HAX Hardware Trends 2019
HAX Hardware Trends 2019
HAX Hardware Trends 2019
Trends
2019
Foreword
An ever expanding hardware ecosystem Thank you to our authors
The world of hardware continues to grow beyond the consumer electronics of and key contributors
just a few years ago. The rise of automation, connectivity and sensors has Anant Pathak
opened the door for startups from all over the world to solve new problems Cyril Ebersweiler
and rethink how our physical world works. This has led to a shift in the market Duncan Turner
due to many traditional “software” companies making bigger investments into Dylan Crow
hardware, new entrants rising quickly, and open doors for new startups to Garrett Winther
emerge with compelling new hardware. Jo-An Ho
Ji Ke
Kate Whitcomb
A snapshot of the future
This report highlights some of the trends we see every day as investors in the
world of hardware. The ecosystem is evolving quickly and, as early-stage Creative Design By
investors, we see the signs of what lies ahead. In short, we’re as excited as Vitaly Vyazovsky
ever to continue investing into hardware startups, knowing they’ll have a Lisa Shcheglova
massive impact on our everyday lives.
Venture Capital Program for Hardware HAX is part of SOSV, a global early stage fund with
USD $650M AUM. SOSV invests through a set of
HAX runs a hands-on program to support our flagship programs, which HAX is proud to have as
investment’s technical and business development. Our sibling organizations.
offices are strategically located in Shenzhen and San
Francisco, the most important ecosystems for
hardware entrepreneurs.
The authors thank the hundreds of startup The data quoted in this report belongs to
founders we work with, our analyst and those who conducted the research.
creative teams for continuing to take this
report to new levels, and the many people who Many of the examples used are SOSV/HAX
are part of the growing hardware ecosystem. investments at various stages of development.
264*
Note: This includes deals between $1M-500M. If pre-seed deals were included, Source: original inspiration from BOLT State of Hardware Financing + amended data via Crunchbase
the total number of financings would be much larger.
Hardware
Trends 2019
Hardware While many factors (such as CVCs
and the blurring of lines between software
IPOs and hardware) can increase hardware investment,
are it is hard to ignore the momentum hardware
enabled companies are gaining in the public
$54B $12B
increasing markets.
NIO
$6.4B
$4.4B
$4.1B
$4.5B
$3B
$2.9B $2B
$1.3B $900M
$130M $1.5B
$654M $1.1B
$45M $107M $150M$145M
May 2014 Dec 2014 Apr 2015 Aug 2015 Dec 2015 Apr 2016 Aug 2016 Dec 2016 Apr 2017 Jul 2017 Nov 2017 Mar 2018 Aug 2018
*Announced/upcoming IPOs
Hardware
Trends 2019
$1.9B
$600M
Valuation at IPO (USD)
$457M This has been increasingly evident
in the past 9 months with a large
$400M number of IPOs, particularly in the
medical device space.
$323M
$284M
$238M $215M
$120M
$58M
Hardware
Trends 2019
Consumer tech is
driving unicorns
Consumer
Hardware
Trends 2019
Medical devices
less so
Consumer Health
Hardware
Trends 2019
B2B tech driving
more value
Consumer Health
B2B
B2B based investments have consistently
driven value as larger industries look to digital
transformation through new technology.
Hardware
Trends 2019
Chinese EV explosion
unsustainable
Consumer Health
B2B Automotive
It is the automotive sector (mostly driven
by incredible growth in China) that has
seen the largest number of unicorns in
the past year and a half.
Hardware
Trends 2019
$140B China USA Europe
$105B
$70B
$35B
$0B
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019Q1
Source: Dow Jones Venture Source
to hit a record
past year (pre-dating the trade bounce back in 2020 as China
war). Local Chinese looks to invest in homegrown
governments have traditionally tech talent.
low in 2019 been supportive of early stage
VC along with large Chinese Hardware
Trends 2019
Chinese GPs struggling to raise funds
Fundraising by China-focused VCs 2008-19
New fund managers and early stage VC have suffered the High LP drop out rate
most as later stage funds continue to raise capital. (mostly government)
500 $50B
400 $40B
Aggregate
capital
300 raised $30B
Number of
funds closed
200 $20B
100 $10B
0
0
2008 2009 2010 2012 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Source: Preqin, Chart by: TechNode/Nicole Jao
Hardware
Trends 2019
The shortage of Equity financings for China-based,
VC-backed companies (2015-2019)
LP commitments 50 1200
Source: DowJones
Hardware
Trends 2019
Investment
areas within
Hardware
Trends 2019
We invest in
4
key areas
B2B
Hardware 40
Trends 2019
30
HAX has invested
in over 200 startups
20
10
to, and driving changes Automation, sensors and connectivity have enabled
in consumer purchasing
entirely new products and business models. These
areas will continue to grow and affect our day-to-
day lives.
behaviour Hardware
Trends 2019
home experiences
Just as the video game console disrupted video
arcades and the VHS disrupted the cinema, when it
comes to the home, hardware enabled convenience
wins over centralized locations.
