Mapping the retail fintech market

PE, VC pipe record funding into hydrogen; global markets mixed amid uncertainty; NBA opens teams to institutional investors; Lumen lands $62M
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The Daily Pitch: VC, PE and M&A
December 2, 2022
The Daily Pitch is powered by PitchBook's industry-defining research and best-in-class data
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In today's Daily Pitch, you'll find:
  • Joining our Emerging Tech Research coverage is a new report on retail fintech—a sluggish sector in Q3 that's still showing opportunities.

  • The global private markets are piping more money than ever into hydrogen-related companies.

  • Chart of the Day: Private capital cash flows from our Global Private Markets Fundraising Report.
 
Today's Top Stories  
Retail fintech VC deals down 48%, but outlook isn't gloomy
Retail fintech was a darling for VC investments during the COVID-19 pandemic, seeing unprecedented growth and expansion. Two years later, deal activity has declined amid macro headwinds, yet many investment opportunities remain.  

In our inaugural Q3 2022 Retail Fintech Report, the newest addition to our Emerging Tech Research coverage, PitchBook analyst Rudy Yang looks at the current state of retail fintech. This report maps out segments and deal activity, along with targeting the developing areas where investments can be made. Key takeaways include: 
  • VC deal values have declined almost 48% after a record 2021 but remain elevated compared to pre-2021 levels.

  • Exit activity continues to be muted due to challenging market conditions, with VC exits down 57% year-over-year as of Q3 2022.

  • Advances in underwriting technology, the rise of embedded finance and the continued proliferation of digital payments and banks continue to create key investment opportunities.
read the preview
 
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Private investment in hydrogen breaks record
(rezoff/Shutterstock)
Private capital is pouring into startups and established companies tied up in the growing hydrogen economy at never-before-seen levels, PitchBook data shows.

VC and PE firms alike have deployed more capital into global companies making, moving or using hydrogen—or planning to do so—in 2022 than any prior year. And on the venture side, total deal count also broke a record this year.

Through most of 2022, PE firms spent $3.1 billion on hydrogen-related companies across 37 deals, while venture firms invested $2.6 billion in 192 startups. Since 2014, the number of annual VC hydrogen deals has more than tripled as PE deal count quadrupled.
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A message from Stout  
Asset management industry spotlight: Valuation, dealmaking, & market trends
Asset managers are currently navigating financial market volatility, inflation and economic uncertainty, and geopolitical tensions. As a result, asset management firms face challenges in delivering returns for their investors, resulting in tightening margins for the asset management companies.

At the same time, dealmaking innovation in the sector continues to evolve with a variety of M&A deals, PIPE transactions, and GP stakes investments. Similarly, more sophisticated valuation approaches are recommended for asset management firms to accurately capture the drivers of value. This report provides an overview of asset management firm valuations and covers the latest market trends and capital market transactions.

Download the report now
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Global markets continue to recover amid uncertainty
While some private market asset classes are performing in line with past trends, others have collapsed in the face of the staggering pace of federal funds rate hikes.

Leveraged loan and high-yield bond issuance for leveraged buyout activity remains strong, while bond issuance for refinancing and acquisition activity has hit once-in-a-decade lows. Entering 2023, a determinedly hawkish Fed is intent on reining in inflation despite the short-term consequences for Wall Street and Main Street.

Our latest Global Markets Snapshot breaks down one month of trends in the US inflationary environment as tracked by several macroeconomic indicators. It also addresses the pace of rate changes and the targeted terminal rate hinted at by senior Fed officials—and how these will impact LBO activity and leveraged loan and high-yield bond issuance heading into 2023.
read it now
 
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PE hangs in the balance as recession odds grow
Slower growth, higher short-term interest rates, tight labor markets—as one economic indicator after another points to an increasingly likely recession in late 2023 or early 2024, the rate of PE dealmaking hasn't shown such signs of weakness. But tougher financing conditions might finally slow down deal activity in coming quarters.

Our Q4 2022 Quantitative Perspectives Report breaks down the deteriorating macro backdrop and explores how those dynamics could affect the PE market next year. Key takeaways include:
  • A soft landing is becoming less and less likely, and the odds of a recession have risen to 65% in recent months, our model predicts.

  • The leveraged loan market, which has fueled the buyout engine for years, has nearly shut down as new debt issuance fell to the lowest volume in more than two years.

