Hi there, 

This one starts weird but gets less weird. Trust me.

But before the weird — next week is our Future of Fintech conference in NYC. I’ll be giving a keynote entitled “Gradually, Then Suddenly: The Sequel.”

What’s it going to be about?

Imagine The Avengers movie but about fintech. Yes — exactly.

This is awkward

I'm looking for someone/a company that can make me a custom lucha libre mask aka Mexican wrestling mask aka luchador mask.

Google is turning up nothing. Etsy is also not hitting the mark.

Any ideas?

No judgments please.

Meet me in the club

Now it’s time to talk about unicorns. 

Back in 2015, there were just 80 private companies worth $1B or more. Now, there are 830+ unicorns around the world.

At the current pace and net of exits (due to unicorns going public or being acquired), we expect we’ll cross 1,000 in February 2022.  

Get access to our top reports on the world’s billion-dollar private companies, including a list of the best unicorn investors, a deep dive on the most valuable unicorn, and more.

Download them here.

When life gives you lemons

70% of upstart tech companies fail — usually around 20 months after first raising financing. 

From product flops to failed acquisitions, take a look at the latest startup failure post-mortems here.

With great power comes great responsibility

Facebook is launching a $50M fund to invest in “programs and external research” to build the metaverse “responsibly.” 

As companies like Facebook move to bring a virtual world to life, we break down 90+ startups building the foundational blocks to the metaverse in this market map.

You only get one shot, do not miss your chance

This is it. It’s your final chance to get your ticket for Future of Fintech (Oct. 5-6, NYC + online).
 

The lineup is killer (as per usual), networking meetings are being booked like crazy, and New York City is ready for you.
 

Here are 5 reasons to attend:

1. Amazing speakers. The CFO of Stripe, the CTO of Ripple, + more 🔥

2. More 1:1 meetings than you can handle with fintech movers & shakers

3. 6-minute demos from hand-picked startups

4. The unveiling of this year’s Fintech 250

5. The aforementioned keynote, where The Avengers meets fintech

There’s less than a week to go. Get your ticket today. Save $100 with code nextweek.

Get your sweat on

Today, Amazon unveiled a new fitness wearable that now includes a screen, a follow-up to last year’s Halo Band. 

It’s also adding accompanying health services like Halo Fitness — a video workout platform similar to Apple Fitness+. 

We dug into Amazon’s strategy in healthcare — including how the company is building consumer demand for its health devices — in our Big Tech In Healthcare report. 

Blockchain filling the gaps

Trade finance, or the business of financing global trade, is notoriously complex. 

Inefficient processes and legacy systems have led to a $1.5T financing gap — missed trades of which SMEs take up the lion's share. 

Find out how blockchain is poised to fill this gap in Blockdata's article here.

Retail Brew. Julia Gray (@juliagrayok) looks at retail tech investment using CB Insights research and quoting CB Insights senior lead analyst Laura Kennedy.

TechCrunch. Connie Loizos (@cookie) covers SoftBank’s dealmaking in Latin America and cites CB Insights data. 

Inc. Anna Meyer (@annavmeyer) talks with senior lead analyst Laura Kennedy about the 3 tech trends that online retailers need to watch.
 

P.S. We’re on a mission to connect the companies building the future with the buyers who can propel their businesses forward. The Director of Product for Marketplace will be key to bringing that to life. Apply here.