Since it was launched in 2011 by UnitedHealth Group, Optum has aggressively expanded beyond its initial offerings in pharmacy benefits management, care delivery, and data and analytics.

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Its stories and characters are among the most beloved — and the most lucrative — in the world. Mickey Mouse is the top licensed character franchise globally. Disney pulled in $82B in total revenue in FY2022, driven largely by the value of its intellectual property (IP). 

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The Covid-19 pandemic caused major semiconductor shortages, resulting in long lead times for anything requiring computer chips. Now, in the midst of an economic downturn, major chipmakers are pulling back spending. Intel, for example, is planning layoffs as part of its effort to slash costs by up to $10B a year by 2025.

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At the time, Tesla was delivering around 50,000 vehicles a year. That year, the company broke ground on its battery Gigafactory production site in Nevada. That site would churn out enough batteries to power 500,000 Teslas per year. And more sites like this were needed, Musk claimed.

It’s clear that Musk’s vision panned out, with the company on track to deliver more than 1M vehicles this year alone. This foresight allowed Tesla to become a dominant leader in the EV battery tech space. But as EV adoption becomes more mainstream, startups — with backing from legacy auto OEMs, among other players — have popped up to compete with Tesla on battery tech.

Auto incumbents like Ford, General Motors, and Volkswagen have staked the success of their electrification roadmaps on these startups — from battery materials startups aiming to disrupt Tesla’s lithium-ion battery tech, to grid software companies that provide new EV charging solutions like vehicle-to-grid tech, to battery recycling companies that could transform the battery production process.

In this report, we look at how tech companies are unbundling Tesla and the broader EV battery tech business, broken out by battery materials, battery management systems, and battery lifecycle.

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The company’s impressive topline growth can be partially attributed to its digital efforts, such as the MyMcDonald’s Rewards program and its focus on digital ordering, which now makes up a third of the company’s sales.

However, success in the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry is never certain, especially amid ever-changing consumer behaviors, labor shortages, and ongoing supply chain disruptions.

In the face of these challenges, startups are continuously innovating to support fast food restaurants in mitigating operational roadblocks and responding to new consumer demands. Below, we look at how these companies are unbundling McDonald’s, from robotic food prep to autonomous delivery.

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That figure dropped again in Q3’22, further compounding digital advertisers’ fears of a major slowdown — and Meta expects to see revenue drop again at year-end.

This can largely be attributed to the new challenges the company faces in effectively targeting audiences, including Facebook’s stagnating user base, generally tighter marketing budgets, and Apple’s updated privacy settings, which let iOS users opt out of targeted ad tracking. 

However, another threat has arisen and is only getting stronger: innovative startups. They’re attacking the digital advertising space, and Meta’s core business, from a number of angles. 

In this report, we identify these companies, among others, and look at how they’re stirring the pot across data services, new ad formats, and digital media & entertainment.

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But there’s still no cure, and diabetes continues to impact lives across the globe. In fact, by 2030, the number of adults (aged 20-79 years) affected in the US is expected to grow to 643M, according to the IDF Diabetes Atlas — up nearly 20% from 2021.

It’s also one of the costliest diseases in the US to treat: 25% of all healthcare dollars are reportedly spent on caring for diabetes patients, making it the second most expensive chronic disease, just behind heart disease.

While technological advancements — from glucose monitors to insulin delivery devices — have been made over time, there is still ample opportunity for companies looking to disrupt the space with more cost-efficient, impactful solutions. Onalabs, for example, is developing a device to measure glucose via sweat, eliminating the need for constant fingerstick testing for diabetic patients. Diasome Pharmaceuticals is working on a pill form of medication for diabetes care.

Below, we take a look at how companies are unbundling diabetes care, from diagnostics to glucose monitoring devices to educational programs, and more.

Learn more about the space in our Digital Therapeutics Tech Market Map and Digital Therapeutics MVP.

Note: This graphic is not exhaustive of the space. This graphic only includes private companies. Categories are not mutually exclusive.

Category breakdown

Education & Prevention

Companies in this sector provide educational tools that cover medication administration, nutrition, and ongoing care for the management and prevention of diabetic episodes. 

Almost 96M adults in the US have prediabetes, according to the CDC, and 80% of them don’t even know they have it. To proactively address this, common preventative measures that are implemented include weight loss programs, nutrition assistance, and preventative monitoring apps.

• Using the results of genetic testing as a guide, GB HealthWatch develops personalized prevention and treatment plans to combat the disease.
• Companies such Enara, iThrive, and Thrive365 provide nutrition and weight loss programs focused on healthy habits to reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes.    

For those with prediabetes as well as type 1 or 2 diabetes, education on lifestyle changes and treatment options has been shown to have a positive impact on clinical outcomes and lower the cost of care. For high-risk individuals, studies have demonstrated that programs related to lifestyle changes reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes onset by more than 50%.

• Diabetes Daily and Changing Health develop personalized education plans that incorporate coaching assistance to support disease management. 
• Supporting children and young people with type 1 diabetes, DigiBete provides extensive education and support tools for the management of the disease. 

