IBM’s Answer to Growth is Elementary – Watson

According to a MarketsandMarkets report, the global artificial intelligence (AI) market is estimated to grow at 53.65% annually from $419.7 million in 2014 to $5.05 billion by 2020. The growth in the industry is attributed to the deployment of AI technologies in retail, finance, and healthcare sectors. IBM (NYSE: IBM) is targeting this high growth market with added focus on Watson through acquisitions and strategic tie-ups.

>>>

Billion Dollar Unicorns: Russian Avito Gearing up to go Public

According to market reports, the global classifieds market is estimated to grow to $47 billion by the year 2020. Russian player Avito is a Billion Dollar Unicorn club member in the industry.

>>>

Billion Dollar Unicorns: Flipkart’s Valuation Bodes Unsteady Future

The entry of Amazon in the Indian e-commerce market has drastically changed the market landscape. Snapdeal’s market share has dropped to 14% from 19%, while Amazon’ market share has increased to 24% from 14%. Flipkart’s market share has dropped from 43% to 37%, and while it still continues to lead the market, its valuation has taken a drastic beating. >>>

Billion Dollar Unicorns: LeSports Cashes in on Niche Video Streaming

According to a report by venture capital firm China eCapital Corp, China’s professional sports industry is estimated to grow to 1.6 trillion yuan (~$242 billion) in annual revenue by 2025, translating to a compounded annual growth rate of 20% from 2016. A major growth factor is expected to be broadcasting rights fees for professional sporting events. LeSports is a leading player and a Billion Dollar Unicorn club member in this industry.

>>>

WebMD Not Ready for a Sale

Earlier this year, the market was abuzz with rumors that the digital health information site WebMD (Nasdaq: WBMD) was out looking for a potential buyer. Analysts were speculating that Walgreens or insurance provider United Health could be ideal suitors. But WebMD has denied such prospects and continues to improve its offerings instead.

>>>

Billion Dollar Unicorns: Real Estate Platform Compass Joins the Club

The number of new Billion Dollar Unicorns has come down drastically in comparison to last year. It is even rarer to find a unicorn in the highly consolidated online real estate industry. Compass is the latest Billion Dollar Unicorn to make this cut with its Big Data-driven real estate platform. >>>

Billion Dollar Unicorns: Online-to-Offline Focus Helps Huimin Enter the Club

According to iResearch Consulting Group, the online-to-offline (O2O) market size is estimated to have grown 38% over the year to RMB 335 billion (~$53.78 billion). The market is expected to grow by over 20% each year through 2018 to be worth RMB 626 billion (~$100.501 billion) in China. China’s Zhongshang Huimin is the latest O2O player to enter the Billion Dollar Unicorn club.

>>>

Billion Dollar Unicorns: Coupa Has a Successful IPO

After a drought of tech IPOs early this year, 2016 is finally ending on a positive note with a string of successful IPOs. After Twilio, Line, Talend, and Nutanix, cloud spend management company Coupa is the latest among Billion Dollar Unicorns to deliver a successful IPO. >>>