Beyond relevance to government agencies, IQT’s investment activity has historically pointed to next-gen technologies that have the potential to be developed for use beyond the public sector.

IQT has participated in over 50 disclosed deals since the beginning of 2022, with many of its investments falling into areas categorized as “deep tech” — cutting-edge technologies rooted in scientific or engineering advances, such as biotech and quantum computing.

Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post Analyzing In-Q-Tel’s investment strategy: Where the global security investor is betting to enhance the national security of the US and its allies appeared first on CB Insights Research.

In the last 2 years, it has backed more than 20 AI startups — mostly via its OpenAI Startup Fund (which has LPs including Microsoft and other OpenAI investors) — many of which are building on OpenAI’s own infrastructure. The company itself also doles out occasional grants and has acquired 3 startups in the last year.

OpenAI’s recent investments point to potential growth opportunities for the firm, especially as it faces pressure to earn its eye-watering $80B valuation and stay ahead of competitors in the fast-moving generative AI market. 

Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post Analyzing OpenAI’s investment strategy: Where the ChatGPT maker is betting on AI disruption appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Beyond its horizontal generative AI focus, YC is backing startups innovating to solve critical pain points in industrials, healthcare, and financial services. 

Using CB Insights data, we mapped how Y Combinator has prioritized its Winter 2024 investments in key industry verticals.

Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post Where Y Combinator is investing in financial services, healthcare, and industrials appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Nearly a fifth of the deals from its Winter 2024 batch are generative AI startups, spanning horizontal functions from customer support and LLMOps to vertical use cases like fintech and edtech. 

For example, some of Y Combinator’s recently backed startups allow companies to use generative AI chatbots to support HR (e.g., Shepherd) and engineering (e.g., Ellipsis) teams. Others offer genAI-based apps for consumers (e.g., Maia) or tools for customer service agents (e.g., Centralize). 

Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post Y Combinator’s recent generative AI bets privilege productivity and LLMOps appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Over the last 2 years, the firm has participated in generative AI investments to a wide variety of companies. While the investor has largely been focused on model development and deployment as well as horizontal applications of the technology, it has also taken an interest in the tech’s use cases in specific industries, like healthcare and life sciences.

Using CB Insights data, we mapped how Index Ventures has spread its generative AI investments across LLMOps (large language model operations), content generation, and beyond.

Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post Analyzing Index Ventures’ generative AI investment strategy: Which tools are grabbing the VC’s attention? appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Even as broader venture activity slows down, BEV has maintained a decent pace of investment. Over the past year, BEV has participated in 45 deals going to companies in the climate tech space.

Using CB Insights data, we mapped how BEV has spread its climate tech investments across agtech & food tech, renewable energy & grid storage, and beyond.

Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post This is where Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures is prioritizing its climate tech investments appeared first on CB Insights Research.

It just announced plans to invest $100M to help companies make use of genAI and also recently launched a 10-week accelerator program focused on supporting generative AI startups. 

The startups selected for its first cohort are aiming to solve challenges like healthcare burnout, illiteracy, and streamlining tedious employee tasks. Participating startups receive $300K in AWS credit to help develop and run their genAI models.

Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post Where the AWS Generative AI Accelerator is placing its bets across 7 industries appeared first on CB Insights Research.

For example, last year it participated in a Series A round for JITX, which offers circuit board design software for integrated device manufacturers and fabless firms. It also provided seed funding to modular smart factory developer Industrial Next.

Using CB Insights data, we mapped how Y Combinator has spread its manufacturing investments across factory analytics, warehouse tech, robotics, and more.

Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post Analyzing Y Combinator’s manufacturing investment strategy: Where is the accelerator betting on the future of the space? appeared first on CB Insights Research.

The prominent VC went from participating in 20 deals (worth $2.8B in total) in 2021 to just 10 deals (worth $341M) in 2022. In 2023 so far, the firm has only participated in 3 digital health deals (worth $120M).

Andreessen Horowitz’s reduced digital health investment reflects a more challenging funding environment for startups — with investors far less inclined to back mid- and late-stage deals at the sky-high valuations that were common during 2021’s funding boom.

Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post Andreessen Horowitz is pulling back on digital health, but care delivery and wellness tech remain priorities appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Within the digital health space, YC has backed nearly 300 companies. Altogether, YC-backed digital health companies have raised approximately $5B in pre-exit funding.

Y Combinator’s most recent cohort (its Winter 2023 batch) included over 270 companies, with roughly 7% (20) operating in healthcare. 

Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post Y Combinator’s healthcare investment strategy prioritizes drug R&D, care delivery, and insurance appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Business-to-business (B2B) fintechs were central to its strategy — in fact, 85% of the fintechs accepted in W23 cater to businesses.

While 77% of the fintech companies in the W23 cohort are based in the United States, Y Combinator also turned to emerging markets. The accelerator invested in 5 emerging-market fintechs, most of which cater to businesses. A couple of examples include Colombia-based treasury automation platform Milio and account-to-account (A2A) payments solution Palomma.

Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post Y Combinator’s fintech investment strategy focuses on B2B offerings, especially treasury automation appeared first on CB Insights Research.

For example, ad spend in the mobile gaming industry alone is projected to grow 10% this year, generating $6.3B. Top investors are jumping on the opportunity. Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) announced a $600M fund called GAMES FUND ONE in May 2022. 

Seventeen percent of all the deals a16z participated in last year went to the gaming & entertainment industry, and 79% of these deals were early-stage.  

Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post Analyzing a16z’s gaming & entertainment investment strategy: Where did the VC place its biggest bets in 2022? appeared first on CB Insights Research.

The accelerator has continued to back hundreds of companies for its summer and winter classes, and it has been particularly active in areas it has classified as “frontier tech,” like climate tech solutions.

Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post Analyzing Y Combinator’s climate tech investment strategy: Where did the venture firm bet big in 2022? appeared first on CB Insights Research.

The fund’s venture arm, Sanabil Investments, is ramping up while venture activity as a whole is pulling back. Not only did Sanabil Investments’ deal activity increase last year, but it’s also investing more capital year-over-year — the venture arm now commits roughly $3B a year in capital, up from $2B in 2021. In April 2023, the state oil company Saudi Aramco gave Sanabil a 4% stake, worth almost $80B, to further solidify the venture arm’s position.

Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post Analyzing Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund’s venture strategy: Where is Sanabil Investments placing its bets? appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post Analyzing a16z’s AI investment strategy: How the VC is funding the AI global takeover appeared first on CB Insights Research.

While Andreessen Horowitz’s total annual deals fell in 2022 — by 17% year-over-year — the firm still participated in 22 investment rounds in the consumer & retail sector. Its bets spanned a range of categories that serve the travel, food, beauty, and retail industries. 

Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post Analyzing a16z’s investment strategy in consumer & retail tech: Where did the VC place its biggest bets in 2022? appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Garry Tan, Y Combinator’s president and CEO, told Forbes in February that generative AI is “the new frontier — like working on Facebook apps or iOS apps when those platforms were new.” Most of YC’s generative AI bets are bringing the red-hot tech to the enterprise. 

Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post How Y Combinator’s Winter 2023 batch is bringing generative AI to the enterprise appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Its portfolio includes several high-valued tech companies, such as Mindbody, Pluralsight, and Ping Identity.

Since the beginning of 2022, Vista Equity Partners has been involved in numerous transactions and has participated in multiple mega-rounds (deals worth $100M+). The firm has also taken several companies private at billion-dollar valuations.

Using CB Insights data, we mapped how Vista Equity Partners has spread its investments and acquisitions since 2022 across categories like cybersecurity, financial services, enterprise tech, and more.

CB Insights clients can dig deeper into all 21 deals listed above using this CB Insights platform search.

The post Analyzing Vista Equity Partner’s investment strategy: Where the PE firm is betting big across key industries appeared first on CB Insights Research.

AVP has $1.2B of assets under management and invests in data-driven startups that can impact healthcare, customer experience, and underwriting performance. These areas represent opportunities that are relevant to the entire insurance industry.

Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post Analyzing AXA Venture Partners’ investment strategy: What the CVC’s investments reveal about the future of insurance appeared first on CB Insights Research.

The company’s portfolio includes some of the most iconic and successful companies in the world, like SolarWinds, Blue Coat, Stamps.com, and SailPoint.