200
100
Peleton
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
201 201
Source: Second Mesure
Spending is up, yet we are If we normalize personal
consumption expenditure
$24 40,000
Real average hourly
earnings
$20
34,000
$16
$12 28,000
Personal
consumption
$8 expenditure per
capita 22,000
$4
0 16,000
1975 1980 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
Hardware
Trends 2019
Hardware
Trends 2019
32%
Making monthly
Debt is scarier
payment
What scares
millennials
than death
Accruing Relying too
much on credit
interest about their
33% credit cards? 20%
None of
the above
7%
8%
Not understanding
interest rates for millennials
Source: CNBC: Credit Card Debt Scares Millienials
pricing plans are the future which has seen their number of customers
increase dramatically.
Hardware
Trends 2019
Happiest Baby Grover
Per night rental for Monthly rentals for
“Snoo", a connected everyday consumer
baby bassinet electronics
Automation is also
changing D2C
There are more and more examples of robotic
automation enhancing customer experiences: a vending
machine that interacts like a human, or a restaurant Cafe X
where automation creates a truly customized product. Automated artisanal
coffee vending machine
Hardware
Trends 2019
investments Decentralized
recycling stations
in the past
to cope with the
paper shortages
in China.
6 months
Presso Bowl
Dry cleaning at a Small footprint
fraction of the cooking and
footprint, time and assembly
cost of traditional systems for one
methods. bowl meals.
The biggest change in consumer
behavior has been in mobility
JUMP
Dockless scooter
and bike sharing
acquired by Uber Hardware
Trends 2019
Autonomy Electric Shared Connected
Mobility Hardware
Trends 2019
and fragmenting
towards new technology,
infrastructure and business models
with no clear winners in sight.
Hardware
E-hailing $56.2B Trends 2019
Semiconductors $38.1B
AV sensors and
ADAS components $29.9B
$120 billion invested
Connectivity/
infotainment $20.8B in mobility startups
Electric vehicles
and charging $19B
Investment
in the last 24 months
Batteries $14.3B activities
in mobility
AV software and
mapping $13.5B since 2010
Telematics and
intelligent traffic $12.4B
The evolution and uncertainty of mobility
Back end/
cybersecurity $9B has led to major venture investment into
mobility and related technologies.
HDMI and voice
recognition $7.4B
Source: McKinsey Analysis, CapitalIQ, Pitchbook
Growing pains of trying to The task of integrating mobility solutions
has run into challenges with public
perception, complex technology
move faster than policy and integration, and lack of infrastructure.
infrastructure
While the core technologies continue to
develop, there are issues with how they
translate to the real world.
Hardware
Trends 2019
Hardware
Trends 2019
Sustainable
mobility
companies
are built as
integrated
ecosystems
The emergent winners are taking a more
holistic approach to their offering with GoGoRo
go-to-market strategies that scale and Taiwanese electric scooter
and battery swapping
integrate effectively. infrastructure and a 2018
unicorn.
Blurring as
Hardware lines
the key
driver to utilization
between public
and longevity
and private
Companies are developing or redesigning
Nuro
Small format
autonomous delivery
vehicles
mobility
hardware to optimize it for specific uses
(especially when off-the-shelf hardware
doesn’t do the job)
Operating Cost
maintenance
Operations +
maintenance ~5% Hardware
~50%
Hardware 15% Mobility systems will continue to move towards more
shared, commercially operated systems. These will be
more reliant on the hardware's ability to maximize its
UberX Autonomous output and be fit for the job.
taxi
Source: McKinsey, BCG, Economist
Hardware
Trends 2019
Hardware
Trends 2019
PushMe
Youibot Instant recharge pod
Commercial vehicle network and electric
inspection robots bikes
Supported by
a new generation
of infrastructure
Infrastructure has proven to be just as important Charge Point
as the hardware itself, leading to new, high growth World’s largest electric
businesses that support the future of mobility. vehicle charging
network
Electrification
has created new
battlegrounds
for personal
vehicles
Electric vehicles have shifted expectations
and opened the door to new industry
players, changing the dynamics within
the competitive automotive industry.
