Story of the invincible, arrogant bank

Sand. Meet head.

Hi there,

Today, the spiel is going to be about a bank.

I know that sounds terribly boring.

And it might be.

(But maybe it won’t)

If it helps, we are going to talk about a British bank.

Yeah, that didn’t help.

Oh well.

Before we get to the story, some data.

Medical device M&A

We tracked M&A activity of top medical device acquirers that have made 5 or more acquisitions since 2012. Medtronic is by far the most active acquirer with 15 acquisitions.

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The invincible bank: part 1

The story we’re going to tell is of a bank named Barclays.

Barclays is a proper British bank. 

According to Jes Staley, its CEO, Barclays will always be around.

Like forever. 

He doesn’t think fintech companies are going to challenge Barclays.

These fintech companies don’t recognize that 30% of Britain’s GDP runs through Barclays.

Barclays is “the isht” you see.

Emerging AI applications

From legal tech to real estate to travel tech, and more, we examine the verticals where AI startups are beginning to emerge and identify some key startups to watch.

Check out our Artificial Intelligence Deals tracker for details on the distribution of AI deals across these categories.

The invincible bank: part 2

In big companies, sometimes you run into this Barclays attitude.

It goes by many names.

Hubris.
Arrogance.
Cluelessness.

It’s also worth understanding that there is no upside to saying stuff like this.

Cuz more often than not, you’ll find yourself on the wrong side of history like so many of these CEOs.  

And then we’ll make slides to immortalize your cluelessness.

Slides like this.

That worked out well, eh?

It’s harder than ever to stay on top.

Just look at the data.

Because patents are worth it

Beauty & grooming giant L’Oreal has been extremely active in patent applications, filing over 1575 patents since 2009. Our analysis shows that most of the patents focus on product formulations, specifically in products related to hair care.

The below granted patent is for visually analyzing a shopper’s skin or hair using an iPhone or other consumer device. 

The invincible bank: part 3

The arrogance is surprising especially given Barclays’ stock performance.

In any case, more than ever, incumbents need to at least recognize that threats from insurgents can be real. 

(probably not as publicly as Santander)

And many do. Especially in financial services.

Of course, there will always be folks like Jes Staley at Barclays who don’t.

The Industry Standard

CB Insights data is the most trusted by those in the industry and the media. A few recent hits.

Times of Israel. Shoshanna Solomon writes about the Gett-Juno deal and quotes CB Insights senior analyst Kerry Wu (@kerrygwu) on the subject.

CNET. Luke Lancaster (@lglancaster) writes about the potential partnership between Tesla and Redwood Materials and refers to the SEC filing unearthed by CB Insights.

Insurance Journal. A look at insurance tech funding trends with a reference to data found in the CB Insights and Willis Towers Watson Insurance Tech report.

Energy Digital. Nell Walker (@nellwalkermg) reports on Tesla’s potential ties to Redwood Materials and refers to the SEC filing uncovered by CB Insights.

I love you.

Anand
@asanwal

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