Hi there, 

First, I’m really hoping the whole "data is the new oil" thing isn’t true. 
 

But sexual wellness isn’t all that's hot.  
 

Take a look at the report here.

Don't miss out on this

Out of thousands of VC firms, only an elite minority account for the outsized returns that VC is known for.

The highest performing investors are curated in our dynamic Smart Money VCs collection. We take a look at how these firms have shifted early-stage deal concentration in the last 5 years here. 

Open for business
 

In the period from April 1-15, early-stage (seed, angel, Series A) deal activity dropped 16% from its March 1-15 levels: 

• March 1-15, 572 deals

• April 1-15, 479 deals

 You can see all the deals here. 

It’ll be interesting to see how this looks in May and also to see which sectors continue to be viewed favorably among investors.

Got low, low, low...
 

Seed deals accounted for nearly 80% of the decline in deals in Q1'20.

Check out how Covid-19 has impacted seed deals and dollars here.

Risk-free

Last week, we hosted a virtual fireside chat for registered attendees of Future of Fintech (NEW DATES: November 16-18, San Francisco), featuring Dave CEO Jason Wilk and Bain Capital Ventures partner Matt Harris.
 

A few highlights include:

• Jason saw ~ $1B deposited into Dave customers’ bank accounts from the recent stimulus package.

• Matt discussed 4 playbooks for fintechs to reinvent themselves, areas of the bank where fintech hasn’t really gone, and why he believes “tech makes things better.”

Want to hear the full recording? 

Register for Future of Fintech risk-free and get access to these exclusive chats, our attendee-only Slack workspace, and more.

Our next fireside will be May 20.

Now speed up, gas pedal

The trucking industry is slated to hit $1T by 2024, but it faced a slew of challenges even pre-pandemic. 

Wall Street Journal. Rob Copeland (@realrobcopeland) and Sam Schechner (@samschech) look at data firm Palantir’s early strategy to protect against Covid-19 and quote CB Insights CEO Anand Sanwal (@asanwal).

New York Times. Elise Craig (@e_craig) covers a shift in investment trends for fertility startups and references CB Insights research.

Fortune. Phil Wahba (@philwahba) breaks down how shopping tech could help retailers weather the pandemic and talks with CB Insights lead consumer & retail analyst Laura Kennedy.

P.S. We’re looking for an associate editor. Check out the role here. 

Glossy

Park de la Distance. A proposed urban park in Vienna would put the maze design to work for maximum social distancing.

Fast Company

All-nighter manufacturing. A scattershot group of engineers, entrepreneurs, and regulatory experts designed a low-cost, FDA-approved ventilator in a matter of weeks.

New York Times

:grimacing:. In recent months, emoji usage has shifted away from sports and party symbols toward houses, masks, and hearts.

Quartz

Hire more Elons. A study shows that Wall Street analysts who share a first name with a company CEO have a better chance at predicting that company’s earnings.

Wall Street Journal