In and among the discussions of an impending crash and dwindling funds in the startup ecosystem, there are still booming pockets of cash available for particular sectors poised to be leaders in 2017. From VR gaming to manual labor automation, the innovations in these sectors won’t necessarily revolutionize the world, but they will make incredible tech available to the general public. With so many consumers in line to purchase new technology, even a cautious outlook won’t frighten tech investors away from taking big risks for big rewards.
These 2017 trends are due to attract attention and capital in the upcoming year:
- Social media
Though marketing data and social analytics are evolving exponentially, social media is still in its infancy and due to make tidal waves in marketing, news dissemination and more. Influencer marketing remains the best way to reach audiences, with social media advertising expected to generate $11 billion in revenue in 2017, up from just $3.1 billion in 2013. In addition, Facebook is where 44 % of adults in the U.S. get their news, and a primary news source for millions across the globe -- live streaming media has turned every citizen into a news source, and social media is positioned to replace mainstream media.
- Enterprise software renaissance
Enterprise software will become much easier and more intuitive to use, allowing employees to work easier and with more support. Despite trillions of dollars spent by organizations that use enterprise software, users have long complained about a terrible user experience, inflexibility, and having to bend their work to fit the software. Investors are looking for enterprise software that will start to mimic favorite apps, improving employee productivity and improving decision-making abilities, a direct result of the simplicity and streamlining of enterprise apps. They’ll likely be cross-functional with native integration, real-time collaboration and smart communication at their very core.
- Edtech
Many sources are indicating that we are currently beginning a multi-decade technology-inspired education renaissance. According to Chris Haroun, Founder and CEO of Haroun Education Services, web services like Amazon’s and groundbreaking online education platforms like Udemy.com are “providing unprecedented accessible and affordable education and edutainment to the masses in more than 190 countries.” Haroun continues:
“Today a child in the middle of Africa has faster and greater access to information on their smart phones than Bill Clinton did in the 1990s. A single smartphone has more processing power today than every computer in the world that was used to put the first person on the moon.”
The coming growth in edtech is incredibly exciting, if only because of the significant positive impact it will have on society. “All problems in the world can be solved by education -- every single one, without exception,” states Haroun. “I firmly applaud and support edtech startups, governments, and organizations that help to make affordable and accessible technology-enabled education, which is just as much of a right for humankind as water, air, freedom of expression and freedom to coexist,” says Haroun.
There can’t possibly be a more important sector to invest in for this year, this decade and of course, this century than edtech.
- Mobile-first, mobile-only world
The Internet will be continue to be re-invented for a mobile-first and mobile-only world that incorporates the Internet of Everything, and investors are giving money to companies that can make that process happen easily and quickly. From on-demand screen location to context and intention-aware devices, a mobile-first world is already recreating the way consumers are going to services and destinations. Developers and publishers will have to think mobile first, transforming apps and tools to be more dynamic, personal and useful. Everything on the web not designed for mobile will need complete overhaul or complete innovation to keep up with the demand for real-time personalized engagement.
- Tech-advanced reactive medicine.
The use of technology to expand medical tools will be a great area of funding concentration in 2017. GlaxoSmithKline has teamed up with Google’s parent company Alphabet to develop miniature electronic implants for the treatment of asthma, diabetes and other chronic conditions. In addition Nanobots, lab-generated and 3D printed organs, and wearable devices that transmit on-demand vital signs will become increasingly affordable and available, revolutionizing healthcare as we know it.
- VR and AR Gaming.
Niantic’s PokemonGo became an overnight mobile AR global phenomenon, and had the possibility of even more sticking power if it hadn’t been for Niantic’s snail-slow customer service (the company had no PR person for the first month the game was released). The possibility of gigantic gaming empires drafting off the popularity of PokemonGo are very real, with very little effort on the part of the gaming companies. On the other end, creative and content for VR gaming has been invested in by not only by tech companies but also such creative as Fox, Disney and Technicolor. Content creation will boom in the next year -- the ground floor is now, and in a year the space will be impacted.
- Automation
Automation is on the verge of becoming a gigantic industry that replaces many unskilled labor jobs that do not require human intelligence. Farming, factory work, data entry and especially automated driving -- both taxis and long-haul trucking -- will be largely automated by 2025, so investors are jumping with both feet into promising endeavors. It’s predicted that up to half of manual labor jobs could be replaced in the next ten years. Though the lowest paid and less educated will likely suffer, automation will be a boon for the companies that get in on the ground floor.
