Hi there, 

Financial services disruption has gone from gradually to suddenly. 

In our State Of Fintech Q3’21 report, we dig into the data. Here are some of the highlights:  

• Fintech M&A exits are at their highest ever in 2021 YTD, already outpacing all of 2020 by 23%

• Q3’21’s financing tally is the second highest on record and marks a 147% increase YoY

• 43 fintech unicorns were born in Q3’21, bringing the total to 206 — double Q3’20’s count

• Asia-based fintech deals reached a new quarterly high

Wild times are ahead in financial services. Download the 236-page report to get global data and analysis on the fintech sector here.

Leaving mom’s basement

The Airbnb Mafia have founded 100 companies and raised $2.5B. 

See which companies have become unicorns, the mafia’s most active investor, and 10 early-stage Airbnb alumni companies to watch here. 

Want to dig into the Uber Mafia? See how much Uber alums have raised here.

M&A crystal ball

Last week, we talked about why everyone from JPM Chase to Stripe to DraftKings is acquiring media companies and audiences/communities.  

And it looks like we’re just getting started.

After we published, rumors broke about PayPal potentially acquiring Pinterest (which PayPal has now refuted).

And then Penn National Gaming completed its acquisition of media company The Score for $2B. For reference, Penn National has been at the forefront of this media M&A trend, buying Dave Portnoy’s Barstool Sports in January 2020.

This trend is only going to accelerate given the LTV/CAC arbitrage.  

We also share M&A predictions on the media properties Coinbase, Airbnb, American Express, and Nike should be looking at. 

If you’re a corp dev team not looking at media M&A, it might be time to take a look.
 

I particularly like 'moral hazard'

Totally random, but the Financial Times 404 page is pretty darn good.

The clock’s ticking
 

There is just 1 week left to apply for the second annual Blockchain 50, our list of the most innovative private blockchain & crypto companies.
 

Here’s how it works:

• Fill out the initial application (it’ll take no more than 5 minutes) by November 2

• If selected, you’ll then be asked to complete our analyst briefing survey

Check out last year’s winners here.

VCs in the house

Investors have pumped record levels of funding into US-based startups this year — and not just to Silicon Valley. 

Piggy banks

We’re looking for companies that sell into the digital lending industry to brief our analysts. 

This includes companies that perform a variety of functions, such as:

• automated loan solutions/software

• cash flow management solutions

• business equipment financing and leasing

• personal finance

• real estate lending software

• automotive lending solutions

• mortgage financing

• payment solutions to e-stores

• working capital to SMEs

Relevant companies include Klarna, Sofi, Athena Mortgage, Ocrolus, Sunbit, Earnup, Lulalend, and Salary Finance among others. 

Sound like your company? Complete the analyst briefing survey here for a chance to be featured in our research and get in front of our clients.

One month to go
 

There’s just over a month to go to get a ticket to the Future of Health (Dec 8-9, online).
 

On the fence? Here are our top 3 reasons to attend:

1. An impressive C-suite and founder-heavy lineup. 

2. Our first-ever showcase of 35+ companies selected by our analysts as key players in the health and pharma market.

3. The opportunity to meet 1:1 with senior-level attendees from the most innovative healthcare organizations and pharma companies as well as top startup CEOs.

Save $100 with code top3.

Reuters. Carolina Mandl (@carolinamandl) and Anirban Sen (@ASenjourno) cover LatAm’s funding boom and cite CB Insights data. 

TechCrunch. Alex Wilhelm (@alex) and Anna Heim (@abracarioca) report on the rise of startups in the Midwest using CB Insights research.

CNBC. Melissa Repko (@melissa_repko) quotes CB Insights senior lead analyst Laura Kennedy in her deep dive on the ultrafast grocery delivery space. 
 

P.S. Have questions about healthcare’s record dealmaking? Get them answered by CB Insights managing analyst Marissa Schlueter in our upcoming State Of Healthcare webinar. Save your spot here.