Top 11 Startup Trends (2023-2026)
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Here are the 11 most important startup trends for 2023 through 2026.
And the groundbreaking companies setting those trends.
So whether you're looking to launch a new business.
Or want to invest in one.
From healthcare to SaaS, these are the top trends to keep an eye on.
1. New wave of Biotech startups
“DNA Nudge” searches - demand for this product rocketed at the start of 2020.
The biotech industry is already valued at $414 billion.
And that number may grow as DNA analysis becomes more wide stream and advanced.
In the last decade ancestry tests have sprung up to tell you about your ancestors.
But soon our DNA may inform our future actions.
For example, DNA Nudge provides a cheek swab DNA test, mobile app and a “DnaBand” for your wrist.
DNA Nudge’s “DnaBand” looks like something from the future and comes in a variety of colors.
This combined technology allows you to get nutrition recommendations tailored specifically to your individual DNA.
And DNA testing has the potential to go way beyond telling you what to eat for breakfast.
New products in this category might use artificial intelligence to figure out the best exercise routines.
Or skincare products for your unique DNA fingerprint.
And in the future, we won’t just be adapting to our DNA.
We’ll likely be changing our underlying DNA to fit into our current goals and lifestyle.
2. Digital innovation spreads to Africa
“Twiga Foods” searches have spiked with press mentions of the company, but the general trend here is clear (up 228% in 5 years).
Startups and venture capital money are starting to move into Africa.
Once deemed too risky, the untapped potential on the continent is too great for many startups to ignore.
In fact, Partech reports that $2 billion of VC money found its way to Africa in 2020.
For example, Kenya-based Twiga Foods is creating a food distribution network and infrastructure, along with technology such as a mobile app for trade and inventory tracking.
This Goldman-backed startup currently connects 17,000 farmers in Kenya to 35,000 vendors. And this number is rapidly increasing.
Twiga’s two-sided marketplace has benefits for both farmers and vendors.
In doing so, Twiga has reduced typical post-harvest losses from an average of 30% all the way down to 4%.
This isn’t the first African startup to receive high-profile funding and attention.
For example, AI-powered fintech startup Jumo is making waves in South Africa.
And pan-African e-commerce company Jumia is now even listed on the NYSE.
Continued wins on the continent like this open the door for more VC-backed startup ventures to follow.
3. Sustainable finance goes mainstream
“Sustainable finance” searches are showing hockey stick growth (up 733% in 10 years).
Sustainable finance is the practice of investing with environmental and social returns in mind.
This concept is becoming increasingly mainstream (Bloomberg reports that the field is valued at $30 billion).
And many related searches under this umbrella term are growing along with this emerging startup trend.
As investors broaden their definition of Return On Investment (ROI), startups will look to prove more than just their revenue trajectories.
Startup pitch decks will also start to include slides to prove their net-positive social and ecological effects.
Beyond Meat’s investor relations presentation slide emphasizes that their burgers are “better for you and the planet”.
For example, the food startup Beyond Meat has rocketed to popularity with their plant-based burger that looks, cooks and tastes like beef.
4. Proven business models race to new geographies
Startups like Uber Eats, GrubHub and DoorDash have already proven the food delivery app model.
Likewise for ride-hailing apps Uber and Lyft, which massively shook up the traditional taxi industry.
And now there’s a venture capital-funded race to capture the different geographies in these spaces.
New players are establishing strongholds in other parts of the globe using the same proven business models.
A particularly interesting example is Glovo.
This Spanish startup, which has raised $1.2 billion in funding, initially looks like every other food delivery app.
They operate across Europe, but they’re also expanding operations across both South America and North Africa too.
Glovo lets you track your deliveries in real-time, which is the new industry standard.
And Glovo is a little unique in that they deliver not just food, but anything: smartphone accessories, pet food, flowers.
Even macarons. Although food is still their main use case.
5. A no-code startup boom
Companies like Zapier now make it easier than ever for anyone to build digital products.
Another no-code platform, Webflow, has raised a reported $334.9 millions in funding, according to Crunchbase.
Weblow has benefited from, and pioneered, the no-code movement.
Specifically, these platforms allow you to create “no code” or “low-code” custom apps and websites.
