not sure if you saw my last e-mail,” followed by “per my last e-mail.” On an average weekday, people spend 2.5 hours checking personal email, in addition to 3.1 hours checking work email. 
   
• 500: Coca-Cola launched more than 500 new products and variants last year, a new record for the company and a 25% increase over the previous year. Recently launched beverages range from cucumber-flavored Sprite (Russia) to whey shakes (Brazil) and sesame-and-walnut drink (China). The aggressive launch of new products is one way Coke is hoping to drive growth. In a similar beverage trend, many US brewers are widening their offerings by investing in cannabis, kombucha, and more. Read our analysis here.
  
  
   
• 29%: You may have heard that Elon Musk isn’t sleeping. (In fact, earlier this week, Arianna Huffington told him to take a nap.) Deficient sleep has been linked to a number of health concerns. New research from Uppsala University in Sweden finds that disrupted sleep alters metabolism and increases the body’s ability to store fat, and permanent night shift workers were 29% more likely to develop obesity or become overweight than rotating shift workers. However, tech startups are now trying to tackle this problem. From makeup brands to hotels to mobile apps, we rounded up the startups shaping the sleep economy. Check it out.
  
  
   
• 65%: Scientists from Murray State University used sewage to calculate drug use in two western Kentucky communities, according to a new study published in Science of the Total Environment. The test found found that use of amphetamine and methamphetamine increased during “special events” like Independence Day and the 2017 solar eclipse. On July 4th, the percentage of the population using meth more than doubled from 4.1% to 8.3%, and the share of people using morphine grew to 62% from 35%. We recently rounded up startups looking to curb drug usage by offering opioid-free pain management. Clients can see the list here.
   
• 116 years: After 116 years behind bars (as pictured on the packaging), the fearsome beasts of Barnum’s Animal Crackers are officially cage-free. The change follows a push by animal rights organization PETA. According to Nabisco parent company Mondelez, the company saw the change as an opportunity to modernize the brand. The most recent addition to the animal cracker herd was the koala, added in 2002 to mark the brand’s 100th anniversary. (Maybe woolly mammoths will be next?)