Diagnostics

Companies in this category look to expedite and enhance diagnosis for diabetic patients through the use of technologies such as artificial intelligence and infrared light. 

• Digital Diagnostics recently raised $75M in Series B funding. It leverages AI to analyze retinal images to diagnose common diabetic eye ailments. 
• Glyconics has developed a non-invasive handheld device that uses infrared spectroscopy to diagnose diabetes through changes in fingernail biomarkers.

Glucose Monitoring Devices

Diabetic patients need to monitor their blood glucose levels continuously throughout the day. While this has traditionally been performed via finger stick checks, new technology is being developed to automate this process and make it less invasive. 

• BeatO offers connected monitoring devices and an app to help diabetic patients monitor their blood glucose levels in real time and provide them with treatment recommendations. The app employs an AI-powered chatbot to deliver ongoing assistance and treatment reminders.  
• Companies such as DiaMonTech and Vivalyf develop non-invasive glucose monitoring devices that utilize a range of technologies, including fingerprint analysis, optical scanning, and ultrasonic tagging sensors for blood glucose level monitoring.

Insulin Delivery Devices

Companies in this space develop devices that effectively deliver required insulin doses to diabetic patients in a timely manner.

Insulin delivery methods have evolved over the years, shifting from needles and syringes to automated insulin delivery devices. Often requiring a series of injections over the course of the day, patients with diabetes have welcomed technology that makes the process less invasive and more automated.  

• CeQur and ViCentra offer discreet insulin pumps that can provide on-demand medication delivery for patients.
• Glytec uses clinically validated algorithms to analyze patient data and optimize dosing at the individual level in a hospital setting. The system provides ongoing, automated dosing adjustments as well as alerts to ensure optimal care.    
• Companies like Companion Medical, acquired by Medtronic, combine a reusable smart pen with a connected app to monitor injection doses and perform dosing calculations prior to administration.  
• Solara Medical Supplies provides insulin pump patches that can be synced to glucose monitors to automatically deliver the appropriate dose to patients. Sigi Pump is developing a similar technology that is rechargeable and obviates the need to warm the insulin cartridge prior to use.

Some companies are even working on approaches to speed up the delivery of insulin.

• Biodel, acquired by Albireo Pharmaceutical, developed a new drug formulation and drug delivery method that expedites the delivery of insulin to the blood.

Closed-Loop Devices

These companies support comprehensive diabetes management through combined glucose monitoring and insulin administration solutions. These closed-loop systems take a single, integrated approach to diabetes management.

• DreaMed Diabetes and Capillary Biomedical have developed comprehensive management solutions that provide long-term continuous glucose monitoring as well as an algorithm-based insulin delivery system.
• Diabeloop offers a closed-loop insulin delivery system — which originated from an artificial pancreas research program — that utilizes glucose monitoring data to automatically deliver the proper dose of insulin. 

D2C Consumables

Companies in this category provide testing and treatment supplies directly to consumers.

Testing supplies include glucose monitoring devices and test strips for blood samples that can be analyzed to determine dosing needs. 

• Startups like GCMedis develop biosensors and test strips for blood glucose monitoring. Its unique strip design supports better infection control.  
• Australia-based Stripped Supply provides personalized diabetes supplies on a subscription basis. The supplies are automatically reordered in a timely manner to ensure that patients always have what they need.  
• Online pharmacy Lifepack also offers diabetes supplies via subscription, and they can be reordered conveniently from its app. 
• 1mg is an online platform that sells diabetes testing devices and supplies. Tata Digital took a majority stake in the company last year.

Digital Therapeutics

Startups in this market utilize evidence-based research to develop software and apps that offer on-demand, personalized treatment options for ongoing diabetes care.

This technology has helped enhance the overall health of diabetic patients and their ability to manage the disease via increased engagement, improved treatment compliance, and modified behaviors.

• Platforms such as Fitterfly and Omada Health provide digital therapies that support nutrition, fitness, and behavioral changes for improved diabetes management. 

Recent advancements have made these therapies more engaging for children and adults.

• Sproutel partnered with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to help upgrade Rufus, an interactive teddy bear that has been supporting pediatric diabetes patients for over 25 years. The latest edition has both a companion app as well as a virtual diabetes care kit option to provide the child and their family with ongoing diabetes care education.
• Companies like Sidekick Health and Glucoplay develop clinically validated gamified therapies to promote, monitor, and reward healthy behavior modifications.  

Virtual Care

Virtual care became more heavily utilized amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and diabetic patients have benefitted from this service. Many of the major telehealth platforms including AmWell and Teladoc Health have established diabetes-specific virtual care programs. Even major retailers like Walmart have thrown their hats into the ring. Beyond these corporations, there are several companies garnering attention.  

• Stability Health develops personalized diabetes treatment plans that incorporate virtual care and a personal health coach. It raised more than $7M just a couple of months ago.
• Vida Health and Ryse Health provide a combination of video conferencing and coaching via a mobile app to support ongoing diabetes care. Since the start of 2021, Vida Health has raised $110M in Series D funding and Rysa Health has raised more than $3M in seed funding.   
• Lark Health specializes in chronic disease virtual care for both diabetes prevention and care. It offers a coaching program focused on nutrition and activity modifications.