  • Lags between public and private market reporting mean that many LPs' portfolios are likely overweight to private investments. That could make fundraising a greater challenge for GPs, especially those with unproven strategies.
read the report
 
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Recommended Reads
Kanye West and Parler have agreed to end a deal for the rapper to purchase the social media platform. [The New York Times]

Stablecoins are used as anchors in the crypotocurrency system, but one such currency may be undermining that stability by lending, rather than selling, its coins to customers. [Wall Street Journal]

How the West's price cap on Russian oil could roil energy markets. [The Economist]
 
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Quick Takes  
  The Daily Benchmark  
  2014 Vintage Global Real Assets Funds  
  A message from PitchBook Media  
  PitchBook's 2023 Media Kit released  
  People  
  Valor Ventures hires Lynne Laube as operating partner  
  VC Deals  
  August Bioservices raises $65M  
  Lumen lands $62M for weight loss tech  
  Hypr secures $25M  
  Web3 startup Fleek takes off with $25M  
  Shield nabs $20M  
  PictorLabs grabs $15.2M  
  PE Deals  
  Blackstone to exit Vegas casinos JV in $5B deal  
  HIG's Circle Graphics acquires Jondo  
  Warburg to buy K2 Insurance from Lee Equity  
  EnCap to back offshore wind services specialist  
  PE-backed Mercer Advisors picks up wealth manager  
  Investors  
  Florida to divest $2B from BlackRock  
  NBA opens teams to institutional investors  
 
 
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A message from PitchBook Media  
PitchBook's 2023 Media Kit released
Year to date, PitchBook's newsletters have over 161 million impressions and over 744,000 report downloads. Partnering with PitchBook Media is a way to feature your firm's insights in one of the most popular venues for timely and relevant PE and VC articles, news, asset class reports and custom white label reports.

The brand-new 2023 Media Kit contains all the details to help your firm position itself in front of a VC or PE audience.

Click here to download it today or to speak to someone on the media team.
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People  
Valor Ventures hires Lynne Laube as operating partner
Former Cardlytics CEO Lynne Laube has joined Atlanta-based seed investor Valor Ventures as an operating partner and investor.
View details
 
 
 
VC Deals  
August Bioservices raises $65M
Pharmaceutical development company August Bioservices has raised $65 million in a Series B led by Oak HC/FT.
View round
 
View 25 competitors »
 
Lumen lands $62M for weight loss tech
Health device maker Lumen has secured a $62 million Series B led by Pitango Venture Capital, TechCrunch reported.
View round
 
View similar company »
 
Hypr secures $25M
Passwordless identification startup Hypr announced a $25 million Series C1 led by Advent International's global tech fund.
View round
 
View 23 competitors »
 
Web3 startup Fleek takes off with $25M
Fleek, which is creating a developer platform for Web3 protocols, has raised a $25 million Series A led by Polychain Capital.
View round
 
View similar company »
 
Shield nabs $20M
Shield, which helps financial institutions track employee communications for compliance purposes, has raised $20 million in a Series B led by Macquarie Capital, TechCrunch reported.
View round
 
View 56 competitors »
 
PictorLabs grabs $15.2M
AI health startup PictorLabs has raised $15.2 million led by M Ventures, SCC Soft Computer and Koc Holding. The company uses AI to improve histopathology by applying virtual stains—rather than chemical ones—to tissue samples.
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View similar company »
 
 
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Join us for a webinar discussing key components of the difficult market landscape, including tightening credit and liquidity conditions, slowing growth and sharp increases in short-term interest rates, and how these impact PE.

PitchBook analysts Zane Carmean and Andrew Akers will discuss how rising debt costs combined with continued pullback in financing availability will be a significant headwind moving forward. Key topics include:
  • The window for an economic soft landing has narrowed. Our quantitative recession model predicts that recession odds have risen sharply in recent months.

  • While core inflation has slowed modestly in recent months, it has also broadened out into core services.

