The document discusses various technology, mobile, and investment trends in 2016. It provides statistics on topics such as global IT spending, smartphone shipments and market share, mobile data traffic, wearables shipments, and crowdfunding volumes. It also examines investment trends in areas like artificial intelligence, augmented/virtual reality, and early-stage deal sizes. Finally, it lists the top ten startup hubs in 2016 as Silicon Valley, New York, London, Berlin, Stockholm, Seoul, Tel Aviv, Beijing, Los Angeles, and Boston.

2. • General Technology Trends
• Mobile Industry Trends
• Investment Trends
• Top Ten Startup Hubs 2016
CONTENT

3. General Technology Trends

4. 3D printers
Drones
Wireless Everything
Virtual Reality
Hot Trends at CES 2016
Driving Gadgets
The Internet of Things
Continuing Evolution of Technology
Smart Homes
Healthcare Gizmos

5. In 2016, IT spending on hardware, software, and services is expected to post only a 2% growth
rate to $2.3 trillion, compared to an annual growth rate of 5% to 6% over the past six years since
the 2010 financial crisis. Last year, IT spending worldwide grew 6%. (IDC)
Source: IDC, SparkLabs Global Ventures
Shipment forecast of tablets, laptops and desktop PCs
worldwide from 2010 to 2020 (in million units) Top Wearable Products with Shipments (in millions)
Source: IDC, SparkLabs Global Ventures
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016E 2019E 2020E
Destop-PCs Laptops Tablets
31.9 41.8
111.339.6
51.4
60.8
18.8
15.6
6.8
6.2
7.1
0
50
100
150
200
250
2015 2016E 2020E
Watch Wrist Band Eyewear Clothing Others
Global IT Spending Slashed to $2.3 Trillion

6. Worldwide combined shipments for devices (PC, tablets and mobile phones) are expected to decline 3
percent in 2016.This will mark the second consecutive year of decline.The global devices market fell by
0.75% in 2015 (Gartner)
Mobile phone shipments will fall 1.6 percent in 2016, but will return to growth in 2017 (Gartner)
Source: Gartner, SparkLabs Global
Worldwide Devices Shipments by Device Type, 2015-2018 (millions of units)
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
2015 2016 2017 2018
Traditional PCs Ultramobiles (Premium) PC Market
Ultramobiles (Basic and Utility) Computing Devices Market Mobile Phones
Annual Shipment Growth of IT

7. In 2015, spending on software was around $314 billion dollars.That same year, expenditure in the global
information technology market amounted to $3.4 billion dollars and IT services, the second largest
segment behind communications services, stood at $866 billion dollars. IT spending on software
worldwide is expected to reach $332 billion in 2016.
Statista, Sparklabs Global
Fast growing software market
IT spending on software worldwide, from 2009 to 2020 (in billions, U.S. dollars)
285 297 310 314
332
356
381
408
437
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016E 2017E 2018E 2019E 2020E

8. Mobile Industry Trends

9. The global smartphone market is expected to slow considerably over the next few years. Despite a record-
setting holiday quarter, 2015 was likely the last year of double-digit growth for smartphone shipments.
(Business Insider)
• Mature markets were at the heart of this year’s deceleration.Adoption has reached new highs in key markets in the U.S., Europe,
and China.
• Meanwhile, emerging markets will continue to see robust shipment growth. India and Indonesia, in particular, will help fuel a large
share of the shipments growth within the global smartphone market over the next few years.
Global Smartphone Shipments (in billions) Global Smartphone Shipments (in billions)
Source: BI Intelligence, SparkLabs Global Source: BI Intelligence, SparkLabs Global
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
Global Smartphone Market to Slow Down

