The bubble question

Hey,

Since we launched CB Insights 4 years ago, the most frequent question we've gotten from the media is "Are we in a bubble?"  For the record, we've always said no, and we continue to maintain that view.

Sure - things are definitely frothy in certain pockets, but a bubble, it is not.

Now on with the show...

Cheers,
Anand
@asanwal

P.S.  We're looking to sublet 3500-4500 sq ft of office space in NYC for 2-3 years. If you have a portfolio company with excess space or have space of your own, would love to chat.  No real estate brokers please. 
 

RESEARCH BRIEFS

Internet of Things companies haul $1B+ in VC in 2013. In a sign of growing investor interest across the Internet of Things ecosystem, financing activity to the IoT market grew in each successive quarter of 2013 to hit an eight-quarter high in Q4 2013. See the financing trends to IoT over the past two years including the growth in early-stage deals.

Are Silicon Valley mega VCs dialing up NY activity? Sequoia Capital, A16Z, Kleiner Perkins, Accel and Benchmark Capital are all making notable bets within the NY tech ecosystem. But based on the data, their share of of NY deals has remained largely flat over the past five years.

Mobile point-of-sales market sees strong corporate investment interest. Amazon is jumping into the mix reportedly and eBay, Mastercard, Starbucks and AmEx and a slew of corporates are already driving increased corporate investment interest in mobile PoS solutions.

Lots of healthcare IPOs, but the biggest exits are all tech. Although healthcare made up 63% of Q1's record setting IPO tally, not a single healthcare IPO made the top 10 in terms of valuation.

The next GrubHub. VC appetite for food & grocery delivery startups hit a 5-year high as top tier VCs from Greylock to Khosla to Intel Capital are making bets on the space which saw an explosion of early-stage deals.

PREMIUM RESEARCH

The following research briefs are only available to subscribers of CB Insights

Quarterly venture capital activity and exit report. A 114-page report detailing financing and exit trends across the U.S. venture capital ecosystem in Q1 2014.

Flash storage exit valuation multiples.  Amid a wave of consolidation in the enterprise flash sector, corporate buyers seem keen to buy relatively young companies (in revenue terms) at a hefty multiple.

The most active investors and well-funded companies in Wearables. Year-over-year deal activity to wearable tech startups rose over 150% and funding grew 80% in 2013 as investors jockeyed for position in the expanding wearables landscape.

SEVEN THINGS TO READ THIS WEEK

A selection of 7 articles that the CB Insights team found entertaining, engaging or thought-provoking.

This kid went to prom with Netflix. A high school student tweeted Netflix, asking the brand to go to prom with him. And surprisingly Netflix played the third wheel.

Are college degrees inherited? Parents’ experiences with education strongly influence what their children do after high school.

The moral power of curiosity.  When people remember the past, it is often the ordeals that seem most significant.

Dare to be wrong. Howard Marks expands on his 2006 memo 'Dare to Be Great'

In the end, people may just want to date themselves. An interesting data analysis appears to refute the popular cliche "opposites attract".

The nun who got addicted to Twitter. The Atlantic profiles @SrHelenaBurns, the nun with 14,000+ Twitter followers.

Some of the worst tech predictions ever. From "the cinema is little more than a fad" to "no one will ever use AC." See 'em here.


OUR LAST TWO NEWSLETTERS

In case you missed them:

The Accidental Shark Tank Effect – Mark Cuban investment boosts wrong app

The VC Funnel - Analyzing venture capital's natural selection process