What you need to know:

• Funding for AI agents has skyrocketed since 2022, driven by market leaders like Harvey and Luminance. 

• Differentiation will be important to watch — whether through added features, integration strategy, or core product. 

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The post The legal AI market is ripe for M&A — here’s who could get scooped up next appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Outside of costly content licensing deals, model developers and enterprises are turning to synthetic data — artificially generated datasets such as text and images — to supplement AI model training, especially in domains where data availability is limited or privacy is a concern. 

Since 2022, nearly 30 of 50 vendors identified in the synthetic training data space have raised equity funding. But overall funding has stalled as big tech eyes opportunities in the space — and as generative AI itself has upended the business models of data simulation companies founded prior to LLMs mainstream arrival. 

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The post Synthetic data funding has stalled as big tech moves in — we analyzed 50 companies to identify green shoots in the space appeared first on CB Insights Research.

What you need to know:

• While the micromobility market has been tumultuous, continued demand from consumers is incentivizing players working to figure out a profitable solution. 
• The maintenance and charging of electric batteries have been a common pain point for various business models, but new solutions are emerging. 
• B2B players are entering the market to serve last-mile logistics and sustainability goals.
  

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Micromobility is not an easy business — just look at the plight of electric scooter pioneer Bird, a former VC darling. Demand is not the issue, making money is.

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The post Micromobility is poised for a comeback — thank last-mile logistics and EV automakers appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Nvidia has used its experience developing graphics processing units (GPUs) — which were originally developed for applications like gaming but turned out to be rather good at AI tasks — to become a dominant force in AI infrastructure and applications. 

But a host of established companies and startups are investing heavily to capture a share of the growing AI computing market. This includes building new types of chips specifically for training and running AI models, evolving traditional processors like CPUs and GPUs to better support AI workloads, and exploring novel information processing technologies such as quantum and neuromorphic computing. 

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The post The AI computing hardware market map appeared first on CB Insights Research.

What you need to know: 

• Ambient AI is reducing clinician burnout by autonomously documenting clinical interactions. Physicians are already reporting benefits such as being able to see more patients each month.
• Strategic partnerships, like that between Abridge and Kaiser Permanente, are driving large-scale adoption.
• Tech giants like Microsoft and Oracle are entering the space, making ambient AI a key part of their health IT offerings.

Ambient AI — tech that autonomously monitors and reacts to changes in an environment — could be key to addressing the widespread issue of clinician burnout, which costs the US healthcare system an estimated $4.6B annually.  

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The post The $4.6B opportunity in healthcare: Ambient AI to target clinician burnout appeared first on CB Insights Research.

To do this, new tech-enabled solutions are targeting key bottlenecks throughout the clinical trial lifecycle for all participating stakeholders, from researchers to life science companies to patients.  

To help strategy teams prioritize clinical trials markets in their planning decisions, we plotted markets using CB Insights’ TECH framework, which scores markets across 2 dimensions:

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The post Prioritizing clinical trials tech: How 16 tech-driven markets stack up across maturity and momentum appeared first on CB Insights Research.

What you need to know: 

• The AI agent space remains nascent overall, but a growing cohort of startups has begun selling a product — suggesting the sector is poised for accelerated commercial growth in the months ahead.
• Investors like Y Combinator, OpenAI Startup Fund, and a16z are actively backing AI agent startups, with YC alone investing in 10+ companies in this space.

The future of the workforce is deeply entwined with AI — and enterprise AI agent startups, mostly early-stage, are rushing to seize the opportunity.

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The post Enterprise AI agents are on the cusp of broad commercialization appeared first on CB Insights Research.

What you need to know:

• In 2021, Morgan Stanley became the largest US wealth manager by assets managed.
• It achieved this by developing a self-sustaining asset-gathering funnel through the incorporation of 2 new channels beyond its flagship wealth management business.
• Its efforts and adherence to this strategy exemplify how wealth managers can turbocharge asset growth and retention through acquisitions and collaborative initiatives.

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, then-new Morgan Stanley (MS) CEO James Gorman decided to anchor the firm’s long-term growth in wealth management, where revenues — typically based on fees as a percentage of managed assets — are stable, recurring, and rise in tandem with market growth.

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The post Morgan Stanley built a wealth management growth machine — here’s where it’s heading next appeared first on CB Insights Research.

What you need to know:

• Payments funding bounced back in Q2’24 but deal volume continued to slide. Overall, payments funding is on pace to finish the year well behind 2023.
• M&A payments deals increased in Q2’24, with B2B payments platforms standing out as common acquisition targets.

It’s been a rocky few quarters for dealmaking in payments.

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The post Payments in 5 charts: B2B payments tech M&A is a bright spot in 2024 appeared first on CB Insights Research.

What you need to know: 

• Animal health is seeing rising demand and early-stage startups are building novel products targeting the space, including AI-based solutions.
• Focus areas for emerging trends include: Diagnostic platforms for vets, advanced therapies, methane-reducing solutions, AI-driven diagnostics & monitoring, and disease prevention & treatment.

Animal health — which includes companion and livestock animals — is steadily growing as a topic of interest among executives.

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The post Animal health is seeing new innovations — here’s what early-stage startup activity says about the future of the space appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Essential resources to understand the future of the insurance industry:

• Insurtech 50: The most promising insurtech startups of 2024 — The Insurtech 50 is CB Insights’ annual list of the 50 most promising private insurtech companies in the world. This year’s winners are working on everything from AI assistants to embedded insurance.

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The post Our top insurtech research and trends to watch appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Essential resources to understand the future of energy & climate tech:

• State of Climate Tech Q2’24 Report — Here’s where climate tech funding is going and where we’re seeing pockets of interest.

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The post Our top energy & climate tech research and trends to watch appeared first on CB Insights Research.

The content below was curated by our experts using CBI Instant Insights, a one-click AI analysis and summarization tool. Click on company profiles for more details and sourcing information.

NOTABLE DEALS

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The post This month in genAI: Moonshot raises $300M, Amazon acquires Perceive, Google launches Gemini Live appeared first on CB Insights Research.

What you need to know:

• Companies like Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, Lilium, and Volocopter are nearing eVTOL commercialization, with plans to launch air taxi services as soon as 2025, pending regulatory approvals.

• Regulatory hurdles, infrastructure requirements, and battery efficiency are key challenges that need to be addressed before eVTOLs can become a widespread mode of transportation.

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The post Small electric aircraft are edging closer to swarming the skies — here’s what to expect as the ‘flying car’ tech matures appeared first on CB Insights Research.

What you need to know:

• Multi-agent systems outperform single agents on complex tasks by leveraging specialized sub-agents, improving accuracy and modularity.
• While still in the early stages, multi-agent architectures are gaining traction in enterprise applications like customer service and software development, with major tech companies and startups developing frameworks and tools.
• Future software applications will be defined by their agent architectures. We envision that AI agent marketplaces will emerge, enabling dynamic integration and collaboration between specialized agents across platforms.

AI agents — LLM-based bots that can independently assign themselves to and complete tasks to fulfill a user’s goal — took off like wildfire in 2023.

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The post The Multi-Agent AI Outlook: Here’s what you need to know about the next major development in genAI appeared first on CB Insights Research.

What you need to know:

• • Execs and investors are showing renewed interest in virtual fit tech, which saw a surge in interest a few years ago but hasn’t been adopted widely yet.
  • Other AI-powered styling tools, from automated stylist chatbots to generative AI outfit suggestions, have the potential to further deepen personalization and drive conversion with shoppers.

Virtual try-on tech was once touted as a silver bullet for fashion and beauty shopping.

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The post AI is revitalizing the “virtual try-on” space — this is what’s coming next, including interactive Google ads appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Essential resources to understand the future of healthcare:

• • The generative AI in healthcare market map — These tech companies are bringing generative AI into medical research and clinical settings.
  • Pharma AI Readiness Index: Who’s best-positioned for the AI boom? — Assess how prepared top pharmaceutical companies are to adopt and respond to rapidly evolving AI technologies.
  • 6 digital health markets gaining momentum in 2024 — We analyzed early-stage investment trends to uncover which digital health markets — from telepsychiatry to virtual & hybrid women’s healthcare — are quickly evolving and how.
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  • The Digital Health 50 — Here are the world’s most promising digital health startups.
  • Big Tech in Healthcare — How Amazon, Google, Microsoft, & Nvidia are looking to transform drug R&D, primary care, and more.
  • State of Digital Health Q2’24 Report — Funding in digital health drops, but larger check sizes and an uptick in exits highlight bright spots for the industry in Q2’24.
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  • Longevity tech market map — 64 promising startups across 12 categories aiming to expand lifespans, from human cryopreservation to cellular reprogramming.
  • Digital Health AI M&A — Every second acquisition in 2024 has been an AI company; here’s where we’re seeing the most activity.
  • 20 tech trends to watch closely in 2024 — The technology trends that will transform industries as generative AI takes center stage, including several directly impacting healthcare.