  • Although the US is not currently in a recession, growth drivers such as consumer spending and nonresidential business investment have slowed.
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PE Deals  
Blackstone to exit Vegas casinos JV in $5B deal
Blackstone has agreed to sell its stake in a joint venture that owns the MGM Grand Las Vegas and Mandalay Bay Resort to its JV partner, Vici Properties, in a deal valued at over $5 billion. The Blackstone Real Estate Investment Trust would receive $1.27 billion in cash in the deal.
View details
 
View 4 investments »
 
HIG's Circle Graphics acquires Jondo
HIG Capital-backed Circle Graphics, which produces and sells products made from digital art, has acquired competitor Jondo in a move that expands Circle's consumer-facing division. Circle was acquired by HIG and mezzanine firm Onex Falcon in 2019.
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Warburg to buy K2 Insurance from Lee Equity
Lee Equity Partners has agreed to sell K2 Insurance Services to Warburg Pincus. Endeavor Capital created K2, which underwrites, markets and services insurance premiums to companies and consumers, as a platform company in 2011.
View deal
 
View 9 competitors »
 
EnCap to back offshore wind services specialist
EnCap Investments has agreed to invest in Houston-based Bleutec Industries, which plans to build and operate vessels that can install offshore wind turbines. The company's management is investing alongside EnCap.
View details
 
View 169 investments »
 
PE-backed Mercer Advisors picks up wealth manager
Wealth management firm Mercer Advisors, which is backed by Oak Hill Capital and Genstar Capital, has acquired Bay Area-based peer Regis Management, which serves ultra-high-net-worth clients and institutional investors.
View deal
 
View similar company »
 
 
Investors  
Florida to divest $2B from BlackRock
The Florida Treasury has decided to divest $2 billion from assets managed by BlackRock, the state's CFO said, citing distrust in the asset manager's ability to deliver adequate returns amid greater attention on the firm's social impacts and ESG risk considerations.
View details
 
View 534 investments »
 
NBA opens teams to institutional investors
The NBA's governing board has voted to allow institutional investors such as pension plans, endowments and sovereign wealth funds to acquire passive stakes in the league's teams. An average NBA team is worth $2.58 billion, according to the sports business site Sportico.
View details
View similar company »
 
Chart of the Day  
"Based on conversations we've been having, the tone of those raising funds in Q4 2022 has turned extremely pessimistic as they recognize that the easy capital raises of recent years have come to an end."

Source: Q3 2022 Global Private Markets Fundraising Report
 
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☕ Beep beep

The Tesla Semi truck finally arrives...
December 02, 2022 View Online | Sign Up | Shop 10% Off

Morning Brew

Revela

Good morning. Your Morning Brew Wrapped is here! You opened 315 emails, read 118 stories about inflation kicking you in the face, and ignored 4,000 solicitations to share the Brew.

Your news-reading personality type is: Quiet-Quitting Exhausted Hopeful Desk Goblin.

Matty Merritt, Max Knoblauch, Sam Klebanov, Neal Freyman

MARKETS

Nasdaq

11,482.45

S&P

4,076.57

Dow

34,395.01

10-Year

3.511%

Bitcoin

$16,932.73

Salesforce

$147.29

*Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 5:00am ET. Here's what these numbers mean.

  • Markets: Stocks were a mixed bag as this ultra-busy week for economic data wraps up. Yesterday brought some hopeful news: The inflation gauge Fed Chair Jerome Powell has said is the "most important" for understanding price growth slowed down in October for its smallest increase in three months. Today is all about the jobs report. A softening labor market could give Powell more justification to reduce the size of rate increases at the upcoming Fed meeting.
  • Stock spotlight: Salesforce stock tanked after Wednesday's announcement that one of its co-CEOs, Bret Taylor, will leave by January.
 

TRANSPORATION

Beep beep, your Tesla Semi is finally here

Tesla Semi with Pepsi can on the bed. Francis Scialabba

Three years behind schedule, Tesla Semis will finally join their diesel-guzzling pals in boxing you in on the interstate. Last night, the automaker delivered its first electric semitrucks, which are expected to be more powerful and able to travel further than any EV currently whizzing down I-80.

The first company to get the trucks will be Pepsi, which was in the long haul for the long hauls. It ordered 100 trucks when they were first announced in 2017.

The industry is pumped for the Tesla Semi

Right now, electric trucks are limited by their range: Renault's EV semi, for example, can only travel ~125 miles on a single charge. These electric trucks are used only for local and regional trips so they can charge at factories and distribution centers overnight.

But Elon Musk promised that his truck could drive 500 miles on a single charge, a feat that would change the game for adoption of heavy-duty EVs.

