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63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024 We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

By The Staff of Entrepreneur Media, Inc. • Mar 15, 2024

Many people dream of starting their own business. