7 BiG Tech Trends fm 174 Pitches at Y Combinator’s S19

“I am most inspired by the role of Technology in the lives of people. Ultimately, it’s about helping humans to unlock their human potential – to empower them to do great things and make a significant contribution to the world. You cant resist being optimistic & excited about what technology can do in the hands of humans – when it unlocks their creativity !!! – Peter, Wiz4.biz

Tech Trends: New Tech Apps, Helping, Overseas Markets, Side Hustle, Housing Crisis, Fashion & Personal.

Y Combinator is a Silicon Valley “seed round” (initial financing of a Startup) accelerator, started in March 2005. YC provides Seed Money, Advice & Connections (to VC & others) at 2 three-month programs every year. In exchange, YC takes about 6% of the company’s Equity. As of 2019, Y Combinator has funded >2000 companies in over 30 different markets. In 2012, YC was named the top Startup Incubator & Accelerator by Forbes magazine.

Demo Days. Y Combinator’s bi-annual event – kicked off this week (8/19 & 8/20) with nearly 200 of the accelerator’s latest batch of startups presenting two-minute Pitches to an audience of investors. All face a greater challenge than early YC alumni such as AirBnB & Dropbox.

An Opportunity. New Startups could become hits, such as fintech company Brex, from the accelerator’s 2017 batch. On Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th, 174 Startups pitched their ideas to change the world, giving insights on the direction that tech is headed.

7 Next BiG Tech Trends – Forbes Zine

New Tech Apps want to address the fact that there are too many tech apps. Whether or not a company is in the tech industry, it likely uses a slew of tech applications to keep operations running. But, if hearing 200 pitches in two days wasn’t enough evidence, startup “saturation” is real and some startups know it. One company wants to unify the workspace by combining Slack, Asana & Google Docs into one product. Gmelius has integrated multiple workplace apps into Gmail.
People in Tech are starting companies for other people in Tech. Outtalent’s co-founder Tilek Mamutov was making $4,000 per year in his home country of Kyrgyzstan when Google offered him a salary that soon reached $140,000. Now, Mamutov’s startup helps talented Tech employees in emerging markets find jobs at tech heavyweights abroad, taking a small cut of their salary – if successful. Other startups are targeting Silicon Valley, including Compound, a wealth advisor for employees at top startups & Elpha, an online community for women in tech to chat, network & find jobs.
Emerging Overseas Markets are a “ripe” Opportunity. Y Combinator’s CEO Michael Siebel kicked off Demo Day by noting that 15% of the group is focused overseas. Some startups simply tagged themselves the “Compass for Latin America” or the “Robinhood for India.” TradeID claims it’s to be the first to offer U.S. stocks to Indonesian citizens. Coco helps Venezuelan migrants send support to their family not thru $$$, but with food. Egypt-based Breadfast bakes its own bread and delivers it alongside other breakfast foods. Lezzoo delivers food & medicine in Iraq and, like Grab in Southeast Asia & WeChat in China, wants to expand beyond its original functionality in an emerging market to become the one-stop super App of the Middle East.
Everyone is looking for the muscle of a Side Hustle. Startups have recognized that people are always looking for extra income, and created platforms to connect them to gigs. GitStart built a network for Developers to find small Coding tasks, while Beacons AI built a payment platform for influencers to make extra money through custom Video responses for fans. The opportunity to Side Hustle was also brought to doctors, with DirectShifts helping them find contract work.
Make Fashion as personalized as possible. Using the metric that many women return online clothing purchases because of improper fit, Fit-to-Form uses an algorithm to match customer measurements to one of 100 models to help shoppers find the proper fit. The Custom Movement is a marketplace for independent artists who design custom sneakers at an affordable price. Curtsy is a fashion resale app for Gen Z, banking on the idea that teens want a rotating closet of items to style with.
Housing Crisis is giving rise to new ideas. When it comes to building “affordable” housing, two startups are turning to the backyard. Node is using Ikea’s ready-to-assemble furniture model to quickly build backyard cottages, while Rent the Backyard plops a studious (no Studio Apartment in your backyard – in return for splitting the rental income. And Globe is building an Airbnb-esque platform for an hourly basis for people who might need a quick nap or some peace & quiet.
Let’s get Personal. While many of the startups pitched concepts designed to alleviate the plight of today’s modern worker or office, a number of them also tackle personal wellbeing, like Stoic., an App to monitor emotions & Monaru, a personal assistant for relationships.

Conclusion: No problem was too big or too small, and that’s what makes YC’s Demo Day so exciting year after year—hearing the palpable anticipation & passion these Founders share as they launch their ideas into the world.

Comments: Have you seen any other Tech Trends that impressed you?

For more Info, click on Tech Trends.