“Low-code” refers to web and mobile development using a drag-and-drop interface, rather than programming languages and raw code.
Low-code requires much less, or even zero coding knowledge.
And even seasoned web developers often use no-code solutions as a super fast way to build apps.
Or to quickly prototype business ideas.
There are a bunch of tech startups coming out of the no code movement.
For example, Makerpad has seen fast success as a tutorial platform and community for entrepreneurs building without code.
Makerpad teaches you how to get up and running with an app in minutes.
We can expect some of the biggest tech startups of the 2020s to start off as no-code Minimum Viable Products (MVPs).
6. The sharing economy reaches new sectors
“Cloud kitchens” searches exploded in 2019. And are still well above pre-2019 levels.
Over the last 10 years, companies realized they could capitalize on assets that are collecting dust somewhere.
Which has led to one of the biggest startup trends over the last decade: The Sharing Economy.
For example, Airbnb allowed homeowners to rent out their houses while they’re away to make a little extra side income.
This uprooted the traditional hotel industry, as Airbnbs can be a cheaper and more homely option for many travelers.
Going into the next decade, the sharing economy concept will be fully played out as startups attempt to extend its power into other sectors.
A new startup named Cloud Kitchens, founded by former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, is now the trailblazer for the concept of shared kitchen spaces made for delivery-only restaurants.
These flexible kitchens allow upstart food businesses in prime locations to capitalize on the new food delivery megatrend, but with significantly less investment.
Advantages of “delivery-only” restaurants according to Cloud Kitchens.
As a result of this startup trend, restaurants without storefronts are springing up across many major cities.
7. Agile development gets streamlined
Searches for "scaled agile framework" have been growing rapidly over the last decade (1,366%).
Agile development is a software development methodology that encourages adaptive and flexible planning.
It has been widely adopted and become common practice at many tech startups.
However, it's not without flaws.
HBR reports that a good chunk of agile developers feel that the approach breeds stress and tension.
Which is why startups are looking to streamline this process with techniques and tools that remove friction and help enforce good practice.
This is where Scaled Agile Framework comes into play.
The model, adapted from traditional agile principles, is designed with enterprise scale in mind. In practice, this means far more guidance on how to operate effectively in environments including more than one team.
Diagram provided on the official Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) website.
Some startups aren't big enough to worry about implementing scaled agile.
But a streamlining process is still taking place.
Agile coaches are project managers who can work with entire businesses or with individual teams.
Google searches for "agile coach" have grown by 1,060% over the last decade.
In either case, their role is to improve agile practices wherever possible.
Startups may choose to onboard an agile coach early on, in order to have efficient agile practices properly embedded into the work culture.
In the future, we may also see more startups turn to agile automation. PractiTest, a software test management portal, integrates with various automation tools in order to best align the testing process with agile practices.
8. Convenience reigns in consumer markets
“Lensabl” despite poor aggregate reviews for service quality, Lensabl searches have climbed 33% in 5 years.
With Amazon setting the standard for delivery efficiency and customer service, consumers now expect the best.
Convenience and speed are becoming more and more crucial for customers.
Startups that ride this trend and prioritize the customer’s convenience will flourish.
A perfect example of this is Lensabl.
This digital-first startup provides an online prescription lenses replacement service. And they bring in a reported $12.5 million in annual revenue, according to estimates by Owler.
You take the eye test from home with their online eye exam.
Their service model also allows you to send in any frames you own and get them fitted.
Which lets customers keep their current favorite frames. Or choose any non-prescription brand out there.
Lensabl’s eye test in a box is quite compact.
Startups that disrupt traditional markets like this, with convenience as their core value proposition, are on the rise.
Especially since this kind of service has the potential to attract raving fans who spread the product through word-of-mouth (mainly on social media.)
9. Agtech is in demand
The term “Regenerative agriculture” hit public consciousness in 2019 and searches are up 733% over the last 5 years.
Agricultural technology is needed as societies look to go beyond sustainable farming.
Sustainable agriculture looks to maintain the status quo of topsoil and ecological systems (which are often already degraded).
However, regenerative agriculture is next on the agenda.
This means to improve the soil and reverse humans’ impact on the environment through a self-nourishing process.