However, there are more speed bumps for EV semis than even an 18-wheeler can clear:

  1. Batteries in these trucks are extremely difficult and expensive to produce—especially right now as lithium, the main component of an EV battery, and other crucial minerals are in short supply.
  2. The amount of electricity required to power EV trucks is staggering. Seriously—the projected power needed to convert a single gas station into a charging station to support smaller EVs and semis by 2035 would be the amount a small town needs, according to a study from National Grid.

Unlike personal EVs, which have taken off in recent years, EV semitrucks are still on training wheels. If the Tesla Semi succeeds, it could be a big win for 1) the young commercial EV industry and 2) Tesla, which needs a boost after its stock plunged more than 50% this year and its CEO Musk got distracted fighting with Stephen King on Twitter.—MM

        

TOGETHER WITH REVELA

Bundle up with growth

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WORLD

Tour de headlines

US Supreme Court building Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Student debt relief is headed to the Supreme Court. The highest court in the land will decide if the Biden administration can enact its plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student loan debt per federal borrower. The justices agreed to hear the case after the DOJ asked them to lift an injunction from an appeals court that stopped the program from taking effect. That hold will remain in place for now, but SCOTUS fast-tracked the student debt case and will hear arguments in February. Last week, Biden again extended the freeze on student loan repayments.

There's a lot going on with the British royals. Let's start with the racism scandal: The late queen's former lady-in-waiting, Lady Hussey, stepped down from royal service and apologized after she was accused of repeatedly asking Ngozi Fulani, founder of the charity Sistah Space, where her "people" came from at a reception. Lady Hussey's actions drew a rebuke from her godson, Prince William, who is in Boston with his wife, the Princess of Wales, for their first US visit in eight years. On top of all that, yesterday Netflix dropped the trailer for its documentary about Prince Harry and Meghan, which is sure to portray the monarchy in a negative light.

The College Football Playoff expands. The new playoff format, slated to begin in 2024, will include 12 teams, a big jump from the current four. That means more high-stakes college games throughout the winter and a championship game (on January 20, 2025) that's more than a week later than the date of this year's title game. It also, of course, means more money. The new format is projected to generate an additional $450 million in gross revenue for conferences and schools that make the top 12. But, hey, if your team doesn't make it, there's always the Cheez-It Bowl.

GOVERNMENT

Biden and Macron break baguettes together

Presidents Biden and Macron Photo Illustration: Dianna "Mick" McDougall, Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Lavish feasts underscored with simmering tension: It's the recipe that's led to The Crown receiving 63 Emmy nominations and also something that occasionally happens IRL, too. President Biden hosted French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House last night for the first state dinner held since 2019—a diplomatic honor reserved for the US' closest allies.

If you're a fan of luxurious meals, this one's gonna hit hard for you. The night featured Maine lobster, trolley car shuttles, and live music by Jon Batiste. Both presidents exchanged vinyl records.

In hosting Macron for his administration's first state dinner, Biden is doing the world-stage equivalent of sending an ice-breaking monkey meme in the fantasy football chat after an unsanctioned Josh Allen trade. The dinner is part of an effort by Biden to repair the relationship between the two countries after a controversial US submarine contract with Australia last year undermined a French deal and caused Macron to recall his ambassadors to both countries.

What else is throwing the vibe off? Well, France pretty much hates Biden's Inflation Reduction Act. Macron criticized the legislation's EV tax credits, which he and other EU leaders feel discriminate against European producers. For his part, Biden acknowledged "glitches" in the law and said there were potential tweaks to be made for European allies.—MK

        

TECH

OpenAI's new chatbot makes for great conversation

AI chatbot messaging user Francis Scialabba

If you're fed up with flaky texters, you might want to hit up ChatGPT, a new chatbot from OpenAI. ChatGPT will never ghost you and is capable of responding with cogent wisdom to queries on a wide range of topics, from Modern Monetary Theory to relationship advice.

OpenAI chatbot conversationOpenAI

Many observers are marveling at ChatGPT's prospects as a replacement for traditional search engines, and human jobs like tutoring and economics punditry. But while this chatbot can in some cases be more helpful in tackling a coding problem than your Intro to Python 101 classmates, it probably isn't coming for your 9-to-5 any time soon. It even says so itself.

