BMW, Daimler consider car-sharing merger

Hi there,

The International Finance Corporation, Tencent, and DCM Ventures were among the investors pouring $115M into Houchebang this week, the newest logistics startup to top a billion-dollar valuation.

Houchebang (aka Truck Alliance Inc) is an on-demand platform that matches shippers to truckers in China’s sprawling trucking industry. The company is just one element in our supply chain and logistics periodic table showcasing the key tech companies and investors redefining the industry.

Q&A: Varun Jain, Senior Investment Manager, Qualcomm Ventures

2016 has been an inflection point for both investment into auto tech and the widespread attention that the space has garnered. GM’s sudden acquisition of Cruise Automation in March raised eyebrows around the industry and added more fuel to the rocket ship.

We caught up with Varun Jain (@jvarun83) of Qualcomm Ventures, who led QCV’s investment in Cruise, to get his take on a wild year in auto tech, opportunities for the road ahead, and more.

Check out the full Q&A on CB Insights.

We’d curious to get thoughts from our other readers on what’s in store as well: Do you see auto tech sustaining its momentum into the next year? What’s your top prediction for auto tech and mobility startups in 2017?

Email back with your responses and we’ll publish our favorite answers over the coming weeks.

Auto Tech Insights will be off next week, so this will be our last newsletter of 2016. Thanks for reading and happy holidays – here’s to a great new year.

Kerry
@kerrygwu