my techie valentine 💘

Sugar rush

Hola,

It’s Valentine’s Day and here at CBI we’re eating cupcakes. We hope you are, too.

Here’s some research while you wait for the sugar to kick in.

32’s a crowd

The AI unicorn club is getting more and more crowded. 17 AI startups hit the $1B valuation mark last year, up from 9 in 2017.

From banking fraud prevention to handheld ultrasounds to recruiting software, we take a look at the newest class of AI unicorns.

Feel the love

It’s Valentine’s Day, and love (and cash) is all around. Americans will drop an estimated $30B on gifts and activities for their significant others. If you still need some inspiration, this market map can help you out.

From made-to-order jewelry to sustainable bouquets to a connected pillow that plays your loved one’s heartbeat while you sleep, here are 50+ tech cos to enhance your Valentine’s Day.

 Truckin’ along

Investors are pouring record levels of capital into trucking tech startups. Funding and number of deals in the space hit all-time highs in 2018, with $3.6B invested across 78 deals.

We take a closer look at where smart money VCs are placing their bets in trucking tech. Expert Intelligence clients can read about it here.

Get in loser, we’re going shopping

What does the future hold for retail tech?

From customizable, on-demand clothes to VR shopping experiences to autonomous delivery vehicles, we take a look at the top 21 retail trends to watch in 2019.

 Protect yourself

Data breaches have resulted in the theft or exposure of approximately 200M healthcare records in the US over the last ten years, partially due to increased use of digital health services and connected IoT tech.

Cybersecurity startups are working on technology to help healthcare organizations keep their networks, sensitive data, and medical devices secure. Expert Intelligence clients can see 40+ of these companies here.

Have a great rest of the week.

Marcelo
@ballve

P.S. We’re hiring a data scientist. If you want to build a product that uses data to see and make sense of the future, we’d love to chat.

This week in data:

• 93 days: This morning, Amazon officially canceled its plans to build a new campus in Long Island City, Queens — just 93 days after it announced the location. The decision follows backlash from local lawmakers and unions, who objected to the $3B in state and city incentives Amazon would have received, as well as to potential effects on neighborhood affordability. Notably, the backpedal comes as fellow tech giant Google is investing $1B+ to double its NYC workforce and expand its Manhattan office space.
• $95M: China-based autonomous truck startup TuSimple reached a $1B valuation after raising a $95M Series D round from Composite Capital Partners and Sina Weibo Fund. Founded in 2015, TuSimple has now raised over $177M and has plans to expand its US presence. We recently investigated where top investors are placing their bets in trucking tech.

  

• +1.3M: A record 7 million Americans are now 90+ days behind on car loan payments, according to a new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. That’s 1.3 million more than the former high in 2011, which followed the Great Recession. Because car payments are usually a top priority — often more so than a mortgage or rent — car loan delinquencies can be a major sign of financial stress among lower-income Americans.
• 12: SoftBank invested $940M in driverless-delivery startup Nuro, valuing the company at $2.7B. Last year Nuro partnered with retailer Kroger to make autonomous grocery deliveries in Arizona, with each of its self-driving pods designed to carry up to 12 grocery bags. We previously covered how driverless deliveries will affect brick-and-mortar stores.

  

• $3.4B+: Johnson & Johnson acquired robotic surgery startup Auris Health for $3.4B in cash, with the possibility of additional milestone-linked payments of up to $2.35B. The deal is the largest robotics M&A ever, ahead of Amazon’s 2012 purchase of robotic-fulfillment company Kiva.
• $5B: Denim clothing company Levi Strauss has filed for IPO at a valuation of $5B. The filing comes hot on the heels of strong earnings for Levi’s, which recently reported $5.6B in revenues (11% YoY growth) for 2018. Between strong revenues and a forthcoming IPO, the clothing brand may be bucking the “retail apocalypse” trend. Here are 57 bankrupt companies that haven’t been so lucky.

  

• 192 seconds: At this week’s Westminster Dog Show, Verb the Border Collie took first prize for the agility obstacle course, clocking in at a speedy 32 seconds — but it was Winky, the fluffy white Bichon Frise, who went viral, drawing mass attention for his leisurely run through the course. Winky finished with a final speed of 192 seconds. Clients can check out our Pet Tech Collection here