10. Global Connections by Technology (in millions) Smartphone Users and Penetration Worldwide (in millions)
Smartphone Penetration by Country (Top 10) Smartphone Shipments by Region (in billions)
Source: GSMA Intelligence, Google our mobile planet, SparkLabs Global Source: eMarketer, CCS Insight, SparkLabs Global
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
2G 3G 4G
1311.2
1639
1914.6
2155
2380
2561.8
32.4
38.4
42.9
46.4
49.5 51.7
34.3
25
16.8
12.6 10.4
7.6
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Smartphone Users % of Mobile Phone Users % Change
67%
68%
68%
69%
70%
72%
74%
75%
80%
85%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Taiwan
Norway
UK
Denmark
China
Spain
Hong Kong
Sweden
South Korea
Singapore
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
2
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
North America
Western Europe
Asia-Pacific Developed
Asia-Pacific Emerging
China
India
Eastern Europe
Middle East and Africa
Latin America
Smartphone Market in 2016

11. Mobile Data Traffic Growth in 2015 by Region Global Mobile Data Traffic forecast by 2020
Source: Cisco VNI Mobile, SparkLabs Global Source: Cisco VNI Mobile, SparkLabs Global
Global mobile data traffic grew by 74 percent in 2015. Growth rates varied widely by region, with
Middle East and Africa having the highest growth rate followed by Asia Pacific, Latin America, and
Central and Eastern Europe.
Overall mobile data traffic is expected to grow to 30.6 exabytes per month by 2020, an eightfold
increase over 2015. Mobile data traffic will grow at a CAGR of 53 percent from 2015 to 2020.
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120%
Middle East and Africa
Asia Paciffic
Latin America
Central and Eastern Europe
North America
Western Europe
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
2015 2016E 2017E 2018E 2019E 2020E
(Exabytes/month)
Smartphone Market in 2016

12. Regional Share of Smart Devices and Connections Global Growth of Smart Mobile Devices and Connections
Source: Cisco VNI Mobile, SparkLabs Global Source: Cisco VNI Mobile, SparkLabs Global
74%
59%43%
35%
34%
12%
North America
Western Europe
Central and Eastern
Europe
Asia Pacific
Latin America
Middle East and Africa
• By the end of 2020, North America will have 95 percent of its installed base converted to smart
devices and connections, followed by Western Europe with 86 percent smart devices and connections.
• The share of smart devices and connections as a percentage of the total will increase from 36 percent
in 2015 to more than two-thirds, at 67 percent, by 2020, growing nearly threefold during the forecast
period
64% 56% 49% 43% 37% 33%
36% 44% 51% 57% 63% 67%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
2015 2016E 2017E 2018E 2019E 2020E
Nonsmart Devices Smart Devices
Smartphone Market in 2016

13. Worldwide Smartphone OS Market Share
Source: Statista, SparkLabs Global
Worldwide Smartphone Shipments Share Q2 2016
22.4%
11.8%
9.4%
6.6%
4.8%
45.1%
Samsung
Apple
Huawei
OPPO
vivo
Others
Source: Statista, SparkLabs Global
Smartphone Market in 2016

14. Revenue of mobile application is expected grow continuously and rapidly along with increasing
consumption of smartphones.
As you can see from below chart, even in the US which has a mature mobile application market, users still
download many apps every month.
Source: Statista, Gartner,TechCrunch, SparkLabs Global
Mobile App Forecast – Annual Gross Revenue Fastest Growing Emerging Countries by App Store Revenue
Source: Flurry Analytics, SparkLabs Global
Mobile Application Growth

15. Investment Trends

16. “Entrepreneurship ecosystems are developing all
over the globe – but no place is like Silicon
Valley where ideas, ambitions, capital and
experience still come together in a unique,
catalytic way that fosters the creation of exceptional
startups.”
Jeff Clavier,
Founder & Managing
Partner of SoftTech VC
On Silicon Valley
SoftTech VC is one of the original
seed VC firms in Silicon Valley,
having closed 175+ investments
since 2004. Jeff and his team have
backed successful startups like
Mint , Kongregate, Milo, Wildfire,
Fitbit, Eventbrite, Sendgrid,
Postmates, and others.

