Hi there,

Poll below. But first, let’s talk about Y Combinator’s 32nd Demo Day.

Twice a year, the firm invests $125K in a whole lotta startups. YC released the names of the companies in its Winter 2021 batch and we broke them down for you.

We’ve put together a Y Combinator W21 Demo Day Collection, where you can dig into all 291 cos and their data. You can create a CBI account here if you don’t already have one.

In the Collection, filter companies by YC category, country, founded year, and more (see the selection below). Also check out 2 market maps of the YC companies — one of the US YC cohort and one of the international YC cohort — auto-created using our market map maker. 

It’s that easy. See all the data here. 

The numbers are in

Investors had a field day with fintech cos in Q1’21, shoveling a record $22.8B into the sector.

Every fintech vertical we track — from banking to digital lending — saw funding increase. 

What's driving the boom? Mega-rounds. 

The $100M+ deals, including Robinhood’s and Klarna’s $1B+ rounds, accounted for 69% of total funding in the quarter. 

Check out the full report here for an eye into global fintech investment trends, top deals, M&A activity, and more. 

And sign up for our upcoming webinar for an in-depth dive into the report.  

Make it rain

Yesterday, we talked Travis Kalanick.  

Here’s the poll we mentioned.

The goal is simple.

You want to make a isht ton of money and one of these 3 folks is starting or scaling their next company. 

Who do you back? (click the link to vote)

Frank Slootman 

Travis Kalanick  

Kevin Systrom 

Other 

Note: assume no PR blowback. It’s all about the $$$.

We’ll share the results next week.

Get smart

Join us on May 5 at 2 pm EDT for our webinar on CB Insights’ fifth annual AI 100.

CBI senior managing AI analyst Deepa Varadharajan will highlight the companies to watch from the list and the trends taking off in the space, from AI transparency to virus modeling.

Register here to get an expert look at AI solutions and the momentum behind the market in 2021.

Red flags

Fraud costs the P&C insurance industry more than $40B per year. 

Clients can see our analysis of vendors in the fraud analytics software market in this ESP Vendor Assessment Matrix.

Keeping the bad guys out

As retailers and brands have expanded their digital presence, they’ve ushered in risks such as e-commerce fraud and consumer data breaches.

From endpoint security to consumer data privacy, we highlight 140+ cybersecurity companies in retail in this client-only tech market map report.

Business Insider. Mark Matousek (@matousekmark) covers big tech’s battle over self-driving cars and quotes CB Insights managing analyst Rachel Binder.

The Financial Brand. Jim Marous (@JimMarous) digs into the CB Insights State Of Fintech Q1’21 report.

Bloomberg. Matthew Leising (@mattleising) covers blockchain co Alchemy's funding raise and cites CB Insights data.
 

P.S. We’re hiring a sales development rep to join our high-performing team. Apply here.

Microdose, macro mistake. Marketing startup Iterable fired its CEO for taking LSD on the job.

Bloomberg

Seeing the light. Smartphones’ “night mode” may not help improve users’ sleep, according to a new study. 

Fast Company

Strains and sprains. Doctors are seeing more at-home injuries, as people work from makeshift offices and dive into renovation projects.

WSJ

Off to the races. Thanks to blockchain tech, you can now own, race, trade, and even breed digital horses. 

Sportico

Wood stock. Lumber is now “the hottest commodity on the planet,” as home construction has surged while supply dwindles.

The Atlantic