Drug Therapies

Companies in this category are targeting new ways to treat diabetes through the use of medication and drug delivery options.

The difficulty of conducting diabetes management tasks, such as finger pricks for testing and needle injections for medication delivery, has led companies to work toward reducing or eliminating the need for these invasive approaches. 

• RosVivo Therapeutics is developing a new treatment that uses microRNA technology to reverse the pathology of type 2 diabetes. Its goal is to prevent diabetic patients from experiencing common long-term complications.
• Seraxis, which recently received $40M in Series C funding from investors including Eli Lilly and Company, is developing a technology to replace pancreatic cells to regulate the glucose levels of patients.  
• Cour Pharmaceuticals is developing a therapy to combat type 1 diabetes – it reprograms the immune system to prevent the destruction of affected cells in diabetic patients. The company raised $30M at the beginning of September.

Ophthalmology Care

These startups provide care for eye complications that are commonly associated with diabetic patients, most notably diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataracts.  

Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness in American adults. The number of individuals suffering from the disease is projected to reach over 11M by 2030, according to the National Eye Institute.

• Companies like Oxular are developing long-lasting treatments for diabetic macular edema, which affects 1 in 15 people with diabetes, according to a 2017 study in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
• OccuRx is developing therapeutics to address retinal fibrosis, which is highly prevalent in diabetic patients. The company raised nearly $11M in Series B funding this past September. 
• Companies like Retinai are developing tools to proactively identify diabetic retinopathy through retinal image analysis as well as personalize treatment plans based on these findings.

Podiatry Care

These startups develop technologies that target either onset prevention or improved care for diabetic foot conditions. 

Studies indicate that between 15% and 25% of diabetic patients will experience diabetic foot ulcers over the course of their lifetime. Research has also revealed that, in the US alone, diabetic foot care adds anywhere from $9B to $13B to the total cost of care for diabetic patients.

• Podimetrics has developed an intelligent, at-home mat that monitors foot temperature and helps predict the onset of foot ulcer development. Since March 2022, the company has raised $45M in Series C funding and partnered with the American Diabetes Association to prevent foot amputations.  
• PD Theranostics uses AI-based imaging analysis to support clinical decision-making related to foot ulcers.
• Treatment-focused Adlore addresses common diabetes complications related to the lack of blood flow to extremities. Its boot technology utilizes heat and electric pulse stimulation to enhance blood flow to ulcers as well as a feedback sensor to monitor treatment and foot function.    

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Hims & Hers’ success can be attributed to it being a forerunner on several trends impacting the health and wellness space, including: 

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Recent advances in areas like augmented reality, scanning technology, and processing power have helped the company to expand its offerings far beyond traditional computer-aided design (CAD) software into advanced simulations, digital twins, data analytics, molecular design, and more. But this broad array of products is attracting an increasing number of competitors.

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The creator economy is growing and evolving rapidly, with new platforms and content types continuously emerging. Content creators (such as influencers) and the platforms where they build their followings represent a significant portion of consumers’ online behavior, including who they listen to when it comes to buying decisions — as well as, increasingly, where they are making direct purchases.

The future of the creator economy will depend on depth rather than breadth of reach to followers. The playing field is shifting in favor of smaller, more niche content creators, with new ways to monetize, like tokenized content and branded merchandise. The space also faces new opportunities from synthetic media such as virtual influencers. 

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Historically, traditional women’s health services have inadequately met patient needs, especially in stigmatized areas such as sexual health, and challenges related to lack of access, convenience, personalization, and gender bias persist. For example, about 1 in 5 women have had a provider dismiss their concerns, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) survey.

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The company began as a wholesale clothing retailer, but quickly expanded its product offerings after its acquisition of e-commerce clothing retailer Romwe in 2014. By 2022, SHEIN overtook Zara, H&M, and Forever 21, claiming the largest portion of US fast-fashion sales at 28% by shrinking design cycles and marketing to hyper-specific audiences.

However, critics question the sustainability of SHEIN’s manufacturing processes and its workers’ wellbeing.

Startups are using AI-powered product recommendations, on-demand manufacturing, and more to help other fast-fashion retailers stay competitive while mitigating their environmental and social impact.

Below, we look at how companies are unbundling SHEIN, from virtual try-on to trend identification.

Note: This graphic is not exhaustive of the space. Categories are not mutually exclusive.

Category breakdown

We categorize technologies and products unbundling SHEIN across 3 segments:

• Digital Shopper Engagement: This segment features customer engagement tools that enable omnichannel and personalized customer experiences to help brands better engage their audiences.
• Supply Chain & Logistics Tech: These companies enable and streamline retailers’ backend operations and returns.
• Merchandising Tech: This space includes new ways to present traditional retail products, leveraging tools like demand forecasting and 3D design modeling.

Digital Shopper Engagement

BUY-NOW, PAY-LATER (BNPL)

BNPL services allow consumers to purchase items through flexible, interest-free installments via online and offline point-of-sale (POS) systems. BNPL users, like most fast-fashion customers, are typically Gen Zers and millenials.