17. • The World Bank estimated that crowdfunding would reach $90 billion by 2020.
• Equity crowdfunding, the newest category of crowdfunding, opened up publicly in 2013, has grown to
an estimated $1 billion invested online. In 2015 the estimate is for over $2.5 billion to be
invested through equity crowdfunding.
Source: Crowdfunder, SparkLabs Global Ventures
Annual Funding Comparison (in billions) Crowd Funding Volume (in billions)
Source: Crowdfunder, SparkLabs Global Ventures
Trends Show Crowdfunding to Surpass VC

18. • The median value of LA-based companies at exit has been larger than NYC exiting companies every year
since 2011, and significantly higher since 2014.
Source: CB Insights, SparkLabs Global Ventures Source: CB Insights, SparkLabs Global Ventures
0
20
40
60
80
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Los Angeles New York City
Number of Exits LA vs NYC
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Los Angeles New York City
Median Company Valuation LA vs NYC
Company Exit Type Date of Exit
Oculus VR M&A 3/25/2014
lynda.com M&A 4/09/2015
Demand Media IPO 1/21/2011
Cameron Health M&A 3/09/2012
Vantge Oncology M&A 2/25/2016
Dollar Shave Club M&A 7/20/2016
Maker Studios M&A 5/12/2014
TrueCar IPO 5/16/2014
Kite Pharma IPO 6/20/2014
Cornerstone IPO 3/17/2011
Trade Desk IPO 9/22/2016
Largest Exits in LA Since 2011
Data Suggests LA Ventures Is Underrated

19. Startup Survival Rate From Round To Round
Bay Area vs. U.S. Average New York City vs. U.S. Average
Boston vs. U.S. Average Los Angeles vs. U.S. Average
Source: Mattermark, SparkLabs Global Source: Mattermark, SparkLabs Global
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Seed A B C D E F
USA Average New York City
Series
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Seed A B C D E F
USA Average Bay Area
Series
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Seed A B C D E F
USA Average Boston
Series
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Seed A B C D E F
USA Average Los Angeles
Series

20. Startup Survival Rate From Round To Round
Seattle vs. U.S. Average Chicago vs. U.S. Average
All Other Cities vs. U.S. Average
Source: Mattermark, SparkLabs Global
Source: Mattermark, SparkLabs Global
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Seed A B C D E F
USA Average Seattle
Series
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Seed A B C D E F
~Other~ USA_Average
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Seed A B C D E F
Chicago USA_Average
Series

21. • With the year only halfway done, 2016 has seen $1.3B invested over 76 deals, which already
translates to 85% growth over 2015′s funding total.At the current run rate, deal volume this year will
grow by 11% over last year’s total. (CB Insight)
• Much of the boom in 2016 can be attributed to Magic Leap‘s Series C fundraising in February, which was
a massive $793M round.The stealth AR headset developer has now raised $1.4B in total
funding. (CB Insight)
Source: CB Insight, SparkLabs Global Ventures
AR/VR Global Yearly Financing History
86
238
787 703
1,303
2,606
23
41
60
137
152
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
4,500
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016YTD
Investment ($M) Projected Deals
AR/VR Funding Already Sees 85% Growth

22. • Deals to AI-focused startups increased nearly 7x over the last five years, from 4 in Q1’11 to 27
in Q1’16.Around 15% of the deals in Q1’16 went to companies focused on AI applications in healthcare.
• However, total funding dropped 18% to $83M from $101M in Q4’15, when over 20 companies
raised funds.
Source: CB Insight, SparkLabs Global Ventures
AI Global Quarterly Financing History AI Funding Breakdown by VC Round
Source: CB Insight, SparkLabs Global Ventures
Artificial Intelligence Startups in Q1 2016

23. • Median early-stage (Seed – Series A_ deal size among all VC-backed companies hit $2.7M in 1Q16, up
17% YoY.This reflects the active ecosystem of micro-VCs, multi-stage funds and strategic investors
actively pursuing early-stage deals.
• NY-based tech exits have also picked up, as 2014 saw the highest exit total of the past six years.The exits
have largely been driven by M&A. However, 2014 did reach a six-year high for IPOs with five, including
those of OnDeck Capital,Varonis Systems, and others.
Global Early-Stage Deal Size (in millions of USD)
Source: CB Insights, KPMG, SparkLabs Global Ventures Source: CB Insights, KPMG, SparkLabs Global Ventures
Global Late-Stage Deal Size (in millions of USD)
$1.9
$2.2
$2.0
$2.4
$3.2
1Q15 2Q15 3Q15 4Q15 1Q16
$21.0
$30.5
$35.0
$31.3
$22.0
1Q15 2Q15 3Q15 4Q15 1Q16
Early-stage Deals VS. Late-stage Deals

