MercadoLibre is Unstoppable

According to InternetRetailer, overall Latin America web sales grew 15.5% in 2015 to $22.22 billion compared with the 22.1% growth recorded a year ago. The slowing down of the growth rate is attributed partially to the depressed macroeconomic conditions in Brazil, which accounts for 58% of the region’s web sales. Last year, the Brazilian economy shrank 3.8%, recording the biggest decline in gross domestic product since 1991.But slowing down of the Brazilian economy has not stopped online retailers in the Latin American region from continuing to push ahead.  >>>

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Two Years Post the IPO, Globant Continues to Soar

According to IDC, the proportion of digital related consulting engagements are expected to grow from nearly 50% for the period 2013-2015 to 80% by the year 2019, driving the total market for Digital Strategy services to more than $97 billion globally by 2019. Billion Dollar Unicorn player Globant (NYSE:GLOB), the first Latin American Software Services company to list on the NYSE exchange, is making its presence felt in the industry.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Blippar Bets on Its Visual Browser

According to a report by Digi-Capital, the augmented and virtual reality market is estimated to grow to $120 billion by the year 2020, compared with the forecast of less than $10 billion in 2016. In 2020, virtual reality (VR) is expected to account for $30 billion of the market while augmented reality (AR) will account for the remaining $90 billion. Billion Dollar Unicorn player Blippar is focused on making a mark in this high growth industry.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Didi Chuxing Monopolizing Chinese Ride-Sharing Market?

This year has seen Chinese ride-sharing firm Didi Chuxing expand its list of investors to include the likes of Apple, Foxconn, and even Uber, cranking up its valuation to $33.7 billion. It is now the third largest Billion Dollar Unicorn after Uber and Xiomi.
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2016 IPO Prospects: Snap Snaps out of Chat Business to Justify Valuation

An eMarketer report on the global mobile phone messaging market expects the global user base for over-the-top messaging services to grow from 1.4 billion in 2015 to 2.19 billion by the year 2019. Another report by GlobalWebIndex reveals that Facebook Messenger is the most widely used mobile app followed by Facebook-owned WhatsApp. Together, the two account for 70% of the user base globally. While Snap, formerly known as Snapchat, accounts for a modest 7% of global internet users, more than 40% of teenagers in mature markets like UK and US use it. >>>

Zynga Launches Much Awaited CSR2, but Market Outlook Remains Weak

According to market reports, the mobile gaming industry was worth $34 billion in 2015. Within games, it is among the fastest growing segment. But despite the growth, gaming companies like Zynga are finding it difficult to deliver stellar results.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Grab from Singapore is the Next Big One

There aren’t too many Billion Dollar Unicorn stories from South East Asia. But here is an interesting story of Grab, earlier known as GrabTaxi, that has successfully delivered an Uber-like offering in the region and now commands a multi-billion dollar valuation.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: Line Delivers a Successful IPO

According to eMarketer, over-the-top (OTT) mobile messaging services were used by more than 1.4 billion consumers in 2015, recording a 32% growth over the year. Total users are expected to grow to 2.19 billion by the year 2019 and will account for 68% of mobile phone Internet users. Two years ago, Japan’s mobile messaging service Line had abandoned plans to list. But early this year, the company finally took the plunge.

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The 5-Horse Race in Tech

Tech has become a 5-horse race: Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft being the five horses fighting for dominance of Techdom. Google dominates Search and Mobile; Apple dominates mobile; Amazon dominates Commerce and Cloud; Facebook dominates Social; and Microsoft, despite its size, dominates nothing. >>>

From Unicorn to Unicorpse: Ad-Supported Media Businesses Are Not Viable Anymore

Since being founded in 2003, Mode Media, formerly known as Glam Media, had been trying to run a content-based business model that could be scaled while being profitable and relevant. After thirteen years of trying, the company finally gave up this month and abruptly shut down shop. The incident is yet another datapoint in the broader phenomenon driving the media industry: ad-supported businesses simply don’t work unless you are Facebook or Google.

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