Hi there, 

“Open for business” is the common refrain from VCs and CVCs on Twitter and their blog posts. They want you to believe they’re still writing checks, and they want founders to seek them out. 

And some certainly are.

But many are just marketing.

And that marketing has a cost.

More below.

Sugar, we're goin' down

Private market funding in Q1’20 is on pace to fall by more than 16% compared to Q4’19. 

Take a look at how the coronavirus could impact startup funding here.

The impacts of WFH

Last week, I saw all these memes and jokes about December WFH babies.

Nobody is talking about the April & May WFH divorces.

This will be big.

Related: Check out the Blurb below about a quarantine-related divorce spike in China.

Self-care is important

Wearables & connected devices present a huge opportunity for brands to connect with consumers beyond in-store visits. 

From giving skin advice through an app to customizing face masks via selfies, check out more beauty and self-care trends in our latest report.

Truth in advertising
 

So for all these VCs and corporate VCs who are talking about still doing deals, that's great — if you're actually doing deals. 

As of this morning, there are  2,080 tech companies in the US that last raised a seed or Series A round 12-24 months ago and that have raised <$20M over their lifetimes. 

These are the companies that are out there fundraising and also most at risk if this downturn continues.

So if you can write checks, these are the companies that want to talk to you.

However, if you’re not going to be making new investments because you want to triage the existing portfolio, there is nothing wrong with that. That’s actually very commendable.

But if that’s your priority, just say that — on Twitter, your blog, and your website — so founders know where to look.   

And don’t do the whole “open for business” thing.  

Nobody will think less of you and founders who may be approaching a cash zero position will appreciate that you didn’t waste their time.

BTW, if you say you’re open for business, it’s easy for CB Insights to track in a couple of quarters if that was, in fact, true. 

It's heating up
 

More than 600 AI healthcare startups have raised a combined total of over $11B since 2014.

Bloomberg. Dina Bass (@dinabass) and Joshua Brustein (@joshuabrustein) report on Big Tech’s recent AI acquisitions binge and cite CB Insights research.

Forbes. Gil Press (@GilPress) breaks down trends in US consumer trust toward AI and references the CB Insights 2019 Global CVC report.

Glossy. Jill Manoff (@JillManoff) quotes CB Insights senior intelligence analyst Natan Reddy (@Natan_Reddy) in her coverage of global fashion company Tapestry Inc.’s response to COVID-19.

P.S. Register for our upcoming webinar on Thursday, March 19, where we'll cover the startups in our AI 100 list and how your business can leverage AI solutions. 

I hear divorce bells. Turns out, spending too much time with someone is a thing.

Daily Mail
 

Bottom-sweeper. A hull-cleaning robot can cut one-eighth of a cargo ship’s total carbon emissions.
Fast Company

IFH (influence from home). Canceled flights and events have grounded the global influencer community.

New York Times

It’s OK to be boring. Unexciting brands may do better if they have symmetrical logos. 
Harvard Business Review