Billion Dollar Unicorns: Uptake Joins the Club

According to the IDC, global organizations were expected to spend about $120 billion in 2015 to connect factory operations, building systems, and mobile equipment in the field to the Internet of Things. Gartner reports that in 2014, 278 million factory machines, construction vehicles, and other pieces of industrial equipment were connected to the Internet of Things. By 2020 Gartner expects 526 million pieces of manufacturing equipment to be connected. Billion Dollar Unicorn Club member Uptake is already growing based on this trend.

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Billion Dollar Unicorns: WePiao Succeeds in Online Ticketing in China

According to China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, the country’s box office revenues grew 48% last year to RMB40 billion (~US$6.2 billion). During the year, cinema goers increased by 48% as well to 1.14 billion. China is seeing a big push in online and mobile purchase of movie tickets. Reports suggest that in the first half of the year, nearly 70% of the movie ticket purchases were made online. Little wonder then that the industry is giving rise to members of the Billion Dollar Unicorn Club.

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SAP is Also Counting on the Cloud and Analytics

Analysts believe that despite the increased adoption of cloud-based services, even by the year 2020, on-premise ERP software would continue to have a bigger market share. On-premise ERP solutions are expected to account for 57% of the ERP market. But cloud-based ERP would be the fastest growing solution with a CAGR of 10% during the period 2014 to 2020. In another report, Gartner estimates the worldwide CRM market to be a $36 billion market by 2017 with nearly 47% of the market being cloud-based.

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Ping Identity Getting Ready for IPO

According to Allied Market Research, the global cloud Identity and Access Management (IAM) market is expected to reap in revenue of $2.8 billion by 2020 at a CAGR of 26.2% during period 2015 to 2020. Ping Identity is a key player and pioneer in this market. >>>

Local Reviews Sites Re-evaluating Monetization Models

According to a BIA/Kelsey report, the Yellow Pages industry is expected to grow to $7 billion this year. Bigger vendors like Facebook and Google are also entering the market by creating their own versions of review-based yellow pages. Their entry is hurting the market where digital players are already struggling to make it a worthwhile business opportunity. >>>

Alibaba Invests Globally to Regain Glory

Two years ago, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) went public at the biggest US IPO ever when it raised $21.8 billion at a valuation of $167.6 billion. Soon after, the stock continued to skyrocket and was soon trading at valuations north of $215 billion. Since then though, the company’s ride has been bumpy. Its stock price had fallen much below IPO levels last year before recovering this year. But now, Alibaba looks to be investing aggressively in market expansion, especially geographic.

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Adobe on Cloud Nine

A few years ago, Adobe (Nasdaq: ADBE) began its shift to the cloud by migrating its business from a software sales model to a cloud-based subscription service one. At the onset, the transition was bumpy and analysts had their doubts on whether or not Adobe would be able to deliver. But Adobe’s recent results are strong proof of a decision well made and well executed.

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A Year of Transition for Online Travel

According to a Phocuswright report, the global travel market is expected to grow 7.7% in 2016 to $1.4 trillion. The online travel market, which accounts for about 10% of the total travel market has seen much consolidation over the past few years with Expedia and Priceline going on an acquisition spree. >>>

2016 IPO Prospects: ironSource Strengthening its Revenue Generating Capabilities

According to a BI Intelligence report, the US mobile app-install advertising market was estimated to be worth $4.6 billion in 2015. The market is expected to grow to $6.8 billion by 2019, translating to an annual growth rate of 14%. The report estimates that mobile app install ads accounted for nearly 30% of mobile ad revenue last year. Israel’s ironSource is hoping to take a big share of this market.

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From Unicorn to Unicorpse: Is it Game Over for Zynga?

According to a PwC research report on the US gaming industry, social and casual gaming revenues in the country are projected to grow 4.5% annually from $1.88 billion in 2014 to $2.35 billion by 2019. Social and casual games are expected to account for 12% of total $19.6 billion gaming industry in the US by the year 2019. Another report estimates the global mobile game market to grow from $25 billion in 2015 to $45 billion by the year 2020. Social gaming provider Zynga (Nasdaq: ZNGA) is trying all tricks to improve its market value.

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