🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Corporate venture capital faces steep losses as fintech reality sets in

• ANZ’s $100 million loss on Cashrewards demonstrates the high-risk nature of corporate venture capital investments, particularly during market downturns.
• The investment timeline shows how quickly valuations can deteriorate. 1835i took Cashrewards private in January 2022 at $1.135 per share, a 35% discount from its December 2020 IPO price of $1.731.
• This reflects broader challenges in the fintech sector, where ANZ has invested approximately $2.5 billion over five years in technology and financial innovation2.
• Corporate venture arms like 1835i face unique pressures to align investments with parent company strategies while delivering returns, making them vulnerable when market conditions shift rapidly3.

Cashback platforms struggle with sustainable economics despite user adoption

• Cashrewards’ closure reveals fundamental challenges in the cashback business model, despite offering attractive rates of 3-6% to consumers and partnerships with major retailers like Amazon and Target1.
• The competitive landscape includes multiple established players like ShopBack (10,000+ partner stores) and Kickback (1,000+ retailers), all offering similar cashback rates of 5-7%4.
• These platforms operate on thin margins, earning commissions from retailers and sharing portions with users, making profitability difficult to achieve at scale5.
• The business model requires substantial data collection from users to provide value to retail partners, but this creates privacy concerns that may limit growth potential5.