24. Top Ten Startup Hubs 2016

25. Silicon Valley
New York
London
Berlin
Stockholm
Seoul
Tel Aviv
Beijing
Los Angeles
Boston
Top Ten Startup Hubs 2016

26. What defines a leading
global startup hub?
• Engineering Talent
• Entrepreneurs / Mentors
• Technical Infrastructure
• Funding Ecosystem & Exits
• Startup Culture
• Legal & Policy Infrastructure
• Economic Foundation
• Government Policies & Programs
Top Ten Startup Hubs 2016

27. Population of Top 10
Global Startup Hubs
1. Silicon Valley
7.4 Million
2. Stockholm
2.1 Million
3. Tel Aviv
3.4 Million
4. New York City
20.1 Million
5. Los Angeles
18.5 Million
6. Beijing
24.9 Million
7. Seoul
25.7 Million
8. Boston
7.6 Million
9. London
13.6 Million
10. Berlin
4.2 Million
* population by metro area
Top Ten Startup Hubs 2016
A view of San Fransokyo from Disney's 'Big Hero 6'
Image Credit: Walt Disney Animation Studios

28. Unicorns of Top 10
Global Startup Hubs
Our definition of a “unicorn” was:
• Private company valuation of $1 billion+
• Private company acquired for $1 billion+
• IPOed during 2010 to present with a
current market capitalization of $1 billion
or greater
(Sources: CB Insights, Crunchbase, Yahoo! Finance, and Google)
1. Silicon Valley
79 Unicorns
2. Stockholm
6 Unicorns
3. Tel Aviv
4 Unicorns
4. New York City
16 Unicorns
5. Los Angeles
12 Unicorns
6. Beijing
9 Unicorns
7. Seoul
6 Unicorns
8. Boston
8 Unicorns
9. London
10 Unicorns
10. Berlin
5 Unicorns
Top Ten Startup Hubs 2016

29. “Silicon Valley is the best place in the world to scale a
startup. Once a startup hits product-market-fit, it should
absolutely have a presence in the Valley to
benefit from the knowledge and resources about
scaling.”
Ben Casnocha, Silicon Valley-based
entrepreneur and author
On Silicon Valley
Ben is Co-author of the #1 New
York Times bestselling career
strategy book “The Start-Up of
You: Adapt to the Future” (with
Reid Hoffman). At 14, he was
Founder of Comcate, an e-
government technology firm.

30. 26 Unicorn Startups who went public (IPO)
SILICON VALLEY
Pandora Trulia Palo Alto Networks Infoblox Lending Club Hortonworks
Linkedin Facebook ServiceNow Marketo Zendesk Fitbit
Fusion-io Workday Exact Target Fireeye GoPro Nutanix
Zynga Splunk Guidewire Software Box New Relic
Unicorn Startups that went public

31. 53 More Unicorn Startups in Silicon Valley (non-IPO)
SILICON VALLEY
Uber Airbnb Apttus Slack Automattic AppDynamics Credit KarmaGithub Docker Zscaler
Lyft
Palantir
Technologies
Intarcia
Therapeutics
Bloom
Energy
Deem Kabam Jawbone Instacart 23andMe Wish
Prosper Pinterest Stripe Houzz
Good
Technology
Illumio Pure StorageMuleSoft CloudFlare ForeScout
Tanium Dropbox Zenefits
Survey
Monkey
Proteus
Digital Health
MarkLogic DocuSign Deem EventBrite Glassdoor
NextDoor Theranos Cloudera Evernote Tango
Coupa
Software
ContextLogicMedallia Lookout Others…
Entire list of Unicorn Startups that hasn’t gone public

32. NEW YORK CITY
16 Unicorn Startups in New York City

33. “Los Angeles occupies a unique position as the
center of the global entertainment industry.
Companies who want access to content, talent and media
knowledge are all locating offices here. Los Angeles also
has a rich set of experienced entrepreneurs, angel
investors and venture capital that can help new
companies scale and grow.”
Sam Wick, Head of UTA Ventures
On Los Angeles
Sam is currently Head of
UTA Ventures. Previously
he was EVP & GM,
Enterprise at Maker
Studios, which was
acquired by Disney in
2014.

