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Facebook cryptocurrency? Robot news anchors. Startups take on traffic.

Call me Wizard

Hi there,

In the early 2000s, startups started trying to differentiate themselves and attract new hires by revamping their job titles.

Fast forward to today, when "innovation sherpa" is an actual title you can put on your LinkedIn profile.

And that's not even the most outlandish one.

From meme librarian to innovation alchemist to time ninja, we rounded up the 25 most absurd job titles in tech.




FaceCoin?

Facebook is reportedly meeting with VCs to raise as much as $1B for its cryptocurrency project, which involves creating its own stablecoin.

How did the company get here? We take a look at major events, patents, and news mentions to track its venture into blockchain. Check it out here.




Science says it’s OK

What better way to start the day? #pizza




 Divvy up the goods

B2B financial management startup Divvy raised a $200M Series C round led by NEA yesterday.

We take a closer look at the company's funding, business model, customer acquisition strategy, and more. Clients can read about it here.




Early bird gets the worm

Need more reasons to attend the Future of Health (Oct. 2-3, NYC)?

The event will focus on the future of the consumer health journey and the key competitive business models & technological trends driving it.



This is your final chance to get a ticket with our early bird rates. Prices go up Friday, May 3.

Get your ticket today.


Live from Uncanny Valley

A Russian news channel has brought on a new robot anchor named Alex.

As of now, Alex can only move his head and neck, but his creators plan to give him fully mobile limbs in the future, which can surely only be a good thing.




 Congestion relief

Traffic is clogging up city streets all over the world, and it's only expected to get worse. Now startups are emerging to tackle the issue.

From connected infrastructure to V2X tech to parking, we take a look at 40+ companies transforming traffic management. Expert Intelligence clients can see them all here.





Scale or fail
 
We're discussing how to scale innovation this June. If you're a senior innovation or strategy executive (SVP-level) at a company with $1B+ in revenue, check out CBI Councils, CB Insights' exclusive network offering access to peers, tools, and insights to accelerate organizational growth.
 
We're a selective group. Apply here for consideration.





The Industry Standard

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

Forbes. Denise Lee Yohn (@deniseleeyohn) discusses why startups fail and references CB Insights research.

Business Insider. Lea Nonninger (@leanonninger) reports that China’s fintech funding dropped significantly in Q1’19 and cites CB Insights’ latest Global Fintech Report.

Deal Street Asia. Hock Meng Tay (@hockmengtay1) writes that India has surpassed China as Asia’s top fintech funding hub and references CB Insights’ Global Fintech Report.


I love you.

Anand
@asanwal 

P.S. We're hiring a senior CPG and retail analyst. Check out the job description here. If this sounds like you, we'd love to chat.

The Blurb

A curated mix of articles worth sharing.

Full moon. China, the US, and private companies are racing to develop the moon.
The New Yorker

Crank it up. Air conditioning units could be refurbished to capture carbon and turn it into fuel for vehicles that are difficult to electrify.
Wired

A little too remote? Telecommuters are experiencing symptoms of anxiety more frequently than workers who commute to a traditional office.
Forbes

Apocalypse later. NASA is simulating a cataclysmic asteroid collision.
The Verge

Getting heated. Philip Morris’ tobacco-heating cigarette alternative has been approved for sale by the FDA.
Reuters
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