AI tackles diabetes. Global VC funding. Human-free retail.
Do you teen?
Hi there,
Today in Weird Isht That Teens Do: there are apparently thousands of teen-run Instagram accounts dedicated to posting the exact same photo every day.
There’s @samepicofplunger, @samepictureofatoaster, @samepicofanuggetdaily, and many more. Some have as many as 30,000 followers. Teens say they follow the accounts because they love the absurdist humor.
It’s bizarre, but I guess it’s better than eating Tide Pods.
My mind on my funding, my funding on my mind
Global funding increased 2% to $53B in Q3’18 while the number of deals declined from Q2.
Amazon recently opened its fourth cashier-less Amazon Go store, and has plans to open 3,000 more in the next few years. But it’s not the only company working on ways to take cashiers out of retail.
Our new deep dive explores some of the key ideas and technologies used in cashier-free retail, companies using the automation, and more. Check it out here.
Every birdy in the club gettin’ tipsy
While the youths are busy posting pics of plungers and toast, the bird population in Gilbert, Minnesota is getting wasted.
An early frost caused berries to ferment earlier than usual, intoxicating the birds that ate them. So if you get any weird late-night texts from a Minnesota number, just ignore them.
What’s the game plan?
The gaming industry generated nearly $122B in total revenue last year, and it’s expected to reach $180B by 2021.
As the technology evolves, companies are trying to remove the burden of downloading games by moving to cloud-based gaming platforms.
We take a look at patents from Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, and more for clues about what the future of cloud-based gaming might look like. Expert Intelligence clients can read it here.
Ebb and flow
Funding in the US increased 17% in Q3’18 as $27.5B was invested across 1,229 deals. Meanwhile, deal activity dipped for the first time since Q4’17.
PwC and CB Insights’ Q3 2018 MoneyTree report covers this trend and much more. Download the report here.
Do not want
Have you ever wished that your smartphone could drag itself across your desk like Thing from the Addams Family?
Neither have I, but here we are.
A research team in France is exploring how to make our smartphones more…mobile.
They’ve developed the MobiLimb, which is shaped like a finger and can wiggle or tap the user’s hand to alert them about new notifications, be used as a joystick, or wear a furry sheath accessory to look like a cat tail.
The lay of the land
More than $2.56B has been invested across 204 deals to insurtech startups so far in 2018 — already an annual high.
We take a closer look at how the insurtech landscape is developing, including top trends, startups, and more. Check it out here.
AI vs. diabetes
With diabetes on track to affect 1 in 3 adults in the US by 2050, AI will be critical in identifying people at risk and developing new treatments.
From continuous, non-invasive monitoring to more personalized treatment solutions, we take a look at how AI algorithms are transforming diabetes management and key startups developing the technology.
TRANSFORM (December 4 & 5, NYC) is about getting isht done. I look forward to hearing from people from Ferrero to JetBlue to Travelers to Avis to Baidu.
Our speakers have changed their companies and challenged their industries, and they’ll walk you through how they did it.
If you’re a growth-focused executive at a big company, TRANSFORM is for you. We’ll make it even more valuable with a special discount of $750 if you use the code startdoing.
The Industry Standard
CB Insights data is the most trusted by those in the industry and the media. A few recent hits.
What’s the game plan?
AI vs. diabetes
