The tech startup phenomenon is an interesting one.
So many of them fail to live up to the grandiose heights their incredible idea promises, despite a huge amount of faith, time and money being invested in them. More often than not, the startup that was creating loads of buzz a couple of months ago and was set to transform the industry ends up withering away and dying out unceremoniously.
Some startups make a difference though. The combination of the right idea and right place (plus a bit of perseverance) can lead to a tech startup that does truly change how an industry looks at its challenges and conventions. Here are just a few that are doing just that right now.
Real estate
The coronavirus pandemic is only highlighting how important tech advancements will be to the advancement and continued future of the real estate industry.
Let’s be clear, this isn’t an industry that’s going anywhere anytime soon. People will always need somewhere to live, and there will always be a healthy number of buyers looking to invest in property. How and where they view and complete deals for these properties is what will change, however.
The real estate industry has welcomed virtual tours powered by AR technology with open arms. There are a number of companies offering different experiences, which have not only helped real estate businesses to continue somewhat as usual despite a global pandemic but presents future opportunities for more convenient international relocation.
It’s not just the practical impacts on real estate that are cause for interest, many startups have taken measures to simplify the whole process for everyone from first-time buyers to seasoned property investors. Breezeful is a startup doing just this, with a focus on helping buyers easily find a mortgage broker. Using machine learning technology, they scour the local area for the best deal and negotiate on behalf of the clients.
Delivery
Despite being a significant part of the world economy and a huge source of jobs, the delivery industry has a huge number of issues.
High demand for drivers, market monopolies by major players, and an enormous carbon footprint are just a few challenges facing one of the most regularly used industries in the world. As the problems grow parallel to the popularity of next day delivery orders, tech startups are devising ways to rectify this issue.
Sweedish company Volta Trucks has looked to tackle the delivery industry’s green problem at its most polluting point. This startup is producing a series of delivery vehicles that they consider to be the cleanest on the market, with zero tailpipe emissions. These trucks can be rented for short periods or built to order specifications, allowing for both bespoke production and no mass production wastage.
Solutions like this will look to make what is essentially an unsustainable industry into one that can contribute to lowering global carbon emissions without compromising customer satisfaction.
Music
Few industries were utterly transformed overnight by the advent of the internet and new technologies like the music industry.
Illegal downloads and streaming platforms have fundamentally changed the way we listen to music, while platforms such as Bandcamp and MySpace (for a time) had a dramatic effect on how new artists are found.
Andrson is looking to be the MySpace of the next decade. This Irish startup founded by former musicians and managers helps connect music executives with the exact type of musical act they’re looking for in their area, using a detailed search system and machine learning. This has the potential to condense the independent to world star journey down even further than the internet already has thus far.
How we enjoy music hasn’t just been influenced by tech in terms of streaming platforms. MelodyVR is one of many tech companies that have gone all-in with VR technology, this time offering customers the opportunity to experience high-quality concerts from the comfort of their own home. Virtual concerts might not be for the music fanatics, but it offers people who can’t usually attend concerts the chance to intact the sights and sounds as if they were there.
Food
The food industry is plagued with the issue of mass wastage. Restaurants, takeaways, cafes, bars, and individual households waste an enormous amount of food each year. To improve the food industry, startups need to tackle this issue.
Thankfully there are a few making significant strides to not just making food waste easier to reduce, but raise awareness of the problem. Too Good To Go’s app matches with popular restaurants and cafes in the area, alerting users at the end of the day what foods are still available to be picked up at a discount price to avoid them being wasted. This approach changes the way people look at food waste.
Afresh look to tackle the same problem, but by giving the retailer more power. This U.S startup creates software that uses algorithms to help grocery stores optimize their fresh food stocks and avoid produce going to waste. Having partnered with many multi-billion dollar chains they are helping these stores reduce their wastage by half.
Conservation
Like avoiding food wastage and reducing our carbon footprints, conserving valuable resources like water is essential for the future of the planet. Water has long been a target of tech startups looking to make an impact on the world and stay ahead of the curve, but recent developments have seen this issue tackled in inventive ways.
WINT wants to stop water from being wasted in everyday life. Its AI technology targets discrepancies in the building’s supply and water flow to locate possible leaks and fix them before the problem becomes significant. This doesn’t just secure the safety of the building, be it an office or a restaurant, but heavily reduces water wastage.
Conservation methods generally look for stopping issues at the source, but focusing on everyday use of these resources and finding ways to secure them is just as important a focus for future tech startups.
Tech startups are making strides in a number of industries, these are just a few of the standout ones. What changes will come next are yet to be seen, but could have a transformative impact on how both the big picture and small instances of our lives.
Guest post courtesy of Kayleigh Alexandra
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