Copy
Global fintech report. Voting on the blockchain? M&A flops. 

Do it for the (holo)gram

Hi there,

Your career shouldn’t end when you die, right?

Well it doesn’t have to — at least if you’re famous.

Celebrities are digitally preserving themselves so that their holograms can continue on for them in the event of their death. There’s a whole industry for resurrecting dead artists.

Next year Amy Winehouse will be going on a posthumous tour produced by BASE Hologram, the same company that produced hologram tours of Roy Orbison and Maria Callas.


YouTube


Protect the vote

The midterms are just around the corner, and election security is more important than ever. Elections are threatened by malicious parties that can hack voting machines, alter voter registrations, and more.

Blockchain could help.

From cryptographic media verification to digital identity to post-election audits, we dive into how the technology could secure the future of voting.




85% come from $1B+ companies

Some of your peers have already signed up to attend TRANSFORM:



December 4-5 in NYC. Killer speakers. One-on-one meetings. No fluff. Just how-tos.

Like the participants? Check out the speakers. $500 off with code meetme. Prices go up November 1.


Where my money at?

VC-backed fintech companies raised $5.65B across 375 deals globally in Q3'18 — a drop in funding and deals from Q2's record highs. But they're still on track to set a record for annual deals.

Check out our new Global Fintech Report for Q3's new unicorn births, the sectors that saw the biggest dips in deals, and much more.




Swedish chips

Thousands of people in Sweden have had microchips implanted in their hands.

The chips are about the size of a grain of rice and are used to enter buildings and to store emergency contact information, social media profiles, and e-tickets.

Sweden’s main chipping company reportedly has so many requests that it can’t keep up.

What could possibly go wrong?


Giphy


 Let's talk about it

Google was recently in some hot water for its conversational AI feature Duplex, which can make phone calls and reservations for its user while sounding like a real person.

We take a look at some of the tech giant's conversational AI patents to see what else it has in the works. Expert Intelligence clients can see them here.




It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

Mergers and acquisitions are some of the most important ways a big corporation can stay competitive — when all goes well.

Unfortunately, sometimes these relationships just don't work out.

From the Sears and Kmart merger to Google acquiring Nest, we take a look at 37 of the worst M&A flops of all time.




Do you isht bricks? Not really, but...

University of Cape Town students have developed a brick made out of sand, bacteria, and urine.

The bio-bricks don’t have to be baked in a high-temperature kiln like normal bricks, which means they save a ton of energy and don’t emit carbon dioxide.


These zero-waste bricks could be huge.

Unsure what they smell like, but we hear it’s better than most streets in San Francisco.


Robyn Walker


 Howdy, partner

In the race to offer 5G services, mobile network operators (MNOs) like Verizon, T-Mobile, and others have started partnering with equipment manufacturers to develop the infrastructure.

We dig into the partnerships and agreements driving the next-gen wireless system forward. Expert Intelligence clients can read more here.




Grab your mug


There's a reason 675,000 people start their day with Morning Brew, the daily email that delivers the latest news from Wall Street to Silicon Valley.

Business news doesn't have to be dry and dense. Make your mornings more enjoyable, for free. Check it out here.




The Industry Standard

CB Insights data is the most trusted by those in the industry and the media. A few recent hits.

Fortune. Kevin Kelleher reports that fast-casual salad chain Sweetgreen is about to reach unicorn status and refers to CB Insights data.

Entrepreneur. Hayden Field (@haydenfield) reports that Bytedance is now the world’s most valuable startup and cites CB Insights data.

VentureBeat. Kyle Wiggers (@kyle_l_wiggers) writes about data startup H1’s latest funding round and references CB Insights research


I love you.

Anand
@asanwal 

P.S. This Thursday, we'll be discussing the global fintech trends from Q3'18. Register for the briefing here.

The Blurb

A curated mix of articles worth sharing.

Could not stop for death. Celebrities are digitally preserving their images so their careers can continue after death.
Vox

Hand over chip. Thousands of people in Sweden have gotten microchips implanted in their hands.
NPR

HGTV fodder. Students at the University of Cape Town have created bio-bricks made out of sand, bacteria, and urine.
Fast Company

Halp, halp! Google is launching a global contest to develop AI that benefits humanity. The prize is $25M.
The Verge

Fight the good fight. Meet James Allison, 2018’s Nobel Prize winner in medicine for his cancer treatment breakthrough.
Wired

I don’t recall. A Stanford University psychology professor says too much multitasking takes a toll on your memory.
Stanford
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