2. Building a successful business takes more than just
a good idea.
It takes commitment, passion, drive and the
willingness to take on challenges and overcome
barriers.
3. Successful startups are prevalent in any sector, but
based on barriers to entry, costs and projected growth,
the following industries are the most ripe with
opportunity.
E-commerce
Software Publishing
Computer Systems Design
Security Services
Employment Services
Advertising and Public Relations
Management Consulting
Architectural and Engineering Services
Legal Marijuana
Fantasy Sports
Gamification
4. 310 of every 100,000 Americans start a new
business each month. This means there will be
approximately 6.3 million new businesses this
year.
To help you understand why some of these
startups succeed while others fail, we have
gathered this year’s hottest success stories
across all sectors.
6. Periscope
Periscope is a live streaming app that lets users
easily stream footage from their devices to
followers. Viewers can comment and send "hearts"
to the streamer and the footage can be then
replayed later.
Hot Factor: Acquired and launched by Twitter
7. Amplitude
Amplitude provides a comprehensive, transparent, and
easy-to-use mobile analytics platform to help developers
make data-driven decisions and grow their business.
Hot Factor: Raised $9 million in August to expand
services and undercut #1 competitor- MixPanel. Its
userbase includes Nokia, CrunchBase, Yik Yak, and
Coursera.
8. INU
INU’s Green Ride is a portable, green, stylish, state-of-the-art
personal transportation vehicle
Hot Factor: INU is reinventing the personal vehicle category
with a product that takes into account practicality, design and
lifestyle.
9. Scout RFP
Scout RFP centralizes and automates the request for
proposal process, offering proposal templates, a bidding
platform, and more.
Hot Factor: The company has backers like Google
Ventures and New Enterprise Associates. Its customers
include Motorola, Subway, and Tory Burch
10. Hungry Root
Hungryroot is a meal-kit delivery service where the base
ingredient is vegetable noodles — made from sweet
potatoes, radishes, beets, zucchinis— paired with a
sauce and served with an optional protein side.
Hot Factor: In its first month, Hungryroot sold 10,000
meals. The company also just announced partnerships
with Amazon Fresh and Fresh Direct.
11. Gogoro
Gogoro is a smart, electric scooter, powered by a
portable battery. The Gogoro system connects to the
cloud via a cellular network and provides onboard
diagnostics through an app.
Hot Factor: Not only have they raised $300 million, but
they also intend to build a battery station network in all
major cities.
12. Honor
Honor matches seniors with professionals for in-home
care and provides family members a way to keep track of
everything.
Hot Factor: Raised $15 million from Andreessen
Horowitz and an additional $5 million from angel
investors including Yelp and PayPal’s cofounders.
13. Eero
Eero uses Bluetooth and mesh networking to connect
and extend the Wi-Fi in your home. The Eero combines
the functions of a router, a range extender and a
repeater into a single device.
Hot Factor: With $5 million in funding, Eero is set to be
the what the Nest is to Thermostats and Sonos is to
sound systems.
14. Zen Payroll
ZenPayroll is an automated, cloud based app that
enables businesses to set up and run payroll from any
web enabled device.
Hot Factor: In September, Zen Payroll changed its
name to Gusto, received $60 million in funding and is
moving beyond payroll, into benefits such as health
insurance and workers’ compensation.
15. The League
The League is a dating app for elite, successful
individuals. It matches highly motivated and interesting
single professionals.
Hot Factor: Exclusive site with a long waiting list.
Launched in San Francisco, the app received $2.1
million in funding this year and launched in NYC.
16. Jet.com
Jet.com is an e-commerce platform poised to take on
Amazon.com with a promise to offer prices that are 10-
15% lower than anywhere else. Jet makes money solely
from a membership fee- users have to pay $50 a year
to shop.
Hot Factor: $225 million in funding, including backing
from Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. First major
player to contend with Amazon.
17. Ride
Ride is a ride-sharing app that matches a company's
employees with coworkers who share similar
commutes.
Hot Factor: Founded by Uber CTO, Ride had 3,000
users for its initial launch.
18. M Gemi
Founded by Ben Fischman, the founder of Ruelala,
M.Gemi provides luxury Italian made shoes at
affordable prices. The shoes are sold straight from Italy
to consumers.
Hot Factor: With $14 million in funding, M Gemi is
cutting out the retailers and offering deeply discounted
luxury, handmade shoes ($98-$300)
19. Quattrocentro
Quattrocento is crafted Italian eyewear at affordable
prices.
Hot Factor: They have cut out the middleman and
store fronts in order to provide luxury eyewear at
affordable prices.
20. Vicomi
Vicomi is a web platform that provides publishers tools
to measure user ‘sentiment’ called “Feelbacks”
Hot Factor: The company received $900,000 in funding
as currently serves 12,000 companies, with 40 million
global users.
21. Meerkat
Meerkat is a real-time, live streaming app that syncs
with mobile devices. It now has more than 300,000
users.
Hot Factor: With $18.2 million in funding from several
investors including Jared Leto and Chad Hurley,
Meerkat gained traction on the website, Product Hunt
and at the popular South by Southwest Festival.
22. 21
21 launched a product in the form of an embeddable
chip called the BitShare chip that lets you "mine" bitcoin
in the background of your phone.
Hot Factor: With $121.1 million in funding, it is the first
computer with native hardware and software support for
the Bitcoin protocol.
23. Brayola
Brayola gives women highly customized and
personalized bra recommendations based on their own
history, wisdom of the crowd and algorithms.
Hot Factor: The company receive $1.1 million in funding
at the end of last year and another round (undisclosed
amount) in June. First to use crowdsourced algorithms
in this space.
24. CamFind
CamFind is a visual search app that takes a photo of any object
and identifies it by delivering relevant web results, including
similar images, price comparisons or related places. It also
includes a QR code and barcode scanner, language translator,
and voice search.
Hot Factor: The API is designed to be functional and accessible
with a goal toward saving companies time and money by
removing the need for them to build similar technology.
25. StoreDot
StoreDot has developed ultra-fast charging batteries
using bio-organic technology.
Hot Factor: It can charge your phone in 30 seconds. Its
newest round of funding ($18 million) is being used to
develop an ultra-fast electric car charging station and
battery.