21 biggest VC exits

Air is the mission?

Hi there,

If you’re shopping for Xmas gifts today, find off-the-beaten-path gifts with the CB Insights gift guide.

It’s the only gift guide out there featuring algorithmically-generated personalized shampoo. 

‘Alexa – Play Havana by Camila Cabello’

The top 3 things people do with their Amazon Alexa or Google Home are:

• Set a timer
• Play a song
• Check the weather

We the best

We analyzed 21 of the biggest VC hits of all time to learn more about what those home runs have in common.

Read our 13,600+ word analysis here.

Consultant go vroom vroom

As we continue to chronicle terrible management consultant frameworks and graphics, here is another one in which:

• The compressor is strategy
• Air is the mission

Got that?

Thanks to reader Alex Birdsall for sending us this one.

If you’re in a meeting and see a terrible consultant framework/graphic, take a picture and send to us at consultant@cbinsights.com.

Stay smart

China, India, and Southeast Asia are three of the largest smartphone markets in the world. Here are the phone upstarts trying to take them over.

Revenue-funded FTW

RXBAR sold for $600M with no outside investors.

Don’t believe the false narrative that you need to raise investor cash to build a giant company.

Cuz sometimes, you just need to shut up and sell 1000 bars.

See The Blurb for the article.

Wheel deals

We analyzed the surge in auto tech private markets financing through 2017.

In both 2016 and 2017 year-to-date, deal activity to companies working on semi-autonomous and autonomous driving technology has eclipsed all other segments of auto tech combined. 2017’s activity has been largely driven by notable deals to NIO and Nauto, among other companies spanning the AV ecosystem.

Happy Monday.

I love you.

Anand
@asanwal

P.S. Don’t forget to vote in our latest bracket which asks: If you had to invest in a company and hold for 10 years, which company would you invest in? Round 2 polls close this evening, so get your votes in ASAP. Vote here.