Hi there, 

Sometimes people I admire or whose writing I enjoy will give unexpected shoutouts to CB Insights. It’s always a bit jarring and amazing, especially for a company that started with a really terrible name & logo. But it’s a nice affirmation of the work the team has done over 10 years.

I was surprised by 2 such instances in the past week.  

First up, I was listening to a conversation between Clay Wilkes, CEO of Galileo (which was recently acquired by SoFi for $1.2B) and Harry Stebbings on The Twenty Minute VC podcast (see Industry Standard section for a link).

Clay discussed the unbundling of fintech and insights on topics ranging from: 

• the continued verticalization of neobanking

• the growth of LatAm payments innovation (see our  LatAm fintech market map here)

• big tech’s push into financial services (see how Amazon is unbundling the bank here)

But what I liked about Clay’s comments most was his discussion of how he built the company. We’ve always been fans of the revenue-funded mantra at CB Insights, and Clay and team took it to a whole new level bootstrapping for 20 years.  

In discussions of fintech, you don’t often hear the words “unit economics,” “efficiency,” or “cash flow positivity,” but Galileo was built in a different way with an extreme focus on the long-term. The convo with Clay is worth a listen (and more on the shoutout below).

If you share Clay’s enthusiasm for the innovation coming to LatAm fintech, check out the  LatAm fintech market map here.

Checks got bigger

Covid-19 has caused some fintech investors to pull back, but some have continued cutting checks. 

See the top VCs that have remained active over the last year and the largest fintech deals of the quarter here.

Another shoutout
 

One of my favorite nerd reads is Capital Allocation: Evidence, Analytical Methods, and Assessment Guidance by Michael J. Mauboussin of Morgan Stanley.
 

Mauboussin also recently penned Public to Private Equity in the United States: A Long-Term Look and in it, there was another unexpected shoutout to CB Insights. (Thx for flagging Dempsey.)

Not so niche

D2C birth control delivery startup Nurx raised $22M in its Series C extension yesterday. 

More relevant than ever

The fully virtual Future of Health 2020 (September 23-25) has never felt so important.

We'll be covering a range of topics that are likely top of mind at the moment, including: 

• Telehealth: Hear from companies offering online doctor visits, remote patient monitoring, virtual ICUs, and symptom checkers to help deliver care remotely.
• Genomics: Learn more about how genomics can assist with testing/diagnosis, treating diseases, and human longevity. 
• Digital Therapeutics: Find out what’s next for digital therapeutics as health systems continue to be inundated.
• Social Determinants of Health & Population Health: Learn how data and technology can enhance population health and SDOH strategies, especially for communities disproportionately impacted by Covid-19.
• Pandemic Preparedness: Experts share insights from the current outbreak and the technologies and strategies that can better contain infectious diseases in the future.

We'll also dive into new primary care models, healthcare IT, and AI. Ticket prices go up this Saturday, August 15. Save $300 with code FOHTOPICS. 

Boom at 18:20
 

In the aforementioned conversation between Clay and Harry, at the 18:20 mark, Clay gives a shoutout to CB Insights. Listen for it. :)

Clean driving

California-based startup Hyperion unveiled a hydrogen-powered car that can drive up to 1K miles on a tank of hydrogen gas. 

Hydrogen has gained traction as a low-carbon substitute to traditional petroleum-based fuels and natural gas. Expert Intelligence clients can see 30+ hydrogen tech startups developing clean tech solutions here.

Morgan Stanley. Michael J. Mauboussin and Dan Callahan cite the CB Insights unicorn list in their Public to Private Equity in the United States: A Long-Term Look report.

The Twenty Minute VC. Galileo founder & CEO Clay Wilkes (@claygalileo) mentions CB Insights CEO Anand Sanwal (@asanwal) and CB Insights research during his recent interview on the 20VC podcast.

Business Insider. Victor Chatenay uses the CB Insights State Of Fintech Q2’20 report to cover wealth tech funding trends.

P.S. Last chance to register for our healthcare webinar tomorrow.

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