If sales of plant-based meat stalled in 2022, there are nevertheless some sources of resilience in the plant-based category with dairy-free milk, and specifically oat milk, keeping growing at a robust pace as illustrated by the Q4 figures from SunOpta (+23% sales growth for its plant-based milks with volumes up double digit, including +37% for…
The easing of the zero Covid policy in China and of the government crackdown on its Tech industry have obviously been a major positive as both Chinese Tech giants and local companies, that often fly under investors’ radar, enjoyed a significant rerating since the end of 2022. Specifically, cybersecurity firms, that were hit by a…
Nvidia’s Gaming revenue in Q4 came out sharply down again (-46% year-on-year) as the company is navigating an unprecedented inventory correction related to the post-pandemic video gaming slowdown (and, to a lower extent, the collapse of demand for crypto mining cards) and is still facing tough quarterly comparisons. Even if the top-line figure was uninspiring,…
There has been a lot of discussion and speculation in recent weeks about the impact of the new net energy metering policy (NEM 3.0) that passed in December in California and that regulates the rates at which solar owners are compensated for the excess electricity they push into the grid. California indeed accounts for a…
Contrary to many innovative industries, water technology companies have been largely absent from the M&A scene in the last couple of years. This is quite surprising given that water technology represents, in our view, an attractive fit for industrial and testing/diagnostics companies seeking to find new avenues of growth and, potentially, to reduce their revenue…
ChatGPT literally took the world by storm since its release in November 2022. The chatbot is so successful that it added 1 million users in only 5 days, slashing the iPhone’s (74 days) and Instagram’s (2.5 months) previous adoption speed records. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, was founded in 2015 and backed by prominent figures…
As alternatives to conventional proteins keep gaining attention from policymakers, food producers and start-ups alike to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and land and water usage, insects are gradually rising as a major sustainable option. When compared to beef, insect protein production consumes 90% less land, 50% fewer resources and produces up to 200 times lower…
Ransomware attacks have been increasing at an alarming rate over the last couple of years (between +50% and +100% according to various sources) with ransomware becoming the preferred method for many cybercriminals to monetize their fraudulent activity. With the emergence of the Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) “business model” in the hackers’ community, this type of attack is…
A milestone was reached in the quest for electrification of the agricultural machinery industry in recent weeks, as CNH, the manufacturer of New Holland and Case IH equipment, unveiled its 120HP “T4 Electric Power Tractor”, the sector’s first all-electric light utility prototype with autonomous features. While autonomous features have already made significant inroads into the…
Over the last couple of months, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed to block two M&A deals in the video game space, first the acquisition of virtual reality start-up Within (that developed a VR fitness app) by Meta and, last week, the blockbuster takeover ($69 billion) of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft. Both legal…