Hardware
Trends 2019
HAX MOBILITY POV
Hardware
Trends 2019
-0.5%
Global personal
-1%
China personal
+62%
China EV market
vehicle market vehicle market
Hardware
Trends 2019
Giant Screens
US automotive Projected
China EV
A familiar bubble about to burst, The Chinese EV market is expected to grow but
there are clear signs of massive consolidation in
but happening much faster and the coming years. These changes mirror the US
automotive industries growth and consolidation
with lasting effects of 100 years ago. The results will shape the
global automotive landscape.
/03
Health care is unbundling, creating
opportunities for non-health companies
to disrupt existing models
Hardware
Trends 2019
Hardware
Trends 2019
Consumer health testing kits A new generation of testing,
monitoring and rehabilitation
A record year
606
570 $14.68
Deal 473
count
154
283
$11.7B
137 for health tech
$8.3B
funding
Total $7.1B
Funding $6.2B
Q4
Q3 VC funding into health care hit $14.6B
Q2 in 2018. Device deals were $4.1B in 2018, up 40%
Q1 from $2.9B in 2017, led by a surge in surgical
$2.9B
$2.3B
$2.8B robotics. (Silicon Valley Bank data).
$2.0B
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
44
Number of 510(k)s Novel device Number of Granted
cleared approvals 106 de novos
3,203 3,207
98 31
86 91 28
26
3,137 71
3,126 61 61 18 18
3,095 51
13
3,066
10
25 29 7
3,024 4 3
3,008
2,957
2009 2012 2015 2018 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019
Source : FDA
There has been an increase in class II and class III medical devices going
2,807
through the de novo process due to the availability of new technologies. With
data showing that de novo pathways tend to lead to more successful exits and
2009 2012 2015 2018 higher deal values, being novel and complex is no longer a bad thing.
Source : William V. Donovan
Hardware
Trends 2019
Successful Access
companies are
improving the
following areas Cost
healthcare Hardware
Trends 2019
more accessible settings, not just in
the clinic.
Hardware
Trends 2019
Microfluidics continue to power new MF have the ability to extract large amounts
of valuable data from a small sample,
possibilities in health, optimizing improving access, outcomes and cost.
In the future, point-of-need testing will
cost, access and outcomes streamline consumer access to diagnostic
Hardware information, with implications for human
Trends 2019 health and beyond.
Making
processes
Changing the
more efficient process
Massive machine-type
communications
Source: International Mobile Telecommunication - IMT 2020
Much of the Enhanced mobile
broadband
hype around 5G
is consumer-
focused Gigabits Work and play
/second in the Cloud
Hardware
Trends 2019
Ultra-reliable
and low latency
communications
Massive machine type
communications
Enhanced mobile
The true value lies in broadband
enterprise sensing and
industrial automation
Hardware
Trends 2019
disappearing Simplified
sensor
Smart meters deployment
Pipeline management
Agriculture sensors
Smart cities
Building automation
Smart grid
Asset management Massive Gateway-free
Asset tracking machine-type comms
Hardware
Trends 2019
communications
Cloud processing Remote access
Cloud control and control
enabled
Reliability
technology
Applied augmented reality
Remote operation
Service robotics
Gateway-free comms
Critical controls
Ultra-reliable Autonomous fleets
Security and low latency
communications Hardware
Trends 2019
5G deployment challenges created new
opportunities for technologies to scale
Hardware
Trends 2019
ACiist Mesh++
ACIIST Mesh++
Smart city & IoT WiFi anywhere with self-
connectivity infrastructure powered mesh nodes
DRAFT
Hardware
Trends 2019
B2B
Construction
Index of US labor productivity Construction
300
Relative
improvement
labor
250
Non-farm business
labor productivity +153%
productivity
is not just
CAGR +1.9%
200
hard facts
industry needs to build more infrastructure for
more people, but with less money and less labor.
$1TN
financing shortfall Hardware
Trends 2019
to keep up with
demand
Source: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Shaping_the_Future_of_Construction_full_report__.pdf
$23B* Restoration $1.3T*
/demolition
$6B cost of demolition
+ $17B cost of disposing Design and
construction
demolition waste/year
The lifecycle of
infrastructure
Maintenance
$340B* $369B*
Utilities residential and
+ $51B (cleaning management commercial utilities
expenditure in the US) expenditure in the US
*US buildings
Restoration / Productivity
$1.5T Demolition is severely affected
by real world variability
Rebartek
Robotic rebar pre-
fabrication Construction occurs in the physical world.
