wt heck is ethereum?

We knew e-bikes and scooters in 2015

Hi there,

Here’s my $.02 on industry rankings and awards.

Any ranking of top tech companies that CB Insights is not on is BS, irrelevant, and has flawed methodology.

If, however, CB Insights is on the ranking, we are humbled to be part of it with so many other great companies.

Ok, but what is it?

Ethereum fell 6% today following reports that it is under regulatory scrutiny. Until now, it has mostly flown under the radar of the SEC’s crackdowns.

If you’re still not 100% sure what Ethereum is, fear not — our explainer breaks down how the currency works, what it’s used for, and its drawbacks. Check it out here.

Express yourself

I now see toothbrushes in a whole new light after this comment by the founder of a subscription-as-a-service toothbrush company.

Can WeTalk?

WeWork has gotten quite a bit of attention recently thanks to its $702M in debt financing, which came with news of substantial growth in its revenue — and costs.

The company is also increasingly coming up on real estate incumbents’ earnings calls.

We used our Earning Transcripts tool to see which real estate companies talked the most about WeWork and what they had to say. Take a look.

Talk the walk

In 2015, we detailed the startups in the personal transportation market in a post we called The Disruption of Walking.

With all the e-bikes, scooters, etc. taking over today, it’s good to see that team CBI was, once again, ahead of where things are going.

Not your best idea

Product innovation can help large corporations stay competitive in a rapidly changing marketplace — but some products suggest that there is such a thing as too much innovation.

From Google’s Allo to Cheetos lip balm to the Mercedes Home Battery Pack, we take a look at the 116 biggest product failures of all time.

C’est la vie

Funding to French tech companies kicked off the year with a strong start. Based on the run rate for Q1’18, 2018 dollar funding is set to outpace 2017 by 7%. Deal activity, meanwhile, is expected to drop by 10% from last year.

We discuss this and more in our new Tech Funding Trends In France Report in partnership with La French Tech. Check it out here.

More money, please

According to an impromptu poll of my 10 closest CEO friends, 10 out of 10 believe they are undervalued and should be paid more; but somehow, the same ten don’t want to figure out all the details.

Our partners at Radford have solved this problem — for CEOs and everyone else ― and are putting together one of the largest compensation surveys for private, VC-backed firms. They already have 400+ companies in their database, so check them out and join in.

Also, stay tuned for some upcoming research briefs from Radford on CB Insights.

The Industry Standard

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

Financial Times. Harriet Agnew (@harrietagnew) writes about the growth of France’s tech scene and refers to La French Tech and CB Insights’ French Tech Report.

Business Insider. Tara Francis Chan (@taramfrancis) reports that employees’ brain waves are being monitored in Chinese factories, state-owned enterprises, and the military, and cites CB Insights research.

VentureBeat. Shuly Galili (@shulygalili) discusses why Israel-based startups are focused on using AI to solve problems in industries like mining and energy and refers to CB Insights’ AI 100.

I love you.

Anand
@asanwal

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