After a material growth slowdown since summer 2021 when most geographies exited Covid restrictions and consumers found their way back to physical stores, the US e-commerce and digital payments ecosystem showed signs of bottoming out in the Q2 earnings season. Amazon (North America), eBay, Farfetch, Etsy, PayPal among others all reported improving growth metrics in…
If California has been a driving force behind the rise of clean energies and adoption of electric vehicles, it could soon take on the same role in the blue revolution. Governor Gavin Newsom recently released a plan called “California’s Water Supply Strategy, Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future” aimed at improving water supply amid…
Many countries around the world have been hit by record droughts and implemented water restrictions in recent weeks, a harsh reminder that, today, roughly 40% of the people on Earth live in a water stressed region and that this number is expected to climb to 60% in a near future. Secular trends like urbanization, climate…
Yesterday was a big day for hydrogen pure players Plug Power, Bloom Energy and Ballard. Amid general concerns over their corporate customers’ capex plans and cost inflation, they managed to deliver decent quarterly figures (albeit slightly below expectations), allowing investors to look beyond a messy short term and to focus on the long-term growth opportunity…
Many cybersecurity companies, including Fortinet, Cloudflare or Rapid7, reported their quarterly earnings in recent days. While revenue and earnings were overall solid, most companies hinted at increasing deal scrutiny from their corporate customers, lengthening sales cycles and softening growth trends going forward as customers navigate a complex environment and are closely watching their spending amidst…
Identity management specialist Ping Identity (a portfolio company) just announced its acquisition by private equity firm Thoma Bravo for a $2.8 billion enterprise value and a massive 63% premium, marking the sixth multi-billion M&A deal in cybersecurity so far this year. This deal follows the recent SailPoint takeover (also by Thoma Bravo), which was the…
In late June, we argued that a reshaping appeared to be taking place in the sports and energy drink business following the end of the distribution deal between PepsiCo and Bang and reported M&A talks between Monster Beverage and Constellation Brands, a few months after Coca-Cola‘s acquisition of BodyArmor, at a $6.6 billion valuation. We…
In a surprise move, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, who had walked away from discussions with his own party two weeks ago about the US climate spending package, announced he will support in the Senate a $739 billion package, called the Inflation Reduction Act, aimed at supporting alternative energies and lowering healthcare costs. Even if the overall…
Amid the current energy crisis, nuclear power is making a come-back despite ongoing nuclear waste issues. The idea has gained acceptance as nuclear energy is increasingly considered essential for combating climate change, following the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) incorporating nuclear in their models and estimates for a…
Back in 2020, plant-based foods and beverages were all the rage, growing 45% year-on-year as consumers shifted their eating habits during the pandemic toward natural and organic products that are perceived as healthy. Two years on, it’s a very different story: the industry’s growth momentum has stalled to just 6% in 2021 and further deceleration…