Across industries, BNPL is changing the way consumers spend. It is also differentiating retailers that are more in tune with their customers’ needs. In a recent C+R Research survey, over half of users reported that they prefer BNPL over using their credit card to make purchases in increments.

Major retailers like Lululemon, Urban Outfitters, and Target have already embraced BNPL as a payment option.

• BNPL provider Klarna partners with merchants to help consumers pay for their large purchases over time. Klarna says it has 147M active users, 400K+ retail partners, and facilitates 2M transactions every day. 
• Companies like Alma enable businesses to offer their customers BNPL options as well as manage customer spend and store sales by completely digitizing their payment systems.

INFLUENCER TECH

SHEIN has laid a framework for using social media influencers as a marketing tool. The retailer offers a flat rate to influencers who receive free merchandise in exchange for creating a “haul” video, where they display items with links back to the site.

The retail giant also has introduced a reality show where young designers compete to win a $100,000 prize and have their designs sold on the SHEIN website. 

The influencer marketing industry is projected to reach $16.4B in 2022 — and consumers are paying close attention to what influencers have to say about brands. After seeing posts with product information on Instagram, over 87% of users surveyed by Meta took action to either learn more about the brand or make a purchase.

• Mavrck is an influencer marketing platform that helps businesses discover and manage influencers that best serve a brand’s target audience. This year, it raised $135M in growth equity from Summit Partners.
• The Diigitals is taking an alternative approach to influencer marketing by using 3D models instead of people to showcase clothing on digital sources.

LOYALTY & RETENTION TECH

Retailers are seeking new ways to engage their customers online and offline. Acquiring a new customer can cost anywhere from 5 to 25 times more than retaining an existing one.

• One way tech is enhancing customer retention is by gamifying rewards. Businesses like Gamiphy offer incentives in the form of virtual currency or coupons that help buyers have fun making purchases and feel like they are valued for staying loyal to a brand.
• Other companies boost loyalty by being transparent about shipment time. For example, Rush allows e-commerce brands to personalize their tracking experience, provide personalized messages to their customers, and even send promotion codes after packages arrive.

Supply Chain & Logistics Tech

ON-DEMAND MANUFACTURING

SHEIN’s hallmark model of micro batch production (about 50-100 garments in a specific style) has heightened the importance of on-demand manufacturing in fast fashion. The company can produce small, hyper-specific clothing lines that are forcing fast-fashion retailers to squeeze the production timeline even further.

Retailers are looking at technologies that help them reduce inventory, run shorter and more targeted seasons, and quickly satisfy consumers with varying tastes and preferences.

• vPersonalize is a SaaS company that provides tools to customize clothing and provide on-demand manufacturing at a commercial level. The US-based company last raised $1M in 2018 in equity funding.
• H&M reported approximately $4B worth of unsold inventory in 2018. In an effort to eliminate losses associated with unsold clothes, on-demand denim manufacturer Unspun partnered with Weekday, an H&M Group brand in late 2020 to produce custom fit, made-to-order jeans.

RESALE-AS-A-SERVICE

Through reselling used goods, brands can reduce their carbon footprint and provide clothes for consumers often at a significant markdown. Fast-fashion retailers like Pretty Little Thing and Boohoo recently announced moves to introduce resale services on their platforms. On third-party platforms, however, retail clothing businesses fail to capture any value in resale other than brand recognition.

Companies are disrupting the resale-as-a-service space by enabling brands to embed used-goods marketplaces in their own e-commerce platforms. These platforms also enable brands to engage price-conscious consumers without releasing new products.

• Recurate offers a fully integrated resale marketplace that e-commerce businesses can add to their websites. The solution adds trust and security features, like product authentication and buyer protection, which typically are not included in third-party resale applications.
• Trove works with brands like Lululemon, Patagonia, and Levi’s to build while-label re-commerce channels embedded in their existing online stores.

REVERSE LOGISTICS

Over 20% of all online purchases are returned, according to Industry Dive. When it comes to reverse logistics, businesses are looking to make returns more cost effective and less wasteful.

Companies are taking a variety of approaches to disrupting returns, with some offering shopper-facing solutions and others working primarily with retailers on the back-end.

• Narvar offers a service that allows customers to drop off packages at 200K+ locations to be returned, schedule home pickups for returns, and receive notifications on returns in-transit. The company also gives brands the option to reward loyal & VIP customers with cheaper return policies.
• Optoro’s service gives customers flexibility of dropping returns off without using labels or return packages. The service benefits both consumers and businesses through convenience, reducing costs of packaging as well as carbon emissions.

TRACEABILITY TECH

Traceability tech closely tracks inputs along the supply chain. This will become more important as government regulation and consumer demand increase for sustainable practices, such as tracking carbon footprints and monitoring the health and safety of workers along the supply chain.

• Blockchain technology can help track the path products take, enabling brands to source products ethically and sustainably and improve collaboration and traceability up the supply chain. SaaS companies Omni Chain Solutions, Circularise, and Textile Genesis use blockchain tech to improve supply chain transparency and efficiency for retailers.
• Meanwhile, Oritain collects and audits samples of organic fibers and determines whether or not they were sourced ethically and sustainably by tracking where they originated.

