Hi there,
 

Let’s start today with this public service announcement courtesy of David Ulevitch of a16z. 

Tres commas 

Last June, we teamed up with Fast Company to predict 50 cos that would become future unicorns (notch a $1B+ valuation). 

In less than a year, more than half of our picks (26 of 50 to be exact) have already raised financing or exited for more than $1B. You can log in to CB Insights and see the 26 hits here.

What’s our secret sauce? 

The CB Insights Mosaic algorithm, a metric that predicts startup health.

Read more about it in our whitepaper, and check out all of our future unicorn picks here. Clients can also dig into the numbers behind the cos — including valuations, total funding, and more — in our Future Unicorns 2020 Expert Collection. 

Strutting their stuff
 

From robots that sew to VR mirrors, fashion technology is growing at a faster pace than ever. 
 

Dig into the trends reshaping the fashion industry here. 

Theyyyy’re great
 

Tiger Global Management has backed over 100 unicorns (worth $1B+) — the most of any investor. 
 

See the other top 9 investors by portfolio unicorns and who has the best hit rate here.

Follow the money
 

CVC-backed funding soared to a record $73.1B in 2020.
 

Join CB Insights analyst Matt Hopkins in our live webinar tomorrow (May 12) at 2 pm to learn where CVC dollars are going and what to watch for next. Sign up here.

Going, going, gone

This is your last chance to get tix to our Digitizing P&C Insurance (May 13-14) event.

If you book your ticket today, you’ll be able to join our networking platform right away. And later this week, you’ll be able to enjoy:

• 25 curated company demos

• Unlimited networking for the 2 event days and the full following week

• CBI analyst overviews of the technologies changing claims and underwriting

• Discussions on how insurers can best execute tech partnerships
• Roundtable discussions with peers and partners on topics such as end-to-end automation of claims, emerging risks, and building a TPA-in-a-box

• Interviews with leaders in insurance ranging from Google, The Hartford, AXA XL, Hippo, and more

Check out the detailed agenda here — it’s chock-full of great content you can’t afford to miss.
 

Save $50 with code lastchance. Hope to see you this Thursday!

It’s personal
 

Telematics technologies are delivering the immediate, convenient, and timely digital customer experience demanded by consumers for automobile insurance.

We map out vendors in the personal automobile telematics market in this client-only ESP Vendor Assessment Matrix.

Modern Retail. Cale Guthrie Weissman (@caleweissman) digs into the CB Insights State Of Retail Tech Q1’21 Report and cites senior lead analyst Laura Kennedy.

Wall Street Journal. Jennifer Smith (@jensmithWSJ) covers the autonomous trucking space and quotes CB Insights managing analyst Rachel Binder.

New York Times. Don Clark (@donal888) looks at chip innovation and references CB Insights data.
 

P.S. We’re looking for a head of legal & operations. Check out the job spec here.

The Blurb

Making a splash. Demand for tiny pools that can fit in small New York backyards has soared.

WSJ 

Alpaca-lyptic. TikTok is mistaking alpacas as “protected animals,” restricting alpaca influencers from livestreaming on the platform.

Rest of World

Waste not. Some entrepreneurs are developing tech to 3D print wood using wood waste. 

Fast Company 

Call of the wild. Outdoor retailers are seeing a surge in demand for outdoor equipment, from tents to duffel bags.

The Globe And Mail

Rump bump. Butt implants jumped 22% year-over-year in 2020, as too much sitting and “social media envy” set in. 

Bloomberg