self-driving startup looks for acquirer

Charged up

Hi there,

Electric vehicle startups were all the rage from the 2000s into the early 2010s, drawing hundreds of millions or billions in funding from institutional investors, corporations, and governments alike.

Interest in EV startups plummeted as well-funded unicorns like Fisker, A123, and Better Place tumbled back to Earth in bankruptcy sales.

However, Tesla continues to defy expectations as it gears up for production of its Model 3, and auto OEMs are also deploying their own electric vehicles and EV sub-brands.

Regulations and falling costs have made EV economics increasingly viable for the mass market, and electric vehicles have natural synergies with next-generation mobility trends such as automation and ride-/car-sharing.

These factors have led to a resurgence in investment to electric vehicle startups, with 2016’s annual funding total nearing $1.7B to date.

Smart money in supply chain & logistics

With more tech startups cropping up in supply chain & logistics, smart money VCs have begun to take notice.

NEA, Kleiner Perkins, and Andreessen Horowitz ranked as the most active smart money VCs in the field thus far.

For more on investments and startups in this space, join us on Tuesday, November 29 for our Supply Chain & Logistics Tech briefing.

Have a great rest of the week.

Kerry
@kerrygwu