Internally, we have seen a high demand for help in the virtual reality and cannabis industries, and we expect 2019 to be a great year for these two spaces. The crypto world which we have chosen to not get inolved in for the time being could also be of interest - or more so how start-ups will use blockchain technology in various ways.
There are also a few interesting players that have caught our eye over the past year for their own unique reasons – partly because these are adapting existing industries in a way that is making services more accessible to the end users. There is always room in the market for innovative convenience.
Company Name: Tilr
Funding: $5 million
Tilr matches applicants with companies based solely on skills, their goal is to remove all unconscious bias from the hiring process. It started 2 years ago and is available in 4 markets, but is expanding to 12-15 within the year.
Not only are they aiming to remove bias, but they’re also interested in providing healthcare benefits to their workers— in a market that resists hiring full-time employees. On that note, they have partnered with Anthem to help them “uncover the opportunities and behaviors associated with the intermittent workforce.”
Company Name: Zume Pizza
Funding: $48 million
Zume Pizza is a company where humans and robots work together to prepare and deliver pizzas. They currently employ 150 humans and 8 robots. According to CEO Julia Collins, they “wanted to identify places where humans were overtaxed physically, bored, or whether the job they were doing was not safe, like sticking their hand into a 600 degree oven for six hours a day,”
Company Name: Skuid
Funding: $31.6 million
Scalable Kit for User Interface Design — Skuid wants to make the process of building enterprise apps easier and quicker. The secret is a “codeless” interface: users can easily drag and drop pieces from multiple sources.
Company Name: MoveWith
Funding: $3.8 million
MoveWith is bringing fitness directly to users allowing instant access to audio workouts from instructors worldwide. It also focuses on mental and spiritual well-being offering yoga, guided meditation, and motivational talks. It feels like hand selecting your own personal team of instructors from your favorite high-end boutique studios, but at a fraction of the cost and on your terms.
Company Name: Wag
Funding: $361.5 million
Wag is a dog-walking app. It instantly connects dog owners with certified dog walkers. Wag has been expanding across the country over the last 4 years and raised $300M in the beginning of this year.
Let’s also take a look at the expected trends for 2019 that could affect your short-term and long-term plans:
Marketing
Marketing will continue to become more and more personalized, the advantages of speaking directly to specific consumers, with messages that are relevant to them based on their tastes and interests, are endless. Now, based on recent privacy scandals and new legislations— both in Europe and America— businesses that collect personal data have to be extra careful about leveraging that information. Consumer expectations and trust are key. You have to provide value every step of the way.
Technology
The trend is clear, start-ups that fail to “move with the times”, i.e. leverage technology, are more likely to fail. On the other hand, businesses that do leverage technology such as remote working, using the cloud, gathering data to obtain detailed performance metrics, etc. are achieving much better results than businesses which choose not to, unless they have a very particular and strong point of difference that will help them remain relevant.
The Evolution of the Workplace
The physical workspace as we know it today is going to significantly change. Companies are looking to use spaces to drive productivity and adapt to new technologies, but they are also interested in reducing expenses and move to more flexible options by offering home-based positions— which employees find more and more appealing as they can now work from any place with a good internet connectivity.
Best,
Lawrence Brown
Managing Consultant | AngelytiX Consulting