Thoma Bravo has participated in 27 transactions since 2022. The firm also invested in 5 mega-round ($100M+) deals and took multiple companies private at billion-dollar valuations during that time frame.

Using CB Insights data, we mapped how Thoma Bravo spread its investments and acquisitions since 2022 across categories like cybersecurity, financial services, enterprise software, and more.

CB Insights clients can dig deeper into all 27 deals listed above using this CB Insights platform search.

The post Analyzing Thoma Bravo’s investment strategy: Where the PE firm is betting big across key industries appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Now, it’s ratcheting up its own venture investing to put itself at the center of a sweeping AI ecosystem. This could help kickstart a flywheel to generate revenue from AI startups that build on top of — and pay to access — its models. 

Since October 2022, OpenAI’s $100M Startup Fund (backed by LPs including Microsoft) has doled out a dozen investments to primarily early-stage AI startups, including through its accelerator program Converge, which launched in November 2022.

Want to see more research? Join a demo of the CB Insights platform.

If you’re already a customer, log in here.

The post Analyzing OpenAI’s investment strategy: How the ChatGPT maker is building a generative AI ecosystem appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Fintech was Sequoia Capital’s top investment category in 2022, representing nearly a quarter of the firm’s deals.

Using CB Insights data, we mapped how Sequoia Capital spread its 2022 fintech investments across categories like capital markets, personal finance, real estate, and more.

CB Insights clients can dig deeper into all 25 deals listed above as well as explore Sequoia Capital’s bets beyond fintech using this CB Insights platform search.

The post Analyzing Sequoia Capital’s investment strategy: How the VC is keeping its faith in fintech appeared first on CB Insights Research.

However, some top investors like Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) remained active in the space across various deal stages, valuations, geographies, and sub-industries. 

Fintech is central to a16z’s investment strategy. In recent years, the firm has not only shored up its presence in more familiar sectors like banking, but also reached deeper into newer territory like blockchain. 

Of the 206 deals a16z participated in last year, almost a quarter went to fintech companies — more than any other industry. Sixty percent of these fintech investments closed in H1’22, and the remaining 40% closed in H2’22.

Using CB Insights data, we mapped how a16z spread these fintech investments across categories like payments, blockchain, digital lending, and more. 

Below, we dig into a16z’s top 3 fintech targets in 2022, including key deals in each category.

Payments 

More than a quarter (28%) of a16z’s fintech investments in 2022 went to the payments category. Notable investments include:

• SpotOn ($300M Series F): SpotOn offers a cloud-based platform that provides payment solutions for restaurants and small retailers. 
• Jeeves ($180M Series C): Jeeves offers corporate cards and other expense management tools for businesses, with a focus on credit and payments rails across countries and currencies.
• Tally Technologies ($80M Series C): Tally’s app helps consumers pay off credit card debt more quickly by automating payments.

Blockchain

a16z has actively invested in companies developing blockchain platforms for years. In 2022, 22% of its fintech deal volume went to blockchain companies — although most of these deals closed between January and June, before the year-end turmoil that rocked the cryptocurrency markets. Notable investments include: 

• Matter Labs ($200M Series C): Matter Labs is an Ethereum development company building a rollup layer 2 network designed to lower fees and speed up transactions. 
• Lightspark ($175M Series A): Lightspark, launched in May 2022, is building a Bitcoin payments tool.
• NEAR Protocol ($150M Series B): NEAR Protocol is developing a platform for blockchain-based decentralized applications, with a heavy focus on Web3.
  

Digital lending

a16z’s third-most popular fintech category in 2022 was digital lending, accounting for 12% of the firm’s fintech deal flow. Notable investments include: 

• Point Digital Finance ($115M Series C): Point provides a lending marketplace that allows homeowners to borrow against a percentage of the future value of their property.
• Valon ($60M Series B): Valon offers residential mortgage loan servicing technology through a cloud-native platform. 
• Vesta ($30M Series A): Vesta provides a platform for mortgage origination and underwriting that is designed to streamline processes, reduce risk, and help lenders improve their book of business. 

The post Analyzing a16z’s fintech investment strategy: Where did the VC place its biggest bets in 2022? appeared first on CB Insights Research.