Most Important Startups of 2016

What are the most important startups of 2016? The truth is it is really difficult to say. Sources are not all in full agreement on this subject. There are, however, some companies who make multiple lists. Here then, in no particular order, are those important startups:

Belong

Belong is a talent acquisition business based in Bangalore, India. It was founded in 2014 by Sudheendra Chilappagari, Rishabh Kaul, Saiteja Veera, and Vijay Sharma. They scan the internet, social media, and various other public sources to find potential candidates for specific jobs. Their investors, Blume Ventures and Matrix Partners, sunk $5 million into the company. They currently employ almost 70 people.

Carousell

The Republic of Singapore-based company Carousell was founded in 2012. Carousell is reportedly a simple, convenient way to sell underused and unused property. It is said to be as simple as Snap, List and Sell. Users can also shop, chat live and purchase items all via the Carousell app. There are millions of things to choose from at any given time. The Carousell investors include Sequoia Capital, Golden Gate Ventures and 500 Startups.

Inverse

Inverse is a San Francisco Bay Area-based company in California. Founded in 2015, it is a technology-driven media business. They cover current digital culture, motion pictures, music, news, science, television and innovations skewed to a mainly millennial male audience. Some of the companies who currently are invested in Inverse include Crosslink Capital, Greycroft Partners, and Rothenberg Ventures. The business currently employs approximately 30 people.

Mobcrush

Founded in 2014, Mobcrush is a mobile community and live game streaming platform. Mobcrush was formed with the precept that they could provide inspiration to many different people throughout the world via their mobile device-related games and software. They received $15 million worth of investment funds from CrunchFund, Kleiner Perkins, and Lowercase Capital.

Patreon

This San Francisco Bay Area-based company in California was founded in 2013. Alexis Ohanian or Sam Altman’s began the company with more than $17 million of fundraising money. Patreon is essentially a platform that permits content creators like artists, authors, musicians, photographers and YouTubers to create web pages for their work and solicit support from fans. The community currently includes more than 2,000 creators. They have more than 40 employees.

Product Hunt

Launched in 2013, Product Hunt is a website that allows users to share and discover new products on a daily basis. Some pundits believe this is one of the most significant platforms of the year. Apparently, both venture capitalists and those in the tech industry use the website to learn about new startups. Now business people use the site to launch their new products. Their big investors include Greylock Partners, Naval Ravikant, and SV Angel.

Startups That Standout

In entrepreneurship, conformity and convention often take a backseat to innovation and the masterminds behind that innovation. There are a few recently emerged startups in particular that exemplify this notion, and even when faced with skeptical aversion, they pursued their passion—only to see it pay off big-time. Their resilience drove them to take a unique idea and build a brand behind it, and the marketplace awarded them handsomely for the effort. Below are a few such stories that can serve as an inspiration to us all:

Chocolate Pizza Company Inc.

A unique name and a more unique product, Chocolate Pizza Company originated with Ryan Novak in his hometown chocolate shop in Marcellus, New York. As a high-schooler, Ryan got to know the ins and outs of the business as he washed dishes, mopped floors, and took out the trash. While he put in his time, he kept his ear to the ground, learning from the store’s owner Bonnie Hanyak.

In college at Syracuse for entrepreneurship, Ryan saw massive potential for the local shop. Its product, gourmet chocolate blended with homemade toffee that is then poured into pizza pans and topped off with nuts, candy, or white chocolate, was perfect to capitalize upon. At just 21, Ryan purchased the company from Bonnie and turned it into a national brand.

He saw deficiencies with the shipping company. They often lost shipments, damaged packages, and angered customers. So he switched to UPS as part of his expansion efforts, and was able to grow Chocolate Pizza by 365%. He also added a website, opened up three more physical locations, and even landed such distinguished accounts like Hallmark.

What did Ryan have to say about his resounding success? He remarks “I had a ton of people tell me to think about doing something else. But I believed in myself and I believed in this product. When you put everything you have into it, that can really pay off.”

Yogibo LLC

The idea came to light when Eyal Levy and his pregnant wife, Noa, were looking for something comfortable and supportive that would let her sleep on her stomach. They found nothing. So they created it. During a transatlantic trip they stumbled across a stretchy fabric that they realized would serve as the perfect material.

Yogibo Max was born. It’s a 6-ft long bean bag that can be used as a chair, recliner, bed, or couch. It may not sound like much, but they began exhibiting it as various outdoor fairs and craft shows, and once people took a seat, they realized just how great Yogibo Max really was. The beanbag was not just another beanbag chair, and the incredibly comfortable furniture garnered the recognition it deserved.

Yogibo’s first store opened in 2010, and now there 18 retail spaces stretching across the Northeast. Revenue is now five times what it was only three years ago. When Eyal Levy was asked for his number one piece of advice, he replied “Entrepreneurship is a marathon that you run at a sprint pace.  There are a lot of difficulties, but you just have to persist and keep moving forward.”

CabinetParts.com

Squeaky cabinet doors across the world fueled the rise of one of today’s largest online cabinet hardware distributors. When a company is distributing 20,000 parts in 28 countries, they must be doing something right.

The brainchild of Patton Abbe, CabinetParts.com was created in 1997 to fill a niche for do-it-yourself homeowners and small contractors. Ever since, it has literally doubled in growth every year and has expanded to include kitchen and bath hardware like drawer slides, pulls, and even handles to lazy Susans and organizers.

Even despite their enormous growth, Patton remains humble: “Understand your own limitations. Surround yourself with people who have the skills you don’t, and let them help you be successful.”

Success always lies ahead. The key is just to keep moving, keep failing, and keep getting back up.

Stock Market Myths

The stock market is full of misleading myths. This misinformation then gets communicated to uneducated ears and they are believed to be true, thus warding off potential but less experienced investors. I'm going against the grain. That's why I wrote this blog awhile ago talking about some of the market's most pervasive (and damaging) myths. Click here to see more.

So often the mainstream media extolls the lives of the rich and famous, but it generally neglects the struggle those wealthy entrepreneurs and celebrities had to endure. I chose to pay them the respect their resilience deserves here. Check it out!

What Inspires Us?

Recently, I authored a blog post exploring the question, "What inspires us?" Is it a single moment of epiphany, or a maturation process molded by proper parenting and mentor figures? Although the question of nature vs nurture is one which will likely be around for a while, I chose to find out the answer by looking at these entrepreneurs' stories. Check it out!