UPCYCLED & RECYCLED MATERIAL

Governments have voiced concern and calls to action regarding waste in the fashion industry. For example, the EU environment commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius proposed earlier this year that by 2030, all clothes should be “long-lived and recyclable,” made primarily from recycled fibers.

Customers are also demanding more natural fibers — approximately 72% of consumers want to buy clothing that is made from natural fiber, like cotton, wool, or silk, according to US Sustainability Research. However, repurposing clothing made from these textiles has been difficult to achieve at scale.

To combat the issues surrounding clothing waste and promote upcycling, manufacturers are turning to alternative fibers to create garments.

• Evrnu has a patented technology that breaks down cotton-based textile waste and turns it into a fibrous raw material.
• Other companies, like Mexico-based Polybion, produce high-performance and sustainable biomaterials made from fruit waste that mimic leather. The company raised $4.4M in Series A funding in March 2022.

Merchandising Tech

3D DESIGN MODELING

Traditional design processes in fashion are often tedious and can take anywhere from 3 to 8 months for a style to reach production, per McKinsey. 3D asset creation companies are working to generate more efficient and seamless designs that enter the market in a fraction of the time.

CLO Virtual Fashion allows designers to make changes via its garment simulation and modify clothes right before they start production. Similarly, South Korea-based Z-Emotion lets retailers tweak pre-existing 3D clothing models and build new garments without starting from scratch.

AI-POWERED SEARCH & RECOMMENDATION ENGINES

AI-powered search & recommendation solutions can drive up online conversion rates and improve satisfaction by personalizing each customer’s buying journey.

• Data privacy and personalization have difficulty coexisting in the online world. Crossing Minds’ and Bloomreach’s platforms aim to bridge the gap between the two. Their algorithms make product recommendations based on on-site actions like clicks instead of third-party data.
• PSYKHE aims to disrupt engines that try to find patterns solely by clicks, and instead offer personality tests to help match customers with products that are aligned with their taste.

DEMAND FORECASTING & INVENTORY OPTIMIZATION

Forecasting and planning output effectively is crucial for retailers competing in the fast-fashion space. 

Brands are increasingly turning to tech that enables faster and more accurate data-driven decision-making. SaaS companies specializing in demand forecasting and inventory optimization rely on data and modeling to predict which styles will perform the best in the marketplace.

• CoverSight, Impact Analytics, and Algo use AI to predict consumer demand and buying behavior and help maintain equilibrium in a brand’s inventory. 
• Robling offers inventory management and demand planning through its data infrastructure service. Retailers can then focus more on creative data-driven decisions rather than data cleaning and organizing.

NEXT-GEN MARKET RESEARCH

Next-gen market research helps brands discover more about their current target customers and new demographics. Retailers are using technologies tailored to capture consumer sentiment and provide insights into buying decisions.

While surveys and focus groups are nothing new, retailers are increasingly using data-driven services that streamline communication channels between their businesses and consumer bases.

• Knit allows Gen Z consumers to give feedback to retailers in real time via video chat. Its video-based surveys allow businesses to be hyper-focused with the demographics of their target audience.
• MakerSights and First Insight collect and assess consumer preference data. They analyze consumer feedback on specific styles to help brands make more informed design and production decisions.
• Qloo is a recommendation engine service that helps businesses understand consumer preferences based on entertainment, cultural, and consumer product-driven data points, such as which clothing styles New Yorkers who like pop music are wearing. 

TREND IDENTIFICATION

Trend identification tech helps brands zero in on consumer demand and understanding products — namely, what colors, patterns, styles, and fabrics will be in style for the next season.

Forward-looking brands are increasingly turning to software and digital tools that are identifying clothing and style trends at scale. Many companies focus on analyzing visual data, such as images and videos from social media, to help retailers deliver the best clothing to their target audience.

Heuritech and T-Fashion both offer services for retailers that involve predictive analytics on clothing trends. Using AI to translate images shared on social media, brands are able to identify what color, shape, print, and fabric consumers are wearing.

VIRTUAL TRY-ON

Virtual try-on technologies allow consumers to see how clothes look and fit without leaving a brand’s website.

Not only do virtual try-ons improve the customer experience, they can also lower the costs associated with returns.

Retail giants like Alibaba, Amazon, Kering, and Nike have already made notable business relationships with tech companies in the virtual try-on space.

• With 3DLOOK and The Fit, consumers take a few photos that are scanned to analyze body shape. The AI interfaces then use that data to provide recommendations for the best clothing size.
• Size n Fit eliminates the need for photos and takes user inputs via a survey of height, weight, wearing preference, and body shape alongside favored brands to provide personalized clothing recommendations. 

The post Unbundling SHEIN: How fast fashion is being disrupted appeared first on CB Insights Research.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic brought significant disruption to the global shipping industry. Companies faced canceled flights and sailings, delays at ports, and widespread shortages of both workers and containers. Supplier delivery times increased dramatically, and despite port productivity in line with or above pre-pandemic levels, shipping vessels still sat idle 2X–3X longer than pre-pandemic times.

