CB Insights and Competitor Profiling Report

Overview

CB Insights, founded in June 2008 by Anand Sanwal and Jonathan Sherry, is a premier market intelligence platform headquartered in New York, NY. The company specializes in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and venture capital, offering a comprehensive global database and analytics platform to provide deep insights into private companies and investor activities. CB Insights' 2022 estimated revenue was $100 million, supported by a growing workforce of approximately 400 employees as of 2021. The company's platform enables users to discover new tech trends, track industry developments, identify startup investment opportunities, and conduct market research across various sectors such as consumer tech, insurance, healthcare, industrial, and financial services.

Business Focus and Offerings

CB Insights stands out by merging cutting-edge AI technology with data analytics. Its primary clients include private equity, venture capital, investment banking, angel investing, and consulting sectors. The platform excels at providing transparent insights into high-growth private companies, predicting company health, strategic direction, and tracking investment trends. These insights aid clients in vendor selection, understanding market dynamics, and conducting competitive analyses effectively.

Leadership and Organizational Changes

The leadership team at CB Insights is currently headed by CEO Manlio Carrelli, following the transition of Anand Sanwal to Founder & Executive Chairman in January 2024. This shift allows Sanwal to concentrate on customer interaction, product innovation, and partnership development, especially concerning generative AI. The leadership is further strengthened by Derrick Reig as Chief Revenue Officer and Mike Ruggieri as Chief Technology Officer, ensuring robust strategic oversight and technological advancement.

Strategic Direction and Recent Developments

CB Insights is renowned for its AI-driven market intelligence tools and its annual publication, AI 100, highlighting leading companies in artificial intelligence. In 2020, CB Insights strategically enhanced its data assets by acquiring VentureSource data from Dow Jones. This acquisition bolstered their coverage of private markets. The company remains focused on advancing its product offerings, with a particular emphasis on developments in generative AI following announcements of tools like ChatGPT.

Funding and Partnerships

The company has raised funds in three rounds, amassing a total of $10 million in Series A funding, notably led by RSTP in 2015. CB Insights collaborates with several high-profile firms, including Cisco, Salesforce, and Gartner, and partners with media entities such as The New York Times and PricewaterhouseCoopers to produce insightful reports on investment trends and tech ecosystems.

Competitor Analysis

1. Exploding Topics

Focus: Trend spotting and forecasting across more than 30 industries beyond tech and finance.

Key Features:

Predictive analytics and expert-written trend reports.

Offers a free plan; advanced features available at $1 for the first two weeks, with subsequent plans ranging from $39 to $249 per month.

Unique Advantage: Provides trend data a year in advance to Pro users, aiding investors and marketers in gaining a competitive edge.

2. Crunchbase

Focus: Business acquisitions and investments; suited for investors and sales leaders.

Key Features:

Data about key decision-makers and startup trend tracking.

Covers 46 industries, including AI, biotech, and e-commerce.

Offers basic free access with subscription options starting at $29/month.

Unique Advantage: Strong integration with Salesforce and extensive data export options.

3. S&P Global Market Intelligence

Focus: Financial and tech trend monitoring, focusing on acquisitions and investments.

Key Features:

Comprehensive financial data access for public and private companies.

Tools for business formation, risk management, and sustainability assessment.

Pricing: Custom quotes based on user needs.

Unique Advantage: Data insights into lending and investment risk, focusing on credit and financial viability.

4. Tracxn

Focus: Tracking private companies for investment and merger potential.

Key Features:

Monitors over 3 million private companies across 1,800 topics.

Provides unique content for journalists and premium tier datasets.

Pricing: Starting at $13,200/year, favorable for teams due to minimum seat requirement.

Unique Advantage: Offers free access for journalists, boosting public visibility and company awareness.

5. Owler

Focus: Business intelligence and market analysis geared towards sales enhancement.

Key Features:

Tracks company acquisitions, funding, and market trends.

Provides free entry-level access, with pro features starting at $39/month.

Unique Advantage: Competitor mapping tools, tracking leadership changes and press releases.

Strategic Insights

For professionals engaging with CB Insights, its competitive intelligence platform is crucial for staying ahead in the industry. The platform supports tracking competitor strategies, industry trend identification, and analyzing potential business opportunities. While alternative platforms like Crunchbase and Tracxn offer similar services, CB Insights distinguishes itself through curated data-rich resources and pre-designed materials that aid in investment and acquisition strategies. It allows businesses to bridge gaps and leverage insights for effective business development and trend analysis.