The 50 Top Growth Companies of Q2, 2021

Happy Monday, my fellow Daily Stack travelers. Hope you had a great weekend. Let's get started!

Today, I write to reveal our Q2 deep dive into the companies & industries that have investors salivating. The PrivCo 50: Top Growth Companies of Q2, 2021 examines the data to reveal how the pandemic's effect on funding priorities continues to mature. Spoiler: gaming and getting one’s finances in order were big this quarter.
 

Here’s a handy graphic that covers the big picture coverage from the report: 

Fintech captured a massive 14.2% of all investments in Q2. For consumers, there are neo-banking options for the big-bank weary among us, including Brex (corporate cards), Paxos (crypto), and Current (no-fee banking). The trend towards a friendlier fintech continues with a Silicon Valley makeover taking place for concepts like paycheck advances, once seen as predatory and sharkish. Dailypay and Varo are two companies with a people-first image toward banking and cash advances, no doubt preempted by the precariousness of many people’s finances during the pandemic.

Gaming used to be seen as a probable cause for a more violent and brain-drained society. Now, thanks to the welcome, calming effects on an anxiety-riddled population during the pandemic, the industry is getting a second life. Epic Games, which has had its own share of epic battles in its challenge to Apple’s App Store, also saw one of the biggest single investments in the space at $1BN.

Cyber Security was a focus in Q2 just as headlines revealed some pretty scary examples of ransomware attacks, including the Colonial Pipeline and JBS meat processing attacks. In fact, Q2 saw a 47% increase in ransomware attacks according to research done by cyber security firm Digital Shadows. Forter, for example, offers fraud protection for e-commerce companies, a double-hitter in rising industries.

Check out the full report here.