January 15, 2026

Crystal ball

Hi there,

Our Tech Trends 2026 report is out now. Get it here.

We dive in below with this week's Hot or Not.

Hot: World models

World models are AI's next frontier, and they're moving fast from research to commercialization.

Unlike LLMs that primarily process language, world models learn from video, images, and simulations to predict how environments evolve over time and unlock spatial intelligence that text-based models can't fully touch.

Startups like World Labs are already bringing these products to market, while big tech companies like Meta, Google DeepMind, and Nvidia are investing in world models. 

​

See where world model labs are headed in our Tech Trends 2026 report.

Not: Going public

Private companies are staying private longer than ever. 

The average tech company now waits 15.9 years before IPO, up from 12.2 years in 2015.

As a result, there are now 1,300+ unicorns worldwide. 12 are valued higher than the median S&P 500 market cap, including OpenAI, ByteDance, and SpaceX. 

Learn how mega-unicorns are reshaping venture dynamics in our latest report.

Hot: Healthcare voice AI

Voice AI development platforms are taking off, and they’re racing into healthcare.

The sector’s heavy reliance on phone calls makes it a natural fit for agentic voice applications handling tasks like scheduling, intake, billing, and follow-ups. 

For example, leading platforms like ElevenLabs and Retell AI are adjusting hiring strategies and GTM approaches for healthcare workflows.

Get the data in our Tech Trends 2026 report.

Not: Finserv companies not using agents

The financial services sector pulls ahead in AI agent deployment, scoring a fifth of all AI agent partnerships last year. 

Among these partnerships, 3 top themes emerged, signaling how back-office automation will spread across enterprises: 

• Compliance shifts from cost center to competitive differentiator​
• AI agents uncover and surface real-time intel, generating alpha​
• AI agents increase document processing throughput and accuracy​

Get the full breakdown of AI agent adoption patterns in our report. 

The +1

Source: u/ShinyThingEU via Reddit

Lukewarm heat map. What are we even measuring here?

I love you.

Anand

@asanwal 

Co-Founder & Exec Chair

P.S. Want to learn even more about 2026 tech trends? Register for our live briefing here.

Get started with CB Insights

CB Insights' emerging technology insights platform provides all the analysis and data from this newsletter. Our data is the easiest way to discover and respond to emerging tech. 

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here