10 Most Innovative Startups of the Decade
Rakshita Nain | Aug. 22, 2020, 7:08 a.m.
The 2010s witnessed an emergence of the most innovative startups that changed the world for the better. Companies from various fields (Facebook, Twitter, Airbnb) were launched in the preceding decade but the popularity remained limited. As high-speed internet and smartphones became an integral part of our lives, numerous companies flourished.
Here is a list of 10 companies from 2010s that became leading names in their respective fields. This list does not follow any specific arrangement.
Instagram:
This ultra-popular application was launched in October 2010. The initial versions focused mainly on editing, sharing photos and short clips. The innovative and dynamic approaches of the creators led way to the most prominent social media platform. People started showing more interest in media-oriented careers like fashion bloggers and streamers. The unique features of Instagram lead the way for other networking or photo-sharing sites like Vero social and Youpic. The net worth of Instagram was calculated to be 100 Billion USD in 2018.
Paytm:
Paytm was launched in 2010, in India, as an e-commerce payment system. As people started turning towards the cashless society, it became one of the most useful applications on our phones. The company kept adapting to the needs of the users (to include shopping, bookings, and other facilities) and hence tremendously increased its stakes. It became incredibly popular among youngsters. The Paytm QR code can be seen everywhere in metropolitan cities as well as several small towns of the country during these years. The company was valued at 10 Billion USD in 2018.
Gaana:
Indias largest music streaming application was launched in 2010. It outgrew a number of popular music streaming platforms like Hungama, Saavn, and Wynk. It features 26 local and international languages. As a result, it became the perfect destination for users who love to explore music beyond language boundaries. In recent years, gaana included podcasts and video content to hold attention for longer times. The value of the company was estimated to be 3 Billion USD in 2018.
Tiktok / Musical.ly:
In 2012, the era of complex video editing apps ended with the foundation of the Tiktok, by a Beijing-based IT company, ByteDance. People with limited technical knowledge started creating video content just in a few taps. However, this app only became available to the rest of the world after ByteDance acquired musical.ly in 2018. By a recent estimation, the company is worth 75 Billion USD. This extraordinary success of the company owes to the super accessible and engaging features of the application.
Discord:
This decade has been all about better connectivity among diverse communities. Discord is a communication platform released in 2015. Initially targeting the Reddit and esports gamers as communities, it became popular among influencers, YouTubers, and others who wanted to connect to their audience. The highly customizable and user-friendly nature of Discord has been used in various ways by different people during the 2020 pandemic. In 2018, discord surpassed 2 Billion USD as per expert evaluation.
Snapchat:
It is a multimedia messaging app that brought revolutionary creativity to tapping-on pictures. In 2011, Snapchat was launched with the innovative idea to use augmented reality for various purposes with just one tap, surpassing all the previous expectations of photo editing apps. Despite the infamous #nofilter trends, Snapchat filters won much love by exploring fantastic ideas. Recently, it did something more innovative by embedding minis, small apps inside the parent application. According to the latest estimation, it has successfully raised its value to 4 Billion USD.
Disney+ Hotstar (Hotstar):
In 2015, Star India launched Hotstar as a streaming platform for sports geeks, generally targeting younger audiences. It was focused on filling the void of quality video content. In a year, international shows and more premium content was availed. In 2019, The Walt Disney Company acquired Star and re-launched the service as Disney+ Hotstar, attracting ample international attention to it. The net worth of the company has enormously raised and made it to more than 50 Billion USD.
Hometogo:
Founded in 2014, the sole purpose of home to go is to provide vacation rentals around the world. The story of how it became a competition for the top travel firms is quite motivating. This company is based in Berlin and has successfully connected 200 countries on one website. The services are unmatchable and highly flexible; in short, no stone is left unturned to engage the customers. It has integrated with hundreds of companies, the leading names being Airbnb, Homeaway, TripAdvisor, and others. In half a decade, Hometogo has raised its worth to 2 Billion USD.
Swiggy:
The rise in e-commerce platforms has encouraged the most influential and fastest-growing businesses globally. The more we get, the more we want. Swiggy is an online food delivery platform, founded in 2014. It started from a locality and expanded to 300+ cities across India. It has launched its own Swiggy storesfor general products. The service provides different offers every now and then, thus making it very handy for youngsters living away from home. In 2019, the revenue was estimated to be $1.2 Billion.
Udacity: The younger generations are getting more inclined towards practical skills. The traditional educational practices are not sufficient anymore. Udacity is an educational organization founded in 2011 to help students and other aspirants hone their skills and practical knowledge. Its main focus remains on IT and programming courses for computer geeks. Very often the platform partners with top international universities. In 2018, the net worth of the company was calculated to be 1.6 Billion USD.
All these start-ups shared similar principles and insights which enabled them to spread their innovative ideas to an overwhelming extent. A business flourishes with effort, it is no coincidence.