<span data-sheets-value='{"1":2,"2":"<div class="cbi-cta-shortcode-wrapper"><div class="cbi-cta-shortcode-content"></div><div class="cbi-cta-shortcode-forms" ><div class="cta has-desktop"><div class="cta-desktop center-copy "><h4>the state of Supply Chain & Logistics Tech q1 2022</h4>
<p>Total supply chain funding remains elevated in Q1’22. Get the report to learn more.</p>
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While the company’s revenue dropped from 2018 to 2020, it rebounded to surpass $68B in 2021. This growth has largely been driven by the decreasing cost of electronics, the company’s sustainability initiatives, and the pandemic-induced rise in demand for industrial equipment, automation, and other technologies central to digital transformation.

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As the cost of gene sequencing technology continues to drop, Illumina has become increasingly reliant on selling its products that generate data by extracting, preparing, and sequencing biological samples.

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However, the oil & gas giant is facing increasing pressure to transition away from fossil fuels. For instance, investment firm Engine No. 1 made headlines when it gained board seats at ExxonMobil in an effort to push the company to reduce carbon emissions.

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Store closures pushed beauty brands and retailers to rely more on digital channels, blurring the lines between the physical and digital storefronts. Meanwhile, consumer expectations for things like faster delivery times and novel, personalized experiences have continued to rise.

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• Customer relationship management (CRM)
• Sales engagement
• Customer success
• Conversational marketing
• Social media listening & management  

In one case, as you’ll see below, Vista is rolling up and integrating a set of acquisitions and merging them under a new brand. We don’t anticipate it’ll bundle or integrate the vast majority of these sales & marketing tech companies under a single brand, but nevertheless, it is clear Vista sees massive opportunities in Salesforce’s domain.

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In 2021 so far, the company has grown its direct-to-consumer sales to 39% of its Nike brand revenues — up from 16% a decade ago. By 2025, DTC sales are expected to account for more than half of revenues, based on the company’s growth outlook.

Aiming to deliver a more consistent experience and deeper connections with consumers, Nike has shifted away from wholesale partners, toward its own distribution. The company has constructed a technology ecosystem to support its shift to DTC, investing in technology and distribution and acquiring start-ups with expertise in content creation to data analysis.

DTC sales offer deeper insights into customer data that can be used to enhance the customer experience. In going direct, brands like Nike have greater access to its customers and by layering on customer analytics further allows them to effectively market, merchandise, promote and launch new products to satisfy customers’ demands.

Below, we look at how companies are unbundling Nike, from customer data platforms to fulfillment and logistics.

Note: This graphic is not exhaustive of the space. Categories are not mutually exclusive.

Category breakdown

We categorize technologies and products unbundling Nike across 3 segments:

• Product management & visualization: This segment includes new ways to present traditional retail products, leveraging tools like inventory management and merchandising tech.
• Digital shopper experiences: This segment features customer engagement tools to enable omnichannel and personalized customer experiences, to help brands better engage their audiences.
• E-commerce enablement: This segment features companies that enable and streamline online retail sales.

Product management & visualization

INVENTORY MANAGEMENT & MERCHANDISING

As supply chain issues and unpredictable demand remain ongoing, retailers need a dynamic, tech-enabled approach to inventory planning. Companies in this category use predictive analytics and demand forecasting tools to help predict future consumer buying patterns, both online and in-store.

Notably, in August 2019, Nike acquired Celect, a retail predictive analytics and demand sensing company. 

• Companies like Toolio and Brightpearl offer merchandising and inventory planning software. Toolio, co-founded by ex-Walmart employees, provides its commerce enablement platform to retailers like Chubbies, Mack Weldon, and Rothy’s.
• Hivery is focused on AI-driven category and merchandising simulation and assortment optimization solutions that are used by Merchandise Directors, Retail Buyers, and Category Managers among others.

For a more in-depth look at startups boosting retail store efficiency and productivity, check out our market map of brands boosting performance at the shelf.

VIRTUAL TRY-ON

The global virtual fitting room market is expected to grow from $3.4B in 2020 to a $19.3B industry by 2030, according to CB Insights’ Industry Analyst Consensus. The technology has become especially popular during the pandemic as a way to boost online conversion rates and reduce returns.

3DLOOK and Perfitly use AI to convert 2D photos of people into 3D custom avatars that can be used to virtually try on clothes and provide size recommendations. 

3D DIGITAL CONTENT

Shoppers are searching for more effective ways to experience products online and buy with confidence. To improve the online experience, startups here are using visual technology to improve designing and prototyping.

ThreeKit uses product information and design files to inexpensively create unlimited interactive 3D, AR, and photorealistic 2D visuals. The company claims its customers see higher conversions, reduced returns, and reduced photography costs. Among its customers are Crate & Barrel, Herman Miller, and California Closets. 

Digital shopper experiences

CONVERSATIONAL COMMERCE

Conversational commerce makes the shopping experience more personal by leveraging messaging apps for convenience, personalization, and decision support to consumers. While the tech was once used exclusively for customer service, startups today are integrating existing e-commerce, chat apps, and bots into one interface. 

