Hi there,

Covid-19 was a shot in the arm for e-commerce in 2020.

Now, in the thick of holiday shopping season, retailers’ digital infrastructures and order fulfillment capabilities are being put to the test. 

In the second half of the year, funding for the e-commerce space has already grown to $10.9B, a 68% increase compared to the first half. Retailers have posted blockbuster sales, and a number of new e-commerce unicorns have emerged. The largest retail tech rounds are going to companies that support e-commerce infrastructure, including e-commerce platforms, more efficient logistics, and payments.

Dig into our State Of Retail Tech H2’20 report to see investment trends, top deals, and key areas of interest — from cashierless checkout to robotic fulfillment — across the retail landscape.

Common knowledge
 

While Covid-19 has put a halt to "smart city" plans like Sidewalk Labs’ Toronto Quayside project, it’s also highlighted the potential of smart city tech like AI-enabled thermal cameras and IoT sensors in bolstering pandemic preparedness.

See how technology is powering the rise of the smart city in our report here.

Think I'll buy me a football team
 

Change has been long overdue for the wealth management industry, which is facing growing competition, outdated legacy tech, thinning margins, and an aging client base.

Delve into the future of wealth management post-Covid here.

Trial without error?
 

New pharma partnerships are aiming to improve the error-prone clinical trials process, which has garnered renewed interest amid Covid-19.

Using CB Insights business relationships data, we mapped out a number of key clinical trials partnerships in this client-only brief.

Earth, wind, & fire
 

In the first quarter of 2020, renewable energy generated a record-high 28% of global electricity. By 2025, renewables are set to topple coal as the top source of electricity generation.

We identified 75+ companies that are working toward this goal by extracting energy more efficiently and cost-effectively across renewable sources. Expert Intelligence clients can check them out here.

Barron’s. Eric Savitz (@savitz) covers last week’s IPOs and cites CB Insights unicorn data.

Fierce Healthcare. Heather Landi (@HeatherLandi) discusses health tech in 2021 and cites CB Insights managing healthcare analyst Ja Lee (@ja_lee2).

TechCrunch. Alex Wilhelm (@alex) reports on recent IPO delays and references CB Insights research.

P.S. We’re working with a massive number of Fortune 500 companies and are looking for an AVP, Strategic Accounts to lead a team that works with our largest clients.

The Blurb

Gold thumbs. An increase in gardening amid lockdowns has led to archaeological finds in the UK.

NYT 

Balancing act. Human-made mass — from roads to houses to smartphones — now outweighs all living biomass on Earth.

Scientific American

On the rocks. Without this year’s holiday parties, the packaged ice industry is facing a new challenge.

The Guardian 

On-screen chemistry. An expert chats about how the pandemic will change online dating, including the staying power of video dates. 

WSJ

Up in arms. The NYPD’s new robot police dog — Digidog — will get an arm so it can open doors.

Gizmodo