AI: all the numbers

In case you’ve been living under a rock, AI is kind of a big deal. Over 3.6K AI startups across more than 70 countries have raised a whopping $66B since 2013.

So who’s actively investing in the space? Which industries are getting the most deals? What do big tech cos have in the works for AI?

We dig into all of that and more in our latest client-only AI In Numbers report. Clients can check out the Story here.

Not only do Baby Boomers make up nearly 25% of the US population, they are the wealthiest generation by far — and will continue to be so until at least 2030.

It’s a huge market opportunity, and fintech companies are taking notice.

From financial education to investment services to estate planning, we take a look at how fintech cos are working to serve the unique financial needs of Baby Boomers and retirees.

Insurtech saw $1.41B in total global investment in Q2’19, down 2% from Q1. This is the fourth consecutive quarter where insurtech investment surpassed the $1.2B mark.

Want more of the latest insurtech trends? Download the latest report from WillisTowersWatson and CB Insights here.

Smart cities are not a fantasy of the future — they already exist. And they’re expanding. The global smart cities market is projected to be worth $1.4T in the next 6 years.

We dig into what makes a city “smart,” as well as who’s investing in the future of smart cities, the challenges, and more. Read it all here.

Marcelo
@ballve

P.S. We’re hiring a business strategy manager. Check out the full job description here. If this sounds like you, drop us a line.

• • $1B: Microsoft is to invest $1B in OpenAI, a company co-founded by Elon Musk with the aim of creating an “artificial general intelligence,” which can learn to perform a range of tasks currently conducted by humans. Clients can get up to speed on the latest AI investments with our newly released AI In Numbers client-only report.    

• • +2: The unicorn club added 2 members this week. Singapore-based computer vision company Trax raised $100M at a $1.3B valuation, while home insurance startup Hippo also closed a mega-round at a $1B valuation. Take a look at all 377 unicorns by checking out our real-time tracker.

• $7.6B: Investment platform Robinhood raised a $323M Series E to reach a valuation of $7.6B — a 36% increase since its last funding round just over a year ago. The startup has 6M+ users — see how this number compares to its competitors.

• $1B+: Apple is reportedly in talks to buy Intel’s smartphone modem unit, including the chip maker’s 5G modem assets. The move could signal that the Cupertino tech giant wants to develop its own 5G chips in the future — it inked a costly 6-year deal with Qualcomm for 5G modems earlier this year. Not sure why 5G is so important? Check out our explainer.

• -9%: Nissan announced that it would shrink its global workforce by 9%, equivalent to around 12,500 jobs, as it contends with a sharp drop in operating profits. Despite these challenges, Nissan may be well-placed to benefit from the growing popularity of electric cars — its Leaf brand is one of the world’s top selling electric models. Find out more about the top EV players in our report on The Race For The Electric Car.

• • 2: Two digital health companies held IPOs today: Health Catalyst and Livongo. Both companies priced on NASDAQ a few dollars above their estimated ranges, at $26 and $28, respectively. We broke down each company’s top stakeholders — including Sequoia and Norwest for Health Catalyst, and Kleiner Perkins and General Catalyst for Livongo — and the value of their shares. Check it out.

• • 98%: Climate change is more geographically widespread than at any time in the last 2,000 years, according to a study published in Nature. Researchers looked at data from various geological sources to conclude that major climate events over the last two millennia — such as the “Little Ice Age” — were far more localized than the recent upward warming trends the world has experienced, which the study said had affected 98% of the planet.

• 32kg: The medal designs for the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo were unveiled this week. The medals will be made using metals salvaged from over 78K tons of old electronics, including 32kg of gold and 3,500kg of silver.

They achieved this by implanting electrodes into a patient’s forearm, essentially creating a makeshift wiring system for the hand he lost.

Other prosthetics have let their wearers “receive sensory feedback,” but the University of Utah’s system reportedly “ramps up the subtle detection of sensation in the hand.”