Almost daily new needs arise, whether in technology, travel, food, fashion, health, or entertainment. The move to provide solutions to these needs results in startups. Businesses that are booming today, such as Google, Facebook, Apple, and Amazon, all had their humble beginnings as startup ventures.
An individual recognizes a recurring issue and comes up with a creative way to solve the problem, and a startup is born. However, these small companies’ solutions need to be exceptional and highly captivating to gain attention and momentum for the business to grow. Hundreds of startup businesses take off each year, yet very few continue on past their first 12 months.
Below, we look at ten little-known startups that make an impact and may very well become household names in the near future.
PrintsField
While some companies are all about tech, PrintsField focuses on comfort and fun. Finding a company to print personalized photographs onto merchandise other than t-shirts was a tricky and costly task. PrintsField allows you to upload your personal images and have them printed on numerous exciting items, from journals and travel mugs to hooded blankets and custom face socks. But, they don’t just leave it there. They also offer you a multitude of quirky backgrounds to choose from, so you can personalize your items to a T. It is this level of customization that places this startup on the radar.
Mirror
Health and fitness take a far greater spotlight in the world today. However, keeping in shape is not always that simple. Lack of time resulting from careers with intensive hours or families to take care of often leaves us with having to exercise at home. Out come the smartphones and laptops as the search begins for a “good” workout. Half the time, we can’t correctly see the screen, or it becomes problematic trying to find a place to balance the device. This is where Mirror steps in. This startup offers a smart device that doubles as home decor. It looks like an ordinary wall-mounted mirror, yet it has smart capabilities that allow you to access a myriad of fitness classes, all of which are taught to you by an instructor who pops up on the screen, effectively turning your home into a gym.
Doorport
Being at work all day, or even away on business, means not answering your door for deliveries, dog walkers, or cleaners. Leaving your home unlocked is not an option, and if you live in an apartment building, someone will need to buzz them in from an intercom. Doorport provides you with an app that turns your smartphone into an intercom. Providing you with a unique number the app allows you to see who is at your door and let them in, even when you’re not there.
Bloomscape
Going to an outdoor center and finding beautiful large, lush plants for your home is excellent until you have to get them home with you. Perhaps you walked there or took a taxi, or the underground, how exactly do you get this plant home with you? Enter Bloomscape. This startup offers an online platform that allows you to buy plants of any shape or size and have them delivered to your door, no matter how large the plants are, taking the stress of finding a way to get your large botanical beauties home with you.
Sendoso
Converting a maybe into a yes, closing a deal, or making a sale conversion is much easier to do when you sweeten the deal. Sendoso knows this and, as a result, provides companies with the ability to send clients and customers promotional gifts, merchandise, and vouchers with just a few clicks of a mouse. The platform offers companies options to compose gifts based on their own marketing strategies and from a wide variety of gifting options. Given a choice of packaging options and notecards, the gifts are packaged and sent off to clients. As the company, you get to track the present in real-time as it reaches your customer, so you can connect with them as soon as the gift is received.
Needle Hobby
Finding a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon that doesn’t break the bank or teaching children needlework in an exciting way is just what NeedleHobby has to offer. They provide comprehensive kits of embroidery frames, punch needles, multicolored cotton, and fabric with a design that teaches you how to create needlepoint artworks. The pre-printed design and color-coded cotton ensure you are left with a masterpiece as your finished product—infallible crafting at its best.
Nima
Gluten intolerance and peanut allergies are no joke. One mouthful of food with the wrong stuff could land you in hospital. Restaurants and grocery stores often have food items marked with indicators, but you can’t always be sure. Nima has come up with a plan to help you with this. Their unique pocket-sized sensor is so compact you can take it with to restaurants. Fill a little capsule with the food you’re uncertain about, pop it in the sensor, and wait for your results. Within three minutes, you’ll know if our food is safe, and you can share your findings with others too.
Calm
The relationship between mental health, exercise, and sleep are significant. Calm has considered this to create a wellness app with rave reviews on both Apple and Google stores. The app offers a range of positive mental health features from meditation, calming music, master classes on mindfulness, and scenery to soothe, to help you achieve a sense of calm and lower stress levels.
Luggage Hero
Traveling with a lot of heavy luggage can be tricky, and downright painful when you are in a new city for a few hours between flights and would love to go exploring. Luggage Hero has come up with an ingenious solution. They provide a safe storage facility that you can lock your more cumbersome luggage in while you are out about the town—a daycare facility for your baggage.
Inkbox
Tattoos are gaining popularity. However, not everyone has the time, money, or comfort with needles to withstand getting a permanent tattoo. Perhaps you are just looking for a cute design to try out before you get the real deal, or maybe you would rather be able to change them up every so often. This is where Inkbox brings magic. They give you the option to either create your own tattoo or purchase a design by an artist, which they will then print for you onto a unique transfer. All you need to do is apply it per the instructions, and it will leave you with a natural-looking tattoo that lasts up to two weeks.