Hi there,

Market research has come a long way since its early days, when researchers would approach people on the street to ask about ads in print papers.

Today, people are shopping online more than ever, and marketers have deep wells of customer data — much of it garnered from sources like purchase history, sentiment analysis, and social media mining.
 

These advances are fundamentally changing how market research is conducted. Take a look at what comes next in our Disrupting Market Research report here.

Don't fly blind
 

Although digital spend has accelerated through Covid-19, 63% of companies lack a clearly defined digital strategy, according to the latest EY-Parthenon Digital Investment Index report.

Dig into the full report, which highlights EY’s executive survey along with CB Insights data, here.

Go hard or go home
 

While real estate tech funding has lagged in 2020, this year has seen high-profile exits, including home marketplace Opendoor’s $4.8B SPAC merger.

Expert Intelligence clients can check out 120+ private companies to watch in our US real estate tech market map here.

That SPAC energy

This is going to be the world’s biggest SPAC.

Put it in reverse
 

In the next 5 years, retailers will require an additional 400M square feet to process the surge in online order returns, according to real estate firm CBRE.

A number of startups have taken on the task of optimizing the returns process. Expert Intelligence clients can delve into 9 leading providers and solutions here.

The Economist. The Economist examines the rise of digital medicine and cites CB Insights data.

New York Times. Erin Griffith (@eringriffith) covers the boom in startup deals and cites CB Insights research.

Construction Dive. Joe Bousquin (@Joe_Bousquin) uses CB Insights research to report on construction tech funding.
 

P.S. We’re hiring an Associate Vice President of Strategic Accounts. Sound like you? We’d love to chat.

The Blurb
 

Snap back to reality. A deep-learning robot named Shimon can rap in real time. 

Scientific American

Fenced in. A new study looks at how fences — which have an estimated total length 10x that of the world’s roads — remake ecosystems.

The Conversation 

Hot wheels. A biomedical engineer breaks down the automotive science that saved Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean when his car crashed. 

WIRED

Arecibo out. Drone footage shows the collapse of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. 

The Verge 

Virtual hug. The 25 most viewed GIFs of 2020 are dominated by messages of love and thoughtfulness. 

GIPHY