September 11, 2024

Tricks of the trade

Hi there, 

I fired myself as CEO of CB Insights earlier this year.

After announcing this, some early-stage B2B startup founders reached out asking me to advise them or join their board.

I had never done any advisory work of this type but having made every mistake in the book I figured why not?

I did it for free (no cash, no equity) and didn’t take any board seats.

I just wanted to see if I’d be useful and if I actually liked it. 

Spoiler alert: I hated it.

Why? 

It was surprisingly and maddeningly repetitive. 

Early-stage startups all face the same problems dressed up a bit differently.

And the solutions aren’t as unique as I thought.

My repetitive guidance fell into 1 of 5 areas:

1. Narrow the focus, increase the quality
2. Optimize for speed 
3. Don’t hire until it hurts
4. Talk to customers. A lot! 
5. If unsure about a teammate, move on

That’s all.

No need for coffee or a call. 

Livin’ on a prayer

We surveyed 50 corporate strategy leaders to identify the challenges they face in driving influence across their organizations.

One of their biggest pain points?

60% of teams don’t have clearly defined KPIs to measure success or tie their efforts to concrete results.

The other most persistent challenges are 1) getting alignment across the org (54%) and 2) data issues, such as inaccurate or unavailable datasets (40%).

The most influential corporate strategy teams that overcame these obstacles have some key tactics in common.

See what they are in this free report.

Hungry hungry data centers

Tech giants are hunting for sustainable, efficient energy sources to fuel their ambitions in areas like AI, data centers, and logistics.

For instance: 

• Amazon is working to decarbonize its transportation and fulfillment center operations, with a focus on hydrogen tech.
• Google is pioneering new models for clean energy procurement as it works to boost the sustainability of its data center network.
• Microsoft is focusing on renewable energy sources — like solar and fusion — and carbon capture technologies to meet the growing energy demands of its AI-driven operations.
• Nvidia is enhancing data center energy efficiency and investing in the development of a green and reliable power grid.

Dive deep into each of these players’ strategies in our Big Tech in Energy report.

Payday

Payments tech is seeing a wave of consolidation.

M&A deals in the space ticked up over the past 2 quarters to reach the highest level in nearly 2 years.

The deals were concentrated in B2B payments tech, which is driving the digitization of a space long-reliant on paper.

Acquirers are mainly seeking out solutions in spend management, B2B cross-border payments and financing, and accounts payable automation. 

For instance, Corpay has acquired 3 startups — including 2 last quarter — to strengthen its multi-purpose B2B payments platform, as highlighted in the CBI Acquisition Insights below.

B2B payments will continue to see consolidation as businesses look to knit functions together in one toolset to make their financial operations more streamlined.

CBI customers can get the full breakdown here.

Closing time

You have just 1 day left to apply for the seventh annual Fintech 100, our list of the most promising fintech companies in the world. 

Dive into last year’s winners — from BitGo in the crypto category to Kasisto in conversational banking — here. 

Customers can dig into these companies’ valuations, investors, Mosaic health scores, and more using the Expert Collection.

I love you. 

Anand 

@asanwal 

P.S. If you’re looking for more startup advice — here are the top 12 reasons startups fail.

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