OpenAI chatbot conversationOpenAI

OpenAI warns that its chatbot can generate false information, often uses verbose language, and is mostly ignorant of current events after 2021 (perhaps it should subscribe to the Brew). Users are finding issues ranging from annoying to potentially dangerous: The chatbot is prone to nonsensical rambling, but it can also be easily tricked into sharing harmful information.

Zoom out: ChatGPT runs on a reinforcement learning algorithm, relying on human feedback to get better. The current iteration of the chatbot was released to the public to collect "external feedback," OpenAI says. So go play with it.—SK

        

GRAB BAG

Key performance indicators

A man puts up prices at a gas station Francis Scialabba

Stat: Your family may have aired a lot of grievances around the Thanksgiving table, but one thing they probably didn't complain about was gas prices. The national average price for a gallon of regular ($3.47) is now lower than it was in February when Russia invaded Ukraine, which caused oil and gas prices to spike. While lower gas prices are a welcome holiday gift for drivers, they're also a pessimistic sign for the economy: Demand for fuel is dropping as the world hunkers down for a potential recession.

Quote: "Having watched two interviews, the word 'delusional' kept coming to mind."

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, who's been on a whirlwind apology tour in the media, is failing to convince industry leaders that he didn't commit massive crimes. Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz told Bloomberg, "The reality is that Sam and his cohorts perpetuated a fraud," and in an interview with TMZ, Mark Cuban said SBF should be "afraid of going to jail for a long time."

Read: Two conspiracy theories about cola. (Dynomight)

TOGETHER WITH KIMPTON HOTELS

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QUIZ

Quizzing me softly

Weekly news quiz

The feeling of getting a 5/5 on the Brew's Weekly News Quiz has been compared to dropping your phone on concrete, gingerly picking it up while fearing the worst, and finding out that the screen didn't crack.

It's that satisfying. Ace the quiz.

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

  • The Senate followed the House in passing a bill that would block a nationwide rail strike. The bill will now head to Biden's desk for his signature.
  • Twitter is offering "uncommonly generous deals" to advertisers to incentivize them to spend on its platform, according to Marketing Brew.
  • South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is being called on to resign for covering up a theft from his private game farm. Quirky detail: The money had been stashed in a leather sofa.
  • Stéphanie Frappart became the first woman to referee a men's World Cup match yesterday. Other World Cup updates: Today is the final day of group play, Germany crashed out of the tournament, and US star Christian Pulisic said his family jewels were spared after suffering a "pelvic contusion" in the previous game against Iran.

BREW'S BETS

Friday jam: "Seven Nation Army" but on seven devices.

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Become more data-driven: You'll learn all the basics of business analytics, evaluating company financials, and financial modeling in the Brew's Business Analytics Accelerator. Check out the program guide for a course breakdown.

Prioritize your mental health: Taking care of yourself matters, and BetterHelp can connect you to a therapist who fits your needs within 48 hours—without having to leave home. Get 25% off your first month.*

Our gift picks: The Brew editors scoured the web to find the perfect gifts for the WFH devotee, the gadget obsessed, the peeps who practically live at the airport, and everyone in between. Check it out.

*This is sponsored advertising content.

GAMES

The puzzle section

Picdoku: Scheduling update…Picdoku is now moving to Fridays! Today's puzzle is dedicated to all the philatelists who read the Brew. Don't know what that means? Click here to find out.

Friday puzzle

The words "won" and "sun" rhyme despite having different vowels. Can you name four common, uncapitalized, four-letter words that a) rhyme with each other b) have only one vowel each but c) all have different vowels?

AROUND THE BREW

The secret to Abercrombie & Fitch's rebrand

The secret to Abercrombie & Fitch's rebrand

Marketing Brew explores how Abercrombie & Fitch changed its brand image and used influencers to win over a new customer base.

On Business Casual, Nora talks to the founder of Bridesmaid for Hire, Jen Glantz, and Zola's co-founder and CEO, Shan-Lyn Ma, about disrupting the wedding industry.

Are you overwhelmed by data? Don't hit that panic button just yet. With the Brew's Data Storytelling sprint, you'll learn how to create dashboards to keep you on track. Sign up here.

Is your finance team recession-ready? Identify your business's competitive edge and prepare for an economic downturn with this guide from CFO Brew.

ANSWER

One answer is "bird," "curd," "nerd," and "word." Can you think of any other set of four-letter words? Let us know.

         

Written by Neal Freyman, Max Knoblauch, Sam Klebanov, and Matty Merritt

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