• Germany-based Charles and UK-based Blueprint offer software and commerce integrations to help brands sell via WhatsApp and other messenger apps. Blueprint’s solution sends replenishment reminders with pre-loaded checkout links to speed up future purchases.
• Yalo uses AI to enable businesses to communicate and transact directly with customers. In May 2021 the company raised $50M in a Series C led by Sierra Ventures. Its customers include Coca-Cola, Unilever, and Nike. 

CUSTOMER DATA ANALYTICS

Consumer data platforms (CDP) and vendors offer solutions for ingesting different datasets to create unified shopper profiles, optimizing cross-channel messaging and improving customer segmentation. AI-powered CDPs can help retailers unify and deduplicate shopper profiles, cluster similar shoppers together, and generate advanced business and operational insights.

In February 2021, Nike acquired data integration platform Datalogue to pull data from multiple sources — including the company’s app ecosystem and supply chain — to glean deeper customer insights.

• mParticle helps retailers simplify their customer data architecture by connecting and cleaning data from disparate sources. One of the most well-funded companies in the space, mParticle raised a $150M Series E in October 2021, receiving investment from Greylock Partners, Google Ventures, and Bowery Capital, among others. 
• ActionIQ stitches together first- and third-party data to personalize the customer experience. The company has received investment from Sequoia Capital and Andreesen Horowitz, and its clients include Shopify, Neiman Marcus, and Michael Kors.

MARKETING AUTOMATION

Marketing automation software automates repetitive tasks such as email marketing, social media posting, and ad campaigns. 

With e-commerce growing at a staggering rate, brands and retailers are grappling with reaching, engaging, and converting customers shopping across a variety of channels. Omnichannel customer engagement platforms can help marketers reach the right customer with the right message at the right time.

• Attentive and Klaviyo automate personalized text messaging, sending notifications about sales, product recommendations, and cart abandonment.
• Iterable‘s brand affinity tool analyzes cross-channel engagement to measure customer sentiment. The company counts Boxed, Care/of, and DoorDash among its customer base.
• MoEngage uses analytics to understand customer behavior across digital touchpoints and send personalized campaigns on customers’ preferred channels.

SOCIAL COMMERCE & CONTENT

Content creation is critical for building and engaging online communities. Brands are partnering with influencers across social apps to build trust and authenticity and better connect with new and existing audiences. According to CB Insights’ Analyst Consensus, influencer marketing market is worth $14.8B today, compared to just $2B in 2016.

In addition to influencer marketing strategies, an increasing number of brands and retailers are turning to livestreaming as more platforms emerge to allow viewers to instantly buy featured products.

• Product Wind and Influence.co offer brands tools for finding and working with influencers.
• Buywith allows influencers to broadcast live online shopping sessions to their followers, who can buy directly during the session.

virtual stores & Metaverses

As brands aim to foster new forms of customer engagement, virtual spaces (metaverses) are opportunities for retailers to sell more products. This is especially true as virtual spaces like Roblox and Fortnite have gained significant traction during the pandemic, attracting millions of users and partnering with brands to create unique digital experiences. 

Nike has signaled its interest in the space, recently filing seven trademark applications outlining its intent to make and sell virtual branded sneakers and apparel, as well as making key hires to support its newly established metaverse studios. In November 2021, the company launched Nikeland on Roblox for fans to connect, create, and share experiences inside Roblox’s immersive 3D space. In December 2021, the brand acquired virtual sneakers creator RTFKT Studios. 

• New York-based Obsess raised a $10M Series A in June 2021 to expand its virtual stores and showrooms solution beyond beauty and fashion. The company offers an AR/VR platform for enabling online 3D shopping experiences.
• DressX is an online multi-brand retailer for virtual-only garments and accessories.

Clients can view our latest metaverse market map here.

E-commerce enablement

CHECKOUT & PAYMENT SOLUTIONS

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) is a popular payment method among millennial and Gen Z consumers, whose spending power reached more than $2.5T in 2020, according to YPulse. BNPL apps allow customers to make purchases online and pay them off over time in recurring installments.

As a generation of shoppers has come to expect the ease of Amazon’s one-click checkout, companies are also increasingly allowing users to flow through checkout in one tap.

• Fintechs like Zilch, Zoodpay, and Aplazo offer installment loans to consumers for point-of-sale purchase. These point-of-sale loans are easy for retailers to manage and popular in e-commerce categories like apparel & beauty.
• Bolt and Fast are online checkout tech startups that help users quickly check out of e-commerce sites, improving conversion and retention for retailers. Bolt One Click and Fast Checkout allow consumers to complete purchases with a single click, while offering data and insights to merchants.

For a more in-depth look at the BNPL landscape, check out our buy now, pay later market map.

DATA MANAGEMENT & ANALYTICS

An added benefit of offering products directly to consumers is enriched data access and reporting systems that synthesize deeper insights. Data visualization takes reporting to the next level. Pouring over spreadsheets is time-consuming and makes it easy to miss key insights. Companies in this category prepare, enhance, or transform raw data into actionable business intelligence and key insights.