Solutions for this industry can’t be digital
The lifecycle of only; software needs additional sources of
infrastructure information from a variety of workflows to
unlock new avenues for productivity.
Augmenting NotifAI
infrastructure Protects your home from
Viabot Plecobot
Modular robots that Autonomous learning of
perform outdoor glass skyscraper facades
maintenance tasks
Hardware Sustainability focused
Trends 2019
restoration, demolition
and disposal
Eventually, infrastructure
degrades and the end of the
lifecycle requires
management for removal and
disposal.
Maintenance
B2B
Agriculture
Plant-based protein is surging to
support global growth
In the developed world, this trend is driven by consumer
20% Plant-based consciousness. In the developing world, it’ll be driven by
food increased living standards and a demand for more complete
nutrition
growth
120
World
8% 100
80
Developed
2% 60
Plant-based 2017 Plant-based 2018 All food 2018
40 Developing
Demand
for protein
Plant-based protein had its coming-of-age moment in 20
2018. The growth of plant-based food products far
0
outpaced the growth of all other food last year. 1961-1973 1973-1985 1985-1997 1997-2009 2009-2011
Hardware
Trends 2019 Source: https://plantbasedfoods.org/consumer-access/nielsen-data-release-2018/ Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5532560/
Land use per gram of protein, m2
Beef/mutton 1.02
Pork 0.13
Fresh Produce 0.1
Poultry 0.08 The opportunity
Eggs 0.05 cost of animal
Dairy
Wheat
0.04
0.04
protein is too high
Rice 0.02
The pattern of use for land (and other resources) in
Maize 0.01 meat production is far higher than the gram for gram
plant-based protein equivalent. With increasing
Pulses 0.01 Hardware pressure on natural resources, there will be a
Trends 2019 necessary shift to serve global growth.
Source: Environment Footprint by Food Type (protein) - Clark & Tilman (2017)
Clara Foods Not Company
Egg proteins from Plant-based mayo,
Nordetect
Nortdetect
A lab on a chip offering soil
Forward Robotics
Autonomous VTOL drones
testing for NPK optimization for longer flight times and
to reduce fertilizer usage larger range coverage in
and maximize yields. agricultural operations.
Tensorfield Apix
Robots to identify weeds Sensor analytics and
and kill them with hot oil automation for beehive
macrodosing instead of maintenance and colony
chemical fertilizers. health.
Hardware
Trends 2019
B2B
Manufacturing
Hardware
Trends 2019
in real time
deeper understanding and measures
that indicate quality, efficiency and
cost in the system.
Hardware
Trends 2019
downtime
Non-invasive performance
monitoring for manufacturers
Pulse
Pulse Industrial
Hardware Monitoring for fuel savings
Trends 2019 and downtime prevention
in industrial facilities
DRAFT
Hardware
Trends 2019
Relayr M5 Stack
Modular product
Internet of Things development toolkit for
middleware for industrial connected products and
digital transformation equipment
Equipment as a service
starts with connectivity
and sensing
Connectivity and software integration enable new
Particle business models that can continuously add value
Fully integrated Internet of
Things platform for secure and scale beyond the initial hardware.
and scalable deployment
Building trust across Connected manufacturing systems
are creating value across all stages
AISight Smartex
Artificial intelligence to Detecting and preventing
monitor machine state defective production in
and usage in real time. the textile supply chain.
Making
Makingrobots
robots
more like
more likepeople
people
And people
more like
robots
Hardware
Trends 2019
More tasks are being automated but people
and robots will need to work together
for the foreseeable future Hardware
Trends 2019
% of total time
7% 14% 16% 12% 16% 17% 18% spent on type of
task in industry
81%
64% 69%
% time that is
26% technically feasible
20% to automate with
9% 18% today’s technology
Management Expertise Interface Unpredictable Collect Process Predictable Source: McKinsey & Company
physical data data physical
Hardware
Making people
Trends 2019
stronger, smarter
and more consistent
Employers are only adopting technologies that are
designed to work well with their employees, Crimson Dynamics
integrate into current work flows, and help Exoskeletons built for employees that
integrate within existing work flows
employees perform more safely and efficiently.
220
200
Cost of Labor costs
Collaborative
180 automation robotics
160 market
140
120
CAGR
100
80 50.31%
60
40 Robot prices $710M $12,303M
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