34. LOS ANGELES
12 Unicorn Startups in Los Angeles

35. "London has a unique combination where in one
single city there is strong concentration of deep
technical talent alongside people with business
experience across multiple sectors and it's also the
seat of government and regulation. For the new wave of
startups coming up that are tackling real world issues, it's
an ideal starting ground to coordinate across all these
domains.”
Aneesh Varma, Co-founder & CEO of Aire
On London
Aire gives people a new credit
score to help them qualify for
essential financial products.
The company’s investors
include White Star Capital,
Sunstone Capital, TechStars/
Barclays Accelerator, and
SparkLabs Global Ventures.

36. LONDON
10 Unicorn Startups in London

37. BOSTON & BERLIN
8 in BOSTON
5 in BERLIN
Unicorn Startups in Boston and Berlin

38. “Beijing is great for startups because it's not only the
center for tech, business, politics and culture in
China, but also has a large early adoption market for
new technology and consumer trends.The city is
littered with co-working spaces and events for
startups.VCs are hungry to invest in great companies.
Besides Silicon Valley, Beijing is the next most
vibrant place for startups.”
Anna Fang, CEO &
Partner of ZhenFund
On Beijing
Anna is Head of the largest seed
fund in China with over $500
million AUM. Since starting the
fund in 2011 with Xu Xiaoping,
Anna has managed the fund’s over
300 early stage investments.

39. BEIJING AND SEOUL
Unicorn Startups in Beijing and Seoul
9 in BEIJING
6 in SEOUL

40. Unicorn Startups in Tel Aviv and Stockholm
TEL AVIV & STOCKHOLM
6 in STOCKHOLM
4 in TEL AVIV

41. “Silicon Valley isn't just a place, it's a state of mind. A
state of mind where failure is okay, where risk
taking is celebrated, where young people are
seen as thought leaders, and where folks try to
help each other with no expectation of anything in
return.”
Sheel Tyle, Principal &
Co-Head of the Seed
Practice at NEA
On Silicon Valley
Sheel focuses on consumer
technology & education in the
U.S. and emerging markets.
Sheel holds board seats or
observer roles with Andela
(independent), LearnUp, and
Robinhood. He is a World
Economic Forum Global Shaper.

42. Startup Snapshots of Silicon Valley
SILICON VALLEY

43. “NYC is one of the fastest growing ecosystems for tech
startups.There's a tight-knit community of
founders, investors and talent from around the
world - not to mention one of the most diverse
melting pots of people from all walks of life. It's a
unique place to launch new products to a high
concentration of early adopters, both consumer and
enterprise.”
Suzanne Xie,
Founder & CEO of Hullabalu
On NYC
Suzanne is Founder of Hullabalu, a
family media startup re-inventing
storytelling for the new generation.
Hullabalu's story apps have been
installed over 1.4M times and is a
#1 iTunes Books bestseller in over
42 countries. Investors include SV
Angel, 645 Ventures, Melo7 Tech,
Joanne Wilson, SparkLabs Global
Ventures and others.

44. Startup Snapshots of Silicon Alley
NEW YORK CITY

45. “Despite the public perception on Brexit, the UK and
London continues to be the leading driver of the European
tech ecosystem. Digital comprises the highest % of
GDP out of any OECD country and both the founder and
funder ecosystem continues to accelerate. It is a natural hub
for FinTech given its centrality for global finance, for AdTech
given a number of the largest media buying groups are UK
based, and for AI given the PhD outputs from the likes of
Cambridge, Oxford, UCL and Imperial. Most importantly its
founder and employee base is one of the most vibrantly
diverse in the world.”
Christian Hernandez, Co-founder &
Managing Partner of White Star Capital
On London
White Star Capital is an
early-stage VC firm
helping entrepreneurs
across the Atlantic. Their
investments include
companies such as
Betaworks (US), Summly
(UK – Bought by Yahoo!),
and Dollar Shave Club
(US).

