Hi there, 

We recently highlighted how YC and Coinbase Ventures are refocusing on early-stage investing.

They’re not alone. 

Corporate VCs’ early-stage deal share jumped 7 percentage points in 2022.

In venture overall, early-stage deal share also hit a 5-year high.

Interestingly, the move to the early stage is not driven by bargain hunting. In fact, as of Q4’22, early-stage valuations have held up well. 

Looking through mid-March of this year, investors are becoming even more discerning. 

Dealmaking is continuing to trend downward, and startups are taking longer between rounds.

Amazon expands

Amazon is building on its e-commerce investments to offer B2B supply chain services.

And it’s addressing often overlooked areas like the middle mile and intralogistics.

Discover how the tech giant is building new revenue streams across these areas in our Amazon strategy map.

Hungry hungry data centers

Data centers are critical to storing, processing, and distributing data across the internet.

However, they consume a ton of energy — and consumption is only rising amid the advancement of computationally intensive tech like generative AI.

Learn how tech powerhouses like Google and Amazon are working to boost data center sustainability in this report.

Full circle 

For a time, Stanley Black & Decker explored new areas like healthcare and security.

But now, it’s shifting its focus in favor of its core businesses (handheld tools and power equipment) and adjacent tech.

From its more traditional offerings to 3D printing, explore Stanley Black & Decker’s growth strategy in this report.

Time to shine

Here are 3 billing, expense management, & procurement software companies that recently completed a CBI Analyst Briefing. 

• Florida-based Fintainium provides payments management solutions to businesses. [Connect here.]

• Vendr helps companies navigate the software procurement process. [Connect here.]

• Ramp is featured as a Leader in our ESP Vendor Ranking Matrix for virtual cards & spend management software.
  [Connect here.]

Customers can click “Connect here” above if they want to speak directly to these companies, or hit the Connect button in platform to get in touch with any company with a CB Insights profile.

TechCrunch. Alex Wilhelm (@alex) and Anna Heim (@abracarioca) cover software for CFOs and cite CB Insights data.

Wall Street Journal. Angus Loten (@angusloten) explores SVB’s impact on the enterprise tech market and mentions CB Insights research.

Business Insider. Hasan Chowdhury (@_hasanc) discusses how Credit Suisse’s challenges will affect the fintech sector and mentions CB Insights data.
 

I love you. 

Anand

@asanwal

P.S. There are just 2 days left to apply for this year’s AI 100. Submit your applications here before 11:59pm ET on Friday.

Note: We extended the deadline after the SVB kerfuffle last week. As a result, we won’t be able to give anyone additional time if they miss the Friday deadline. So get ‘er done.