Hi there, 
 

We’re busy celebrating National Fudge Day today, so let’s get right to the research.

Clean team

Sephora is reportedly tightening its clean beauty standards — including banning petroleum-based ingredients and focusing more on sustainability — for brands looking to qualify for its Clean Plus program.
 

We dig into the rising importance of sustainability for major beauty players and more in this report.

We all have to start somewhere

Nailing a pitch is no easy task. 

That’s why we’ve gathered the early pitch decks of 25 startups — from Coinbase to Uber to Airbnb — before they became billion-dollar companies.

Check them out here.

Throw your hat in the ring

In September 2020, we launched our third annual Fintech 250, a selection of the 250 most promising fintech companies around the world. Since then, 49 winning companies have become unicorns, bringing the total for the list to 81 — valued in aggregate at $508B.

Applications are now open for this year's Fintech 250. To be considered, you first need to get on the radar of our analysts. To do that, just fill out the initial application form here (it only takes 3 mins) before July 1.

Check this out

We’re digging into all things retail tech in our live webinar on June 23 at 2 pm. Led by CB Insights senior lead analyst Laura Kennedy, it’ll also give a sneak peek at funding trends for Q2’21.

Everybody gets a bank!

Challenger banks focusing on customer segments like teens, immigrants, and minorities are gaining traction. 

Here are the top-line bullets you need to know about how incumbents are responding to the trend and what’s next for the sector.

Heard on the street

A successful content strategy now requires agility. 

To engage with consumers across channels, marketing teams are turning to content & campaign management providers.

We analyze the competitive landscape in this client-only report.

Insurance Journal. The Insuring Cyber Podcast discusses insurtech trends with CB Insights analyst Niall Williams (@nialljwilliams) and cites CB Insights data. 

Fast Company. Ruth Reader (@RuthReader) covers mental health services for kids and references CB Insights research.

The Information. Malique Morris (@luxeoflique) looks at rising e-commerce cos and cites CB Insights data.
 

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P.S. We’re hiring a solutions engineer who can help our clients better ingest CB Insights data. Apply here.

Browsing history. The inventor of the World Wide Web is selling his source code as an NFT. 

Fast Company

Ring of fire. The SEC has charged 6 Silicon Valley friends with insider trading, alleging they earned $1.7M using unlawful stock tips. 

WSJ

Jumping ship. The number of US workers leaving their jobs for new opportunities is at its highest level since at least 2000. 

Business Insider

I’m feeling lucky. Google is opening its first physical store in New York City this week. 

The Verge

Big bucks. US charitable donations reached a record $471.4B in 2020, boosted by an increase in giving from foundations and billionaires.

Bloomberg