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The post Our top digital health research and trends to watch appeared first on CB Insights Research.

What you need to know:

• The 9 new fintech unicorns of H1’24 showcase: global diversification away from the US, a focus on B2B offerings, continued interest in blockchain/crypto despite commercial immaturity, and growing traction in CFO-oriented technologies.
• Overall, new fintech unicorn creation has dramatically slowed, with only 2 emerging in Q2’24 compared to 49 in Q2’21, reflecting a shift from venture’s previous “growth-at-all-costs” mentality.

New fintech unicorns (startups valued at $1B+) have become rare.

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The post What the 9 new fintech unicorns of 2024 tell us about the sector appeared first on CB Insights Research.

In 2024 so far, a16z has backed more than 20 AI startups working within disruptive categories. For example, this year, it has invested in several AI-driven copilots and agents designed to automate key workflows in big industries like healthcare and finance. It has also turned its attention to multimedia generation startups expediting the creation of a wide variety of content, from images to videos to audio.

While championing AI’s advancement, the firm also acknowledges associated risks — its founders are proponents of open-source models, arguing that their transparency and accessibility will help ensure that AI is developed in a secure and ethical way. So far this year, the two largest a16z-backed AI deals have gone to open-source large language model (LLM) developers xAI and Mistral AI.

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The post Analyzing a16z’s AI investment strategy: Where the firm sees opportunity amid the genAI rush appeared first on CB Insights Research.

What you need to know:

• GenAI M&A activity continued to pick up in H1’24, featuring notable deals like Snowflake’s acquisition of TruEra and Nvidia’s acquisitions of Run:ai and Deci — putting the spotlight on the companies that may be next.
• High-momentum genAI startups with leading M&A Probability are in markets including machine learning security and agents & copilots.

More companies are looking to gain an AI edge by acquiring a startup — overall AI M&A activity spiked in Q2’24 to 119 deals, surpassing even the heady 2021 levels.

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The post GenAI M&A is heating up. Here are the 20+ startups that could be acquired next appeared first on CB Insights Research.

Across themes like customer experience and genAI, insurance companies must make the right innovation bets to lower claims costs and stay ahead of the competition.

To help strategy teams prioritize P&C claims markets in their planning decisions, we plotted markets using CB Insights’ TECH framework, which scores markets across 2 dimensions:

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The post The P&C claims tech market ranking: Where loss adjustment technology is maturing, emerging, and plateauing appeared first on CB Insights Research.

In addition to facing regulatory pressure – a US judge recently ruled that Google was illegally maintaining a monopoly – the online search giant is being pushed to lean into AI to defend its position, rolling out AI Overviews to users in the US in May. 

Meanwhile, OpenAI has started testing out its own AI search tool called SearchGPT, while a new crop of genAI-powered startups are using the tech to power the next generation of search engines. 

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The post Can Perplexity threaten Google? appeared first on CB Insights Research.

As new, hard-to-predict threats emerge from the nascent genAI space, so too do startups working on a broad range of novel cybersecurity solutions — some of which protect against genAI risks, while others use genAI to build new defenses. 

But among these young companies, which are building the tech solutions that could eventually grow into their own cybersecurity markets? 

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The post Generative AI is upending old cybersecurity assumptions — here are the emerging themes and players to watch appeared first on CB Insights Research.

With the rapid development of generative AI, consultancies are keen to use the tech to streamline internal processes and launch AI-based products for their enterprise clients. 

Boston Consulting Group, for example, is zeroing in on responsible AI through its partnership with large language model developer Anthropic. Meanwhile, Deloitte’s AI Institute launched an internal generative AI copilot in January 2024 to streamline tasks like coding and project planning, with plans to offer the tool to 100K employees. 

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The post AI strategies for 8 of the world’s biggest consultancies: Where Accenture, Deloitte, and 6 other giants are making moves appeared first on CB Insights Research.

To stay on top, OpenAI has raised billions of dollars in funding and ramped up its hiring into the thousands of employees.

It has also acquired 3 startups in the last year to add new enterprise tech capabilities and talent, as noted in the Acquisition Insights on OpenAI’s CB Insights profile. 

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The post OpenAI is on an M&A tear — here’s who it could acquire next appeared first on CB Insights Research.