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The Most Exciting Start-Ups To Watch In 2016.

June 27, 2016 by  
Filed under Business, Opinion, Tech/Internet, Weekly Columns

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(ThySistas.com) Although the whole world experienced a slump in the noughties, business has really picked up. More and more young entrepreneurs are coming out of education or work, and turning their great ideas into a reality. Whether you’re looking for a new enterprise to invest in or you’re just a shopaholic like most of us, these businesses are certainly exciting to look into. I recently had a long research session into where global business is going. I was completely amazed at what I found! Here are some of the freshest, most innovative start-ups around today. I hope you enjoy reading it!

Umanick Technologies

Not too long ago, you’d watch some sci-fi or spy film, and see a retina scanner being used to unlock a door. I still remember watching the first X-Men and thinking about how cool it would be to unlock my house using the same technology. These days, biometric tech is a reality, and is being used to innovate a wide range of different industries. Umanick Technologies, a young Spanish company, is focussed on the healthcare sector, specifically improving patient safety. It’s a scary thought, but even hospitals and healthcare centres are capable of making mistakes here and there. There have been various instances of one patient being mistaken for another, and receiving medication which they never should have taken. Umanick’s goal is to take human error out of the healthcare industry, and create safer hospitals all over the world. With their tech, patients can be identified in a matter of seconds. This is done through facial recognition cameras, fingerprint scanners and the like. Identity theft is also a big problem, with some people stealing pharmaceuticals and pumping them straight into the illegal narcotics trade. Of course, the healthcare sector is just one niche where this exciting technology will be applied.

Theme Go

This Israeli company certainly isn’t afraid of occupying too narrow of a niche. As you probably know, theme parks can be a little hit and miss. Their marketing materials are all pretty uniform in how fun they make the whole park sound. However, there’s no way of telling until you actually get there and try out some rides. Now that Theme Go has launched, a huge amount of the guesswork is out of the equation! This is a new online platform which allows people to share reviews of theme parks and discuss them in forums. Think of it like the TripAdvisor for adrenaline junkies. For each park, there are 2016-mega-startup-weekendcommunity reviews on every single thing in the park. Shows, shops, restaurants and hotels are all covered. As you can imagine though, the ride reviews are the most detailed and opinionated. Once you’ve set up an account, you can bookmark any page on ThemeGo, which has made planning vacations in advance much easier for a lot of people. While the niche may sound way too small, there’s really no other information back like it. the next time you’re off to a theme park, have a quick look on Theme Go.

Armana

Living in the western or “developed” world, the United States is pretty hard to get away from. I’m sure you’ve used dozens of American products today, and seen countless more logos from the US-of-A. However, for people living in less developed areas of the world, getting in on this kind of consumerism is a little harder. This is the exact problem which Armana was set up to tackle. Launched from Guatemala, Armana is a mobile app which compiles hundreds of US products, and allows non-US citizens to buy them. Cross-border ecommerce is becoming a bigger and bigger subject in the world of global business. As this continues in a trend, companies like Armana are going to be reaping the benefits more than anyone. No matter where you are, you can order US products or digital services in your local currency, with no extra fees or money shaved off the top. Another one of its strengths is that it has many different payment options to suit different financial cultures. Credit and debit cards are accepted, obviously. However, if you prefer making a bank deposit or a platform like PayPal, no problem. The app also has its own gift cards and reward schemes. All of this may raise some questions about the security of it all. However, if they can keep their customer’s information safe, Armana’s certainly in for some growth over the coming years.

Hampton Creek

If there’s one industry that’s been a constant from the dawn of civilization, it’s food. This is one niche which has never been at the mercy of falling demand, and a lot of young companies have brought exciting new ideas to it. Veganism and vegetarianism are on the rise, and leaders in the food tech niche certainly haven’t ignored this. Hampton Creek is a new company that’s looking for ways to substitute animal products in food using various plant proteins. They’re growing exceptionally quickly, seen as they’re one of the only companies of their kind. If you’re a vegan who’s been having dreams about the taste of mayonnaise for years, then these guys might be the answer to your prayers! This is simply the tip of the iceberg, and the company’s visionary CEO says that he’s “in a rush” to keep the business growing. If vegan foods take off well enough, it can have serious effects in the restaurant and retail industries. You can read more about Hampton Creek on Forbes.

Cancer Aid

No, this isn’t a benefit concert headlined by U2. Cancer Aid is a revolutionary new app, made by a new medical tech company based in Sydney, Australia. Dealing with cancer, as I’m sure you can imagine, is extremely hard on patients and their families. There’s always a dreadful uncertainty hanging over them about what the next development will be. Narrowing down helpful information resources, tracking the progress of their treatment, and call kinds of other challenges arise when someone is diagnosed. Cancer Aid is an app which is intended to mitigate all those challenges. With this on their device, cancer patients and their carers can keep tabs on their medical records, and better organise their medical schedules. It also has a contact link for medical and psychological support 24 hours a day. The company was founded by three doctors, but developed by over 100 cancer specialists from across the globe. 20 major cancer charities have also helped to market and fund the development of the app. We still don’t have a cure for cancer, but this is a revolutionary way to ease the suffering of those who have it.

Alulu

Statistically speaking, planes are the safest vehicle you can travel in. Taking 100 journeys in a car runs a much greater risk than taking 100 journeys in a plane. However, when there is a problem, the consequences are catastrophic. Alula is just one of the companies which are working to make air travel safer than ever before. Their software can be added to any aircraft with a black box. It reads out important diagnostic data about the plane, feeding it to the pilots in real time. This is also relayed to a network of aircraft receivers from all over the world. Air traffic controllers and other decision makers in commercial flights can see abnormalities in the aircraft’s diagnostics straight away, and alert the pilots before the issue escalates any further. This safety measure is therefore more preventative than reactionary. Even when it’s out of range to send information, Alula is able to switch to different communication methods and avoid dangerous blackouts.

Uniko

Finally, a unique take on the way people get married from Mexico. If you’ve ever been married, then I’m sure you received a gift which you never touched. Save, perhaps, the odd mad dash around your home to make it look like you’re using this or that item before the giver comes over. If and when every couple starts using Uniko’s technology, issues like this will be a thing of the past. Uniko is an online registry, made to bring the giving and receiving of wedding gifts into 2016. Let’s say you popped the question, set a date and sent out all the invitations. After this, you and your fiancé would log onto Uniko, and start browsing countless lovely wedding gifts. This can be from Uniko’s own catalogue, which has some reward incentives. Alternatively, you can find items from elsewhere on the web, and add it to your personal registry. From a nice set of wine glasses to practical appliances to home renovations, you and your betrothed can have fun filling up the list. After that, your guests can look through the wish list, and contribute money to a given item. At the end of it all, the couple receives the cash.

So there you have it. Whether you were looking for inspiration or just interested to find out about modern industry, I hope you found it in this post. As we move into the future, it will be intriguing to see where business goes from here!

Staff Writer; Latasha Moore


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