struggling at startups

Do the hustle

Hi there,

Two weeks ago, we added simultaneous translation into Japanese for The Future of Fintech (June 11-13, NYC) conference.

We received many requests for other languages, so I’m happy to announce that we’ll also be doing simultaneous translation into Chinese and Spanish on the main stage.

This will be our most international Future of Fintech ever, with participants coming from global startups as well as massive financial services institutions from around the world.

To take advantage of simultaneous translation, get your tickets by May 31 and make sure to check the translation box when you register. And if you already registered, please let me or the events team (events@cbinsights.com) know if you are interested.  

Use the code language here to get $500 off today. Prices go up June 1.

Big co to insurgent co

I interviewed a big co exec recently who asked a great question: What trips up people from a big company who might come to CB Insights?

Great question, in my opinion.

I told him there are 3 things.

First, the logo on your business card doesn’t do 80% of the work for you. We are a challenger brand, so all the doors that flew open for you before when you were with the multi-billion dollar company don’t fly open so quickly. You will have to work a lot harder for the same results.

I’ll get to the other 2 components below. But first, some research.

Can’t be tamed

Like it or not, AI is changing human civilization, from how we work to how we travel to how we enforce laws.

As the technology advances and becomes more intertwined in our daily lives, its potential for danger is becoming more apparent.

From Stephen Hawking to Melinda Gates to Sundar Pichai, we look at what 52 experts say about how AI could go out of control.

Snip snip

CRISPR is still in the fairly early stages of development, but the gene-editing tool’s price point and flexibility make it widely accessible — and healthcare isn’t the only industry it could transform.

From breweries to biofuel to bioweapons, we highlight 15 industries that could be fundamentally changed by CRISPR.

Love the grind

The second thing that trips people up when they come to CBI from a big company is the speed. As an insurgent, we view speed as a competitive weapon.

Making quality decisions is important, but even with high quality decisions, outcomes are unpredictable.

And as a result, we will be wrong from time to time.

Moving fast helps us recover from mistakes.

A new teammate who came from a traditional firm told me recently that the pace at CB Insights took some getting used to. He told me his “sleep is much deeper these days.”

Yes, we grind. Those who succeed here love the grind. BTW, if you also love the grind, we’re hiring for pretty much every team.

 I’m a little airplane now

Over the last 3 years, Boeing has rapidly built a corporate venture capital investment portfolio that is now almost as large as that of its rival Airbus.

We take a look at Boeing’s recent investment activity through its CVC arm HorizonX, and analyze how the company views the future of aerospace.

Expert Intelligence clients can read about it here.

Luxury, dahling

Our Luxury Trends Report predicted that virtual luxury goods would be a trend to watch this year, and it seems like we were on to something.

This month, startup The Fabricant sold a blockchain-based digital garment for $9.5K, and Genies — a personalized avatar company that partners with Gucci — raised $7M in funding.

Could virtual luxury goods some day be as big as e-sports? We take a closer look here.

The Fabricant via Instagram

What’s love got to do with it?

True, false, or something else?

 What are you going to do now?

Google, Amazon, and Apple have been making moves in the healthcare space with devices and data, pharmaceutical supply chains, and wearables.

Now the tech giants are venturing into health insurance, and incumbents are taking notice.

We break down what each company has already accomplished in the space and what they might tackle next. Clients can read about it here.

Love the discipline

Finally, successfully transitioning from a large company to CB Insights requires being comfortable with resource constraints.

Show that something’s working and you get resources. We have them.

But investment needs to be deliberate and disciplined. Without that, we won’t invest.

For those who have hired from big companies — successfully or not — what are the keys to success or failure, in your opinion?

The Industry Standard

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

Forbes. Louis Columbus (@louiscolumbus) lists 25 machine learning startups to watch this year and references PwC and CB Insights’ MoneyTree Report.

Nikkei Asian Review. Jada Nagumo reports that India has surpassed China in VC-backed fintech funding and cites CB Insights’ Global Fintech Report.

Wall Street Journal. Laura Cooper (@lcooperreports) explains how Pilot Growth Equity Partners uses AI to source deals and references CB Insights data.

I love you.

Anand
@asanwal 

P.S. We’re hiring customer engagement analysts. Check out the job description here.