During the pandemic, we saw a huge surge in the rise of start-ups in the B2B, D2C, and B2C spaces. Whether in the space of tech, huge surge in the rise of start-ups in the B2B, D2C, and B2C spaces. Whether in the space of tech, hospitality, or beauty, some of these start-ups are a decade old or growing to bring millions in revenue under the leadership of top CEOs and managers.
Many of these growing start-ups have solved the consumer’s problem by launching easy-to-access digital platforms to disseminate their products and services. For instance, through Airbnb, women travellers, while visiting a new country, can find accommodation that is safe and affordable.
Some of these start-ups have already been listed as unicorns or are in the race to become one.
Let us look at some of the biggest and growing start-ups in the market.
Airbnb
You can stay in a treehouse, a castle, or even the house of your favourite celebrity. You will find that everything is well-designed and comfortable. The company also has over 800 employees.
Airbnb was founded by Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia in 2008 and is worth $31 billion as of 2018. It has over 3 million listings in more than 190 countries worldwide, with over 30 million users booking stays monthly across its properties which include homes, apartments, hostels and castles.
Gilt
Gilt, founded in 2009 and now a part of the PPR Group, is the brainchild of Jennifer Hyman. The company has raised over $1 billion and been valued at over $1 billion. The company’s founder has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America for the past four years, and she was included on Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list in 2016. Gilt is a flash sale site that offers clothing, beauty products, home goods and more at discounted prices through limited-time sales events called “Glooms.”
Relativity Space
The last time you saw a rocket launch wasn’t too long ago. Relativity Space is the company responsible for getting that thing into space and sending satellites into orbit. It was founded by Taylor Wilson, who is only 23 years old—and he dropped out of high school at 15 to start building rockets in his garage. Now, he’s a billionaire with big plans for the future of space travel.
While there are other companies working on private space exploration projects (most notably SpaceX), Relativity Space is unique because its goal isn’t just to send humans into orbit—they want to democratise access by making rockets more affordable and efficient so that anyone can launch their own payloads into space at a reasonable cost.
Allbirds
Allbirds are a brand of shoes that are made from the wool of merino sheep. The company was founded in 2014 by Tim Brown and Joey Zwillinger, two Stanford graduates who met while working as engineers at Facebook. Allbirds makes its shoes in New Zealand, where they were designed specifically to be as comfortable as they possibly can be while still being fashionable.
Allbirds’ signature style is their “wool running shoe,” made from 100% natural materials like merino wool, recycled plastic bottles and latex — an industry first for sneakers on this level. The shoe consists of one single piece of material that’s shaped into the form you’d expect when you look at it: A pair of running shoes or sneakers with soft soles and laces that tie up your ankles just like any other pair would do when worn normally by someone who isn’t trying very hard not to be noticed because these things look crazy cool and also extremely comfortable!
Dagne Dover
Danielle Weinblatt is the CEO of Dagne Dover, a New York-based e-commerce brand that began as a jewellery line in 2011. In its eight years of existence, it has grown into a lifestyle brand with over 1 million followers on Instagram and has raised over $30 million in venture capital. It’s valued at over $500 million and is known for high-quality and affordable products.
The company sells modern jewellery made from ethical materials, including recycled metals and reclaimed wood. They also sell clothing, handbags, accessories like scarves and sunglasses, as well as beauty products like perfumes and lotions made from natural ingredients such as lavender oil or coconut oil. The company was founded by Danielle Weinblatt, who had previously worked as an art director for Louis Vuitton before launching her own business with her husband, Michael Yagudaev, who served as a COO.
Glossier
Glossier is a New York-based beauty brand that was started by Emily Weiss in 2014. The company sells products for skincare, makeup and hair care that are all focused on making the user feel good about themselves. Glossier’s success has been helped by engaging its users through social media and word-of-mouth. It has also benefited from the loyalty of its customers, who are drawn to the brand’s ethos of self-care and empowerment. Glossier operates online only with customers purchasing products on their website or through third-party websites like Amazon. Their product offerings include skincare masks, lipsticks, shower gels and eye shadow palettes.
Houzz
Houzz is a website that helps people find and design their dream homes. The company’s CEO, Adi Tatarko, started Houzz in 2009 alongside her brother Alon Cohen. Since then, the company has raised $1.2 billion in funding and grown to over 20 million unique users per month on its platform.
A strong support network is a must for any entrepreneur.
Studies show that having a mentor can help you get more out of your career, and having a mentor when you start a business is even more beneficial. You might want to start looking around to build your network. There are lots of ways you can find one: networking groups, social media groups, or even apps like LinkedIn can be great starting points if they exist in your area.
