tech that starts wars

Real life Black Mirror

Hi there,

A huge new addition to The Future of Fintech below, but first…

Memes that kill

This is one of the most important research pieces we’ve ever done.

Why?

I imagine most of you reading this newsletter are optimistic about technology and that, for the most part, you believe the good it does in the world outweighs the bad.

But recently, we’ve also seen the dark side of technology and how it can be weaponized.

So if you haven’t read The Future of Information Warfare that we published last week, you should. 

Blockchain can’t stop, won’t stop

Cryptocurrency prices have dropped significantly, but development is going full speed ahead, with investment in blockchain startups is set to hit record highs this year.

From ICOs to top VCs embracing crypto to regulatory activity, we look at 8 trends shaping the future of blockchain.

So is Canada winning, or not?

Here are 2 news articles from May 3. In this one, Canada’s talent is leaving for Silicon Valley.

In this one, American techies are packing up to go to Canada.

It is actually possible that both are right, of course.

You ain’t nothin’ but a SoundHound dog

Voice-enabled AI company SoundHound raised $100M in Series E funding last week, making it the newest member of the Global Unicorn Club.

We featured SoundHound in our list of 100 AI startups redefining industries. Check out the full list here.

Time to mix it up

US sales are down, so Kraft Heinz is getting saucy. The food giant is mixing its staple ketchup with mayo to create an all new Mayochup product line following an enthusiastic response to a Twitter poll.

We take a look at Kraft Heinz’s earnings calls to see how this concoction came to be and other innovation intiatives. Read all about it here.

You got skills?

If you’re on the hunt for a new corporate strategy gig, some of our friends might be looking for you. Check out these open positions:

• Activision — Senior Analyst, Corporate Strategy and Business Development
• Johnson & Johnson — Health Technology, Corporate Development Lead
• CUNA Mutual — Director, Corporate Strategy and Planning
• JPMorgan Chase & Co. — Senior Associate – Corporate Strategy Group
• Sillicon Valley Bank — Investor Relations Associate, SVB Capital
• Microsoft — Cloud & Enterprise Corporate Strategy Manager

From tweets to loans, fintech’s got a new CEO

I’m excited to announce that Anthony Noto, the newly appointed CEO of SoFi ($4.5B valuation) and former COO of Twitter, will be joining us at The Future of Fintech.

From student loans to wealth management to a new credit card initiative, we’ll dig into how SoFi is doing and where it’s going next.

Since interest in our pair tickets was very high, we’ve made them available for 1 more day — meaning today.

If you are attending solo, the code newCEO gets you $500 off.

The Industry Standard

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

Business Insider. Oscar WIlliams-Grut (@OscarWGrut) reports on the top 27 fintech unicorns and cites CB Insights’ Q1 2018 Global Fintech Report.

Forbes. Bill Fischer (@bill_fischer) writes about why corporate innovation is slow and analyzes the results of the CB Insights State of Innovation report.

Quartz. Dave Gershgorn (@davegershgorn) compares the trend of government-backed AI investments to the space race and uses CB Insights research on AI trends to watch.

I love you.

Anand
@asanwal

P.S. On May 10, we’ll be discussing the state of AI in China. Sign up here to join us at the briefing.

P.P.S. Refer new subscribers to the CB Insights newsletter and win free swag through our CB Insiders program. Get started here.

P.P.P.S. We’re hiring a product manager at CB Insights.