the bank of Google

Hi there,

With news of Google launching checking accounts, we have further proof that on a long enough timeframe, every company’s ultimate destiny is to become a bank or sell ads (or both).

We’ve been analyzing big tech’s moves into financial services for a while, and our calls have been pretty prescient (#humblebrag).

Here are some of our analysts’ greatest research hits on big tech & financial services:

• How Facebook is betting big on payments

• Apple’s credit card and its shifting financial services strategy

•  How Google is scaling its payment ambitions

See more of our research on big tech in financial services — including Amazon and Tencent’s moves into banking, payments, and insurance — here.

Transform thyself

Check out the hockey stick growth of mentions of “digital transformation” on earnings calls, according to our earnings transcript search engine.

If you’re charged with digital transformation at a large company, you should be at The Collective.

I can’t believe it’s not meat

The meat industry is being disrupted by startups dabbling in insect protein, meal replacements, lab-grown meat, and more.

Find out what’s next in our deep-dive into the meatless future.

Dumps like a truck, truck, truck

Lots of investment has flowed into trucking in 2019, with many notable deals in just the last few days. Two areas of trucking investment include:

On-demand trucking platforms: Deal activity in the last 18 months has definitely intensified across the space, with 2 big deals in just the last 24 hours. Look into on-demand trucking platforms here on CB Insights’ platform. Investors in the space include Jeff Bezos, Warburg Pincus, T. Rowe Price, Bono, and Fidelity, among others.

Autonomous trucking: The autonomous trucking space is also seeing a lot of investment in 2019, with a decidedly US-centered investment focus. Check out autonomous trucking companies here on the CB Insights platform. Investors in autonomous trucking include Sequoia Capital, Bain Capital Ventures, Founders Fund, and Redpoint Ventures, among others.

Ain’t nobody got time for that

Getting to all the business books on your “must read” list is tough. The Collective (Dec. 10-11, NYC) can help. Four impressive authors will join us for fireside chats:

• Scott Galloway, founder of L2 and Red Envelope, clinical professor of marketing at NYU’s Stern School of Business, author of The Algebra of Happiness.

• Scott Belsky, chief product officer at Adobe, author of Making Ideas Happen and The Messy Middle.

• Tom Griffiths, professor of psychology and cognitive science at UC Berkeley, director of the Computational Cognitive Science Lab, author of Algorithms to Live By.

• Rita McGrath, professor at Columbia Business School, director of the Leading Strategic Growth and Change program, author of Seeing Around Corners.

Ticket prices go up 11/15. Use code GreatIdeas for $650 off.

Smart everything

Consumers — and big tech — are more interested in tracking health data than ever. Clients can take a look at the 7 wearables startups that are ripe targets for acquisition here.

NBC. Jason Abbruzzese (@JasonAbbruzzese) discusses how tech cos are entering lending and uses CB Insights research.

Bloomberg. Vildana Hajric (@VildanaHajric) writes about blockchain’s funding slowdown and cites CB Insights data.

Business Insider. Clarrie Feinstein (@Clara_Feinstein) reports on the top-funded AI healthcare startups and quotes CB Insights analyst Victor Adeleke.

I love you.

Anand
@asanwal

P.S. Prices for The Collective (Dec. 10-11, NYC) go up Friday, 11/15. Use the code GreatIdeas for $650 off your ticket.

P.P.S. We’re looking for a client onboarding specialist. Read all about the job here.

#ChiefClownOfficer. Phony entrepreneurs on Instagram are being called out for shilling scams.

The New York Times

So much for avocado toast. Millennials will get sick more and die faster than Gen X will, a study found.

VICE

Cyborg future. “Magnetic skin” could potentially allow people to open doors, turn on lights, and more with just a wave.

Inverse

The stocks, they are a-tumblin’. Wealthy investors are bracing for a major stock sell-off before the end of 2020, UBS says.

Bloomberg