• Data preparation startup Trifacta specializes in cleaning and preparing data.
• Peak and Dataiku are centralized data platforms that use AI to help organizations build applications for data analytics.

FULFILLMENT & LOGISTICS

Major retailers and brands have been experimenting with new fulfillment solutions to make the delivery journey more efficient. Companies hope to reduce costs by outsourcing to e-commerce fulfillment providers who achieve economies of scale by aggregating orders and integrating with a network of partners (e.g., third-party logistics providers, point-of-sale system providers, and retailers). 

Consumer brands that have their own retail network often use their stores as e-commerce fulfillment centers. Nike, for example, lets online shoppers pick up their purchases at brick-and-mortar Nike stores. 

• Companies such as ShipBob and ShipMonk offer software solutions that combine order and inventory management, warehouse management, predictive data and analytics, and optimized shipping to fulfill orders for e-commerce companies.

ON-DEMAND WAREHOUSING & DELIVERY MANAGEMENT

The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the growth of online retail in 2020, driving an increase in demand for consumer packaged goods, medical supplies, and other consumer goods. Companies in this category offer temporary warehousing space, delivery management software, and e-commerce fulfillment support services.

• Flexe, Flowspace, and Stord all offer on-demand warehousing solutions. Stord offers a cloud supply chain that allows users to view and manage their entire distribution network from a single platform. The company integrates physical logistic services such as warehousing, freight, and fulfillment into its digital platform to enhance fulfillment and delivery networks.
• Bringg is a cloud-based delivery and fulfillment platform for retailers and logistics providers. The company focuses on last-mile delivery, fleet management, third-party delivery management, and more. Bringg recently introduced a number of sustainability-oriented tools, including carbon emissions tracking and eco-friendly fleet selection for retailers that prioritize green vehicles. 

RETURNS OPTIMIZATION

As more consumers turn to e-commerce for their shopping needs, reverse logistics has become a priority for retailers and brands. A number of startups have taken on the task of optimizing the returns process, offering platforms that make it easier for consumers to return and exchange products.

• Narvar provides retailers with data and visibility during the returns process, helping to improve plan operations and manage inventory as well as to more quickly identify product issues.
• Loop Returns offers an exchange-first returns platform.
• Trove offers a white-label solution to help retailers resell their returned inventory, working with brands like Lululemon and Patagonia.

shopping platforms & subscription commerce

Shopping platforms integrate all essential commerce and business functionalities into a single platform. Building a well-designed and engaging shopping platform or digital storefront is one of the most important ways that retailers differentiate themselves.

With the rise of e-commerce businesses and online shopping platforms, DTC subscriptions have never been easier to set up. The subscription box model has become popular among direct-to-consumer brands because it allows brands to cultivate long-term customer relationships, improving customer retention and lifetime value. 

• Nacelle and Builder use headless architecture, allowing users to create e-commerce sites using visual tools and no coding. Nacelle raised $50M Series B from Tiger Global Management in August 2021, while Builder has received funding from a number of well-known DTC founders and angel investors and consumer-focused venture capital funds.
• E-commerce subscription management providers Bold Commerce, Recharge, and Upscribe help online stores create recurring orders and subscriptions. 

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Uber Eats has overtaken Grubhub in the US for monthly meal delivery sales to come in second behind DoorDash, according to Bloomberg Second Measure. It is also available in 45 countries, making it one of the most global food delivery apps. 

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But the auto industry is undergoing drastic changes and GM is facing a new wave of competitors across a wide range of fronts.

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However, factors such as rising environmental concerns among younger generations and pandemic-fueled changes in shopping behaviors are coming into play that could disrupt LVMH and the rest of the luxury retail industry.

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To combat this downward trend, pharmaceutical companies now outsource about 50% of R&D to contract research organizations (CROs), which can help bring down costs.

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In 2020, Epic’s annual revenue hit $3.3B and the company has delivered a 15% growth rate every year for the last decade.

Today, Epic’s software underpins the vast majority of the day-to-day work done in US hospitals and houses the medical records of 250M Americans. It enjoys 29% of the hospital EHR market share and wins industry awards for both its hospital system and its doctors office solutions every year. Its market dominance appears unassailable.

But Epic’s rise to the top has also created openings for rivals. For example, the company has been accused of making it too difficult to share patient records with non-Epic health systems and federal legislators ultimately stepped in to require that all EHR vendors adopt APIs that will allow patient records to be passed between hospitals more easily. These new rules help level the playing field for new entrants.

In this report, we look at how healthcare technology startups are responding to this opportunity by ramping up the competition with Epic to win end-user workflow and health IT revenue.

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It has also found itself at the intersection of a number of sustainability trends. 60% of consumers say that they would tweak their habits to have less of an impact on the environment, according to IBM — and given that the bathroom is responsible for the highest water usage (nearly 67%) in the home and is commonly associated with single-use plastic, it is experiencing the effects of these behavioral changes first hand.  

Below, we take a look at how startups and companies are unbundling the bathroom in line with different health, wellness, and sustainability priorities. 

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