While the year 2018 was all about major acquisitions and controversies, the year 2019 will be about discovering new fields and embracing different startups. From the beauty industry to virtual reality, here are the hottest areas for startups in the coming year!
1. Personalized nutrition
Diet conscious individuals the world over are slowly realising there is no one diet which can help you lose weight. With over 15 million people around the world going through genetic testing to see what diet suits them best, it comes as no surprise that the next hot industry in town is the nutrition industry! Knowing what your genetic blueprint looks like is a good way to avoid falling ill and incidentally, nutrition is also considered to be one of the major disease reducing fields. Companies like Arivale and Family Tree DNA started realising the benefits of a nutritious diet. The growth in this field is tremendous and the industry is expected to generate a revenue of $ 19.1 billion in 2021 as opposed to the $ 9.5 billion earned in 2018!
2. Drones
While drones were initially invented for security purposes, they have gotten a lot more slick and affordable since their launch, making them accessible to the general public as well. With the potential to be used in areas like agriculture, construction, firefighting and cinematography, drones are the next big thing in tech right now! From inspecting crops to delivering goods, drones can quite literally be used in any field! At the moment, DJI is one of the major manufacturers and they upped the game by partnering with the Rwanda Government in order to deliver blood and other supplies as needed by the people in rural villages!
3. Beauty Tech
The combination of the beauty industry and the tech industry is opening the doors to innovation of a new kind. This new merger is helping in influencing the kind of products people buy and the way they buy them as well! From creating ready for pictures make up, to providing highly customised products for consumers, the beauty tech industry is definitely booming! Seed Beauty, a Los Angeles based firm, has already produced products which took the world by a storm! Another beauty company called Glossier is also doing really well in this field!
4. Digital Payments
While Paytm set the ball rolling for digital payments, the field is picking up pace since the last year. From in app purchases, to mobile payments, to enabling online purchases, digital payments have simplified the process of online transactions. In fact, since the rise of cryptocurrencies, online transactions have become extremely simple and also opened the doors to a new form of payment!
5. Flipping websites
Flipping websites is a new trend which is growing with a steady and fast rate! A quick and easy way to make money, website flipping works in a way which lets you make money by selling domains or websites on existing websites. Almost an art which involves specific research, one can either auction the domain or sell the entire website on different platforms for a particular price. With websites like Flippa.com and FreeMarket.com on the rise, there is an increase in startups like these!
With startups branching toward different ideas, the year 2019 is going to be exciting to say the least! If you think we missed out on any other ideas like these, comment and let us know!
MobiKwik is venturing into the stock broking sector with the launch of its subsidiary, MobiKwik Securities Broking Private Limited (MSBPL), following approval from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on March 3, 2025. This move aims to diversify MobiKwik’s offerings beyond its core digital payments services and compete with established players like Zerodha and Groww.
MSBPL will provide a range of brokerage services, including trading in shares, securities, commodities, and derivatives. The subsidiary has an initial capital of Rs 1 lakh, with plans for an additional Rs 2 crore investment to support its operations.
As MobiKwik enters this competitive market, it brings a substantial user base of 172 million and a merchant network of 5 million. Despite recent financial challenges, including a reported loss of Rs 55.2 crore in Q3 FY25, the company aims to leverage its existing infrastructure and user engagement to capture a share of the growing investment technology market, projected to reach $74 billion by 2030.
This strategic expansion aligns with MobiKwik’s broader goals of enhancing its financial service
Nazara Technologies has sold its entire 71.54% stake in Sports Unity Private Limited, the company behind the multiplayer quiz game ‘Qunami’, for INR 7.15 lakh. This divestment, effective March 25, 2025, signifies a strategic shift for Nazara, which had previously acquired a controlling interest in Sports Unity in 2019 for INR 7.5 crore.
The decision to offload the stake comes as Sports Unity has faced financial difficulties, reporting no active business operations and a negative net worth of INR 0.45 crore at the end of FY24. This move aligns with Nazara’s broader strategy to streamline its operations and concentrate on more profitable ventures within the gaming sector.
This sale follows Nazara’s recent divestment of a 94.85% stake in another subsidiary, Open Play, to Moonshine Technologies for INR 104.33 crore. Despite reporting record quarterly revenue of INR 544.7 crore in Q3 FY25, Nazara experienced a 53.5% decline in net profit year-over-year.
Nazara continues to focus on enhancing its portfolio through strategic acquisitions and investments in high-potential gaming platforms while navigating the competitive landscape of the gaming industry.
Hypergro.ai, a Bengaluru-based marketing technology startup, has raised Rs 7 crore in seed funding led by Silverneedle Ventures, with participation from Huddle, TDV Partners, HME Ventures, Dholakia Ventures, FiiRE, and angel investors. Founded in 2022 by Rituraj Biswas, Neha Soman, Abhijeet Kumar, and Arijit Mukhopadhyay, the company aims to revolutionize digital marketing by addressing challenges like high Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC) and low Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).
The startup leverages AI to create hyper-personalized video ads using user-generated content (UGC). The fresh capital will be used to enhance Hypergro.ai’s AI capabilities, expand operations, and build a specialized team focusing on data analysis, predictive algorithms, and automation.
Since its inception, Hypergro.ai has collaborated with over 70 brands, including several from Shark Tank India. The company’s innovative approach has led to its selection for Google’s Startups Accelerator: AI First (India) program in July 2024, providing access to critical training, mentorship, and state-of-the-art AI tools.
Hypergro.ai’s platform now supports a community of over 300,000 creators across India and has partnered with more than 100 brands, significantly enhancing its AI model’s accuracy and improving revenue generation for clients. As it continues to expand and refine its AI-powered marketing solutions, Hypergro.ai is set to transform the digital advertising landscape, offering businesses more effective and efficient customer acquisition and engagement strategies.