46. Startup Snapshots of London
LONDON

47. “The Stockholm startup ecosystem is on fire, with
Spotify, Mojang, King and Klarna leading the way.A
new generation of companies that includes Truecaller,
Lifesum and Trustly are following in their footsteps.
Stockholm's secret sauce is a mix of great
products, engineering skills, Nordic design and
a culture of going international from day one.
This is attracting people and capital from all over the
world and reinforcing the fact that Stockholm is one of
the best places in Europe to build a startup.”
Henrik Torstensson,
CEO of Lifesum
On Stockholm
Lifesum is digital health startup
that offers its users a flexible
platform to support and
encourage a healthy, balanced
lifestyle. They have won Best of
App Store 3 years in a row. Their
investors include Nokia Growth
Partners, Bauer Media, SparkLabs
Global Ventures and others.

48. Startup Snapshots of Stockholm
STOCKHOLM

49. “Berlin is a way of life – you come to Berlin to
live and work in Europe, but you think Silicon
Valley. Berlin is one of the youngest and fastest
growing and most dynamic tech ecosystems in
Europe.The low cost of living in the city lowers the
barrier to entry and tech talent from around the world
have moved to Berlin”
Gunnar Graef, Founder &
Managing Partner of
Deutsche Ventures
On Berlin
Gunnar is Managing Partner of
Deutsche Ventures, a Berlin-
based company builder.
Gunnar founded Airtag which
was recently acquired by Safran
Group. Before, he co-founded
Index Multimedia and DHL
Globalmail.

50. Startup Snapshots of Berlin
BERLIN
6Wunderkinder
Splash

51. Startup Snapshots of Tel Aviv
TEL AVIV

52. Startup Snapshots of Beijing
BEIJING
Kaixin001
Tujia
Edaixi

53. “In my mind, the two most important factors that makes Seoul
one of the best ecosystems for startups is its people and
infrastructure. In a city where 40% of the population of South
Korea is living in Seoul, the population has experienced internet
speeds years ahead of any other city in the world which in turn
has produced a technically savvy work force and customer base.
It is no coincidence that many businesses such as SNS and
mobile social gaming were successful in Korea many years
before it became globally popular. Because it is the most
connected city in the world, entrepreneurs can offer
services now that may not be possible anywhere else
until later when internet speed and/or user adoption catches
up.”
Chris Koh, Co-founder of Coupang
On Seoul
Chris is Co-founder of
Coupang, which is the
leading ecommerce
company in South Korea.
They recently raised $1
billion from Softbank and
previously raised capital from
Sequoia Capital Global
Equities, BlackRock Private
Equity, and others.

54. Startup Snapshots of Seoul
SEOUL
Baedal Minjeok

55. Startup Snapshots of Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES

56. “The Boston talent pool is unrivaled and the
community is very hungry for breakout companies.
While there can be disadvantages to being outside the
hype zone, I love that it provides space to focus
and build transformational products.And I love
that the community rallies around emerging companies
more than I've seen in any other city.”
Pat Kinsel, Founder & CEO of Notarize
On Boston
Pat is Founder & CEO of
Notarize and a Venture
Partner at Polaris Partners. He
was Co-founder & CEO of
Spindle, which was acquired
by Twitter in 2013.

57. Startup Snapshots of Boston
BOSTON

58. About SparkLabs Global Ventures

59. We are a new seed-stage fund with partners in Silicon Valley, London, Tel Aviv, Singapore,
and Seoul. Since December 2013, we have invested in 58 companies. Our global approach means that
we can pick the best deals in the right geographies where the sectors are hottest. For example, London has
become the leader in fintech, deep tech is growing fast in Scandinavia and South Korea, cybersecurity in
Israel and ecommerce in Asia.

