Hi there, 

There’s been plenty of SPAC news lately, with everyone from SoFi to Bakkt to Lucid Motors talking about SPAC plans. It bears repeating who benefits — and who doesn’t — from a SPAC:

• Companies benefit from the certainty, speed, and strategic partnerships SPACs allow for

• On the investing front, retail investors can participate in the IPO process, initial shareholders get redemption options, and institutional investors can also get additional profit opportunities

• And of course, sponsors get easy access to capital, significant upside, and the opportunity to invest or drive strategy in later-stage companies

But there are some cons, ranging from time constraints, high retail risk, costly loss of equity, and more. Read more about them here.

For a refresher on what SPACs are, take a look here.

Defying gravity

Despite the chaos 2020 wrought, VC investments broke records:

• Total funding nearly hit $130B, a 14% YoY increase

• There were more $100M+ rounds last year than ever, with 318 mega-rounds that accounted for roughly half of all dollars collected by tech cos

• 147 companies went public, up from 90 the previous year

• A record 28 companies hit unicorn valuation 

Are you the one (hundred)?
 

Applications are now open for the fifth AI 100, our annual ranking of the most promising private AI companies in the world.

Since we announced the last cohort in March 2020:

• Forty-two companies have raised an equity funding round, with 12 raising $100M+ rounds

• Two companies have reached $1B+ valuations

• Two companies have gone public via IPOs and another through a SPAC merger

• One company was acquired by Facebook

Chains and vaccines excite me

Chatter about the pharmaceutical cold chain hit new heights in Q4’20, as Covid-19 vaccines neared and received FDA emergency use authorization. 

From IoT and AI in the biopharma supply chain to what comes after vaccine distribution, here's what clients need to know about the cold chain.

New year, new retail tech
 

CB Insights' consumer managing analyst Thomas Sineau will be highlighting critical retail tech trends to keep an eye out for in 2021 in our upcoming webinar. 

Sign up here for: 

• A behind-the-scenes look at the Retail Tech 100 and the top startups on the list
• Predictions of how and why the retail market will evolve in 2021
• A walkthrough of how to go beyond consumer data to build a complete picture of the retail tech market

Hope it’s not the veldt

Smart homes are making a comeback amid tech advances and demographic changes: 5G and edge computing are allowing faster home devices that can make more sophisticated decisions, and millennials may be more likely to embrace the tech than previous generations. 

From connected appliances to sleep tech devices, clients can take a look at the future of the smart home here.

Bloomberg. Lizette Chapman (@lizette_chapman) uses the PwC and CB Insights Q4 2020 MoneyTree report to cover startup funding trends. 

Food Business News. Monica Watrous (@MonicaWatrous) discusses funding to food & beverage startups with CB Insights senior intelligence analyst Jake Matthews.

CNBC. Ryan Browne (@Ryan_Browne_) reports on Checkout.com’s new valuation and cites CB Insights unicorn data.

P.S. We’re looking for more account executives to join the team. Check out the job specs here.
 

P.P.S. Who are some of the best and smartest, yet relatively undiscovered, people you follow on Twitter with interesting ideas, views on technology, startups, M&A, investing, etc.? Reply and let me know. 

The Blurb

PokéCrashes. A new study estimates that US users playing Pokémon Go while driving have cost between $2B and $7.3B in car damage and injuries. 

Business Insider

Something to vent about. Upgrading HVAC systems could be key to our return to indoor spaces.

Bloomberg

Under their eyes. Companies launching networks of nanosatellites are tracking everything from penguins to shipping containers.

WSJ 

Watching me, watching you. A robot has learned to predict the movements of its partner robot based on visual observations, showing a form of “primitive empathy.”

CNET

Plastic Bagman. A Brooklyn man is using his “Snatchelator” pole to rid the city’s trees of plastic bags. 

NYT