Hi there, 

Prunes have been rebranded to dried plums.

I'm very fascinated by this rebrand.

So fascinated I just bored my wife to tears about this topic for 15 minutes after researching various prune trade associations and the reasons for this rebrand.

Answer: prunes are associated with constipation and they needed to change that association (think probiotics).

If you have thoughts or also find this fascinating and would like to discuss, I'm here.

The prune industrial complex is no joke.

Big tech's big secrets
 

What drives success in tech? 

These 11 tried-and-true ideas (aka “laws”) have guided some of the biggest cos in tech. 

We break down the whys and hows behind: 

• The 2-Pizza Rule: Why small teams lead to big success

• Yule’s Law of Complementarity: When a loss-making product is good for business

• Pareto Principle: Why startups can raise capital even though most will eventually fail

• Law of Mobility: The value of making products available anywhere, any time

• Metcalfe’s Law: Why big networks produce colossal winners

• And more

Get all the key takeaways, including examples from leaders like Amazon, Apple, IBM, and Salesforce, in our 67-page report here.

Apple Pay now (and later)

Apple has taken a big step into the buy now, pay later industry. 

The company announced this week Apple Pay Later, a new feature for Apple Pay which will let users pay for purchases in 4 installments over 6 weeks.

This puts it into direct competition with BNPL players like Affirm, Klarna, PayPal, and others vying for the growing market.

Get up to speed with our research on:

• The outlook for BNPL 

• BNPL’s competitive landscape

• Where BNPL might go in 2022

• Big tech’s activity in fintech

• The future of mobile wallets

More bang for your healthcare buck

Value-based care (VBC) is gaining traction in the US. 

Under this healthcare delivery model, providers receive reimbursement based on patient health outcomes instead of volume of services.

As VBC gains momentum, companies are developing tech to assist providers in fulfilling value-based contracts with payers.

We map out 170+ tech vendors in the space here.

Holding on

Global digital lending startups saw 150+ deals for the fifth straight quarter in Q1’22. 

Funding also held strong despite the broader downturn across the venture market — dollars dipped just 4% quarter-over-quarter, as Europe saw notable mega-round activity.

The quarter also saw a rush of unicorn births and M&A exits. 

Clients can dig into all the details in our State of Digital Lending Q1’22 Report.

Old dog, new tricks

Maersk is the second-largest shipping company (by container capacity) in the world. 

The 118-year-old giant has looked to stay at the forefront of the digital transformation wave reshaping the industry.

But new startups — from visibility platforms to digital freight marketplaces — are emerging to help connect a historically fragmented industry and lower costs by improving shipping logistics.

We look at the companies unbundling Maersk here.

TechCrunch. Alex Wilhelm (@alex) uses CB Insights data to cover unicorn trends.

Forbes. Isabel Contreras (@ContrerasNews) analyzes the 10 biggest fintech companies with CB Insights data.

Bloomberg. Yoolim Lee (@yoolimleenews) and Olivia Poh (@oliviapohtech) cover Traveloka’s fundraising plans and cite CB Insights valuation data.