61. “SparkLabs team was extremely value-add - they provided strategic advice, brokered relationships, and was 100%
committed to supporting us in building our company. They opened more doors for us than any other investor. SparkLabs is
an extension of your team. I would work with them in a heartbeat.” - Somrat Niyogi, Co-founder & CEO of Stitch
(acquired by SugarCRM)
“YJ and I, along with the entire team at KnowRe are ecstatic to be a part of the SparkLabs family, beginning from our
days in the accelerator. As an investor and mentor, SparkLabs brings a partnership that truly embodies the
characteristics of a family - being involved, bringing to bear ALL of one's resources, a genuine concern for someone
that goes far beyond self-interest. This type of partnership invariably leads to a deep trust. As entrepreneurs turned
investors, SparkLabs has a distinct understanding of both tectonic shifts in industry and the needs of, say a junior
marketing employee. This unique vertical acumen is extremely valuable and a critical component to growth.” -
David Joo, Co-founder & Co-CEO of KnowRe (www.knowre.com)
“Love working with these guys. Gives ‘sweat capital’ an entirely new meaning, going to all lengths around the world to
get us what we need.” - Akash Nigam, Co-founder & CEO of Blend (www.blend.la)
Our Entrepreneurs
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
NYC

62. “SparkLabs is an amazing team of investors. The partners are experienced operators from around the globe who have
helped us with not only key business issues, but also bouncing new ideas. Everyone is intelligent and charismatic, so
it's easy to see why the fund has such an expansive network of founders, senior executives, and advisors who are always
there to help. If you're a founder who cares about scale, international expansion, or just adding an awesome extension
to your team - SparkLabs is your fund.” - Cathy Han, Co-founder & CEO of 42 (YC W14)
(www. 42technologies.com)
“SparkLabs has been an amazing partner for us - they set the bar high, but have helped us every step of the way. Not only
has the SparkLabs team provided market-vetted advice and feedback, but they’ve been out front in making key
introductions and resources. Iodine is proud to be part of the SparkLabs clan.” - Thomas Goetz, Co-founder & CEO of
Iodine (www.iodine.com)
“The partners at SparkLabs are amazing people and have been a motivating force since the early days of Petnet. They
are forward thinking in the way they think about the internet of things and how it will shape they way people shop for
consumables. They have an expansive global network of executives, advisors, and investors who are ready to help in
any form necessary. SparkLabs is an essential team member for companies who are looking to expand their brand
globally.” - Carlos Herrera, Co-founder & CEO of Petnet (www.petnet.io)
Our Entrepreneurs
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
LA

63. “Code Kingdoms is delighted to part of the SparkLabs family. The partners understand entrepreneurs because they are
entrepreneurs themselves - the guidance and support provide is always insightful, relevant and timely. Having SparkLabs
as an investor has been a significant contributor to the growth of our company and also provided immense learning
opportunities from fellow portfolio companies and wider network.” - Ross Targett, Co-founder & CEO of Code
Kingdoms (www.codekingdoms.com)
“SparkLabs' passion for Memebox inspired us to go global and expand to Silicon Valley. Their support was felt every step of
the way as we launched the Silicon Valley office and graduated from Y Combinator. Since their involvement we've
successfully closed both a Series A and B funding round, within a year. It has been a rewarding experience having
SparkLabs Global Ventures as our investor and partner as we continue to share our products with the global audience.” -
Dino Ha, Co-founder & Co-CEO of Memebox (YC W14) (www.memebox.com)
“Suffice it to say that SparkLabs has played a significant role in the Squirrel story! Heck, they were even involved before we
became known as Squirrel! SparkLabs has taken on the role of investor, mentor, facilitator, talent source, sounding board
and all-round supporter of everything Squirrel as of day 1. Their commitment to our success has come through in every
interaction with the outspoken Frank Meehan and team at SparkLabs, and they've been a great partner on our amazing
journey so far. I look forward to continuing to see that partnership flourish as they help us work towards making financial
freedom a reality in the UK and beyond!” - Mutaz Qubbaj, Co-founder & CEO of Squirrel (www.squirrel.me)
Our Entrepreneurs
Silicon Valley
& Seoul
London
London

64. Thank you!
www.sparklabsglobal.com