Agtech innovations can help to facilitate the change, such as IoT soil sensors that measure aeration and respiration.
Or software that helps farms with their supply chain management.
For example, digital livestock tech startup Antelliq had a $2.4 billion exit.
Their smart tag product category allows farmers to more easily keep track of and monitor cows.
One of Antelliq’s smart tag modeled by a dairy cow.
So massive acquisitions are possible for those startups that ride this trend and build Agtech solutions.
10. Startups focus on personalization
According to Deloitte, offering personalized products or services can increase a company’s sales by 10% or more.
Even if the personalized product’s price is higher than standard options.
For example, Nike’s product personalization service “Nike By You” (previously Nike ID) costs 30-50% more than their regular selection.
But it has led to an increase in repeat purchases for the shoemaker.
The “Nike Makers’ Experience” allows the same customization, but in person.
It uses AI, augmented reality and image projection to show customers what their new shoes will look like as they customize them in real time.
Then it makes the shoes on the spot in about 90 minutes.
The Nike Makers’ Experience shoe customization stage.
Of course, personalized products aren’t new. Dell pioneered direct, built-to-order PC sales in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
But an explosion in the DTC business model has made product personalization much more commonplace.
(After all, it’s hard for customers to buy custom products without ordering directly from the manufacturer.)
US online DTC sales jumped 24.3% in 2020. And were projected to jump another 19.2% in 2021.
And that’s only including revenue from digitally native brands that launched in the last decade.
US DTC ecommerce sales.
The COVID-19 pandemic has nudged even more companies to go DTC.
Rapid manufacturing techniques like 3D printing are another key aspect to product personalization.
3D printing was once a powerful-yet-expensive research tool.
But over the past 15 years, it’s become both an affordable hobby for garage tinkerers and an increasingly transformational force for the $12 trillion manufacturing industry.
Combining a DTC sales model with 3D printing lets businesses offer nearly endless levels of product customization.
Like FitMyFoot, which sells 3D printed custom insoles and sandals.
FitmyFoot specializes in extremely personalized footwear.
FitMyFoot’s customers use an app along with pen and paper to trace their feet and place an order.
Within a couple of weeks, they’ll get a one-of-a-kind pair of insoles or sandals.
The once-niche company’s sales have doubled each year since it started (under the name Wiivv) in 2014.
They now receive approximately 100,000 annual orders.
While ActivArmor makes fully custom 3D printed casts and splints.
The company was founded in 2016 and has raised $1.5 million.
UNYQ and Arthesis offer “fashion-forward” custom 3D printed prosthetic fairings (covers). UNYQ raised $1.6 million on Fundable in 2014.
(In fact, there are reportedly over 100 types of 3D printed medical devices with FDA approval.)
And existing ecommerce sites can offer product customization with 3D printing service Shapeways.
The company has a “CustomMaker” product personalization engine that allows end customers to see and customize any product before ordering.
But 3D printing isn’t the only path to product personalization.
L’Oreal launched the DTC personalized hair color brand Color&Co.
Color&CO is a fast-growing personalized DTC beauty brand.
Customers can either take a “color quiz” or get a free 10-minute video consultation to find the right shade for their hair.
Then a kit with that exact dye is shipped to their door.
Taking a page from auto companies’ playbooks, bicycle manufacturers Trek and Mission offer custom-assembled (and custom-painted) bikes.
Blue Nile (the largest online jeweler in the world) offers “Build Your Own Jewelry” options for customers to endlessly customize rings, necklaces, earrings and more before ordering.
And subscription dog toy brand BarkBox says its personalization process is key to its success.
The company uses a quiz-based customer onboarding process to customize each customer’s box.
BarkBox reportedly sends about 120,000 different box varieties each month.
Out of one million total boxes, that means each box configuration is only sent to about 8 dogs.
Customization in the fashion industry has skyrocketed as well.
Son of a Tailor sells made-to-order shirts. The Danish startup launched in 2014 with $300,000 in seed funding.
Indochino does the same for suits, and has raised $91.5 million since launch.
B2B products are being customized, too.
Elevator manufacturer Aritco provides an on-site configurator that lets customers choose the construction, size, colors and many more details.
Sticker Mule prints custom stickers, labels, magnets and pins with companies’ logos on them.
Search interest in "Sticker Mule" has skyrocketed (162% over half-decade).
And Teespring lets creators design and manufacture phone cases, canvas prints and more to sell on the site. All on an on-demand basis.
The trend also stretches beyond products.
80% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands that give them a personalized experience.
This has given rise to website personalization platforms. These tools personalize websites based on visitors’ actions, geography or past behavior.
For example: Dynamic Yield (whose customers include Ikea and Sephora), Coveo (with customers like Comcast and General Mills), Drip (with customers like Polaris and Lensabl) and RightMessage (with customers like Flywheel and Rishi).
Search interest in "Drip" has steadily climbed 40% in the last 5 years.
Here are more examples of product personalization in action:
Protein powder from Buddy Nutrition and protein bars from The Bar Shack.
Bags from Louis Vuitton and Timbuk2.
Knives from Benchmade and Leatherman.
Bottles from S’well and Nalgene.
Jeans from Levi’s (including custom rips and laser-burned prints).
Eyeglasses from Canvas Eyewear.
Watches by Swatch.
Greeting cards, magnets, photo albums and more from Shutterfly, Moonpig, Zazzle, and No Story Lost.
11. Growth of the wealthtech startup scene
In 2019, assets under management in the wealthtech market hit $1.5 trillion — and is expected to grow to $6 trillion+ in 2023.
And in 2020, the stock-trading startup Robinhood reached an $11.2 billion valuation after doubling its revenue from Q1 to Q2.
Searches for "Robinhood" are up 133% in 5 years.
Robinhood isn’t the only automated investment platform out there.
Similar new-style brokerages include:
Webull, which was founded in 2016 and has been aggressively gaining users via a stock-giveaway signup promotion.
Israel-based eToro, which was last valued at $8.8 billion back in 2022.
SoFi Invest, a division of the $4.8 billion fintech SoFi.
And Square's Cash App also allows stock market investing (as well as cryptocurrency purchases).
Cash App has helped Square reaching a $37 billion market cap.
While the older Interactive Brokers (publicly traded, $35 billion+ market cap) has been aggressively keeping pace with similar features aimed both toward retail investors as well as RIAs (registered investment advisors).
However, these fast-growing services are getting negative attention too.
Robinhood in particular has come under fire from lawmakers and users.
Including for the tragic recent case of a 20-year-old’s suicide, after the app apparently incorrectly showed that he owed $730,000. And it was reported that the company was undergoing an SEC probe for not disclosing its “payment for order flow” practices.
And in early 2021, Robinhood was embroiled in a controversy that led to lawsuits.
But one thing is certain: Robinhood (and the others) are making a splash in the industry.
As competition, they’ve already prompted brokerages like E*Trade, Schwab and Ameritrade to remove their trading fees.
But frictionless trading isn’t the only approach in this space.
Other fintech wealth management startups take a different angle, catering less to amateur day-traders and more to passive investors.
Top features of “robo-advisor” services like Wealthfront and Betterment include automated tax-loss harvesting and rebalancing.
However, the robo-advisors aren’t growing at the same breakneck speed as Robinhood and the like.
Search volume for "Wealthfront" is lower now than it was 5 years ago.
Separate from those, another part of the wealthtech meta trend are the services that allow easy investing into alternative asset classes.
Masterworks lets people invest in “shares” of paintings by artists like Claude Monet and Andy Warhol. According to the company, this asset class has outperformed the S&P 500 over the last 20 years.
The value of “blue chip art” compared to the S&P 500.
Pipe allows SaaS business owners to take an advance on their future recurring revenue, getting funding from investors without diluting their own equity.
Pipe connects investors with SaaS businesses.
EquityZen is a marketplace for buying and selling shares of private companies.
The EquityZen homepage.
And LendingClub and Funding Circle facilitate peer-to-peer personal and business loans.
Wrapping Up
There you have it: the 11 biggest startup trends for 2023 and beyond.
If you're an entrepreneur, these trends should help you choose an industry to dive into.
And if you're a VC, following these trends can help increase the odds that you find the next Unicorn (or Decacorn).
Either way, new technologies continue to cause massive changes in the startup world.
Which is why it's such a fun space to be involved in.