December 4, 2024

Innovation gap

Hi there, 

The US is leading the AI arms race — for now.

American startups now take 71 cents of every dollar of global AI equity funding.

AI talent is also concentrated in the US, with over 40% of the world’s AI companies based in the country.

That’s creating an innovation gap between the US and everywhere else.

Of course, China is mounting its own challenge, especially in open-source AI (see Alibaba's Qwen2 model series). Other Chinese AI startups with deep-pocketed backers like DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, and Zhipu AI are also making waves. 

But don't ignore the rising regional AI hubs. 

Among countries with $200M+ in AI funding over the last year, 6 outpace the US on AI funding growth and headcount growth. That includes Norway, India, and South Korea.

International firms looking to expand should consider partnering with local startups in these markets.

Get the full analysis in our Tech Trends 2025 report. 

Nifty fifty

Yesterday, we announced our list of the 50 most promising digital health startups in the world.

Diagnostic innovations continue to dominate, tying for the largest category this year (after leading the cohort last year).

These startups are making testing more accessible and non-invasive while prioritizing early detection.

The advancement of diagnostic tools/acceleration of disease management is a key trend that we’re watching as we head into 2025.

Learn more about it in our Tech Trends 2025 Report.

Challengers

Outside of AI, non-US hubs are also showing strength in the broader venture arena.

While the US is the clear leader in total startup funding, several countries rank above it in terms of the ratio of venture funding to GDP, suggesting they are punching above their weight in terms of fostering startup activity.

The countries: 

• the United Arab Emirates
• Israel
• Singapore

Learn more about venture activity outside of the US in our State of Venture Q3’24 Report.

A daring fleet

Major fleet owners like Amazon and Walmart are investing billions to modernize their fleets with electric and autonomous vehicles. 

The rise of blended fleets like these is driving fleet management leaders to expand their capabilities via M&A.

For example, PowerFleet and Element Fleet Management both acquired telematics providers this year that help fleet managers stay on top of EV charging and route planning.

Overall, annual M&A exit volume in the fleet management & telematics space has more than doubled since 2020.

Discover the key trends and players driving the next era of fleet management innovation here.

Always. Be. Copiloting.

GenAI solutions are emerging to personalize insurance sales and boost agent reach across channels. 

Emerging platforms are automating low-complexity sales, while others are creating human-like virtual agents to elevate the customer experience at third-party points of sale. 

Meanwhile, the market for AI sales development representatives (SDRs) is expanding. 

That includes startups like Bounti, which is helping sales teams personalize their outreach efforts and work more efficiently.

Learn more about how genAI is reshaping insurance distribution in this report.

Industry Standard

Business Insider. Bianca Chan (@biancachan_) and Michelle Abrego (@mabrego) cover the most promising AI fintechs to watch citing CB Insights data.

CNBC. Kate Rooney (@kr00ney) reports on Databricks' $5B funding round and cites CB Insights data.

Business Insider. Lakshmi Varanasi (@lsvaranasi) reports on ChatGPT’s growth and mentions CB Insights data.

I love you.

Anand

@asanwal 

Co-Founder & Exec Chair

P.S. What tech trends should you be watching as we head into 2025? Our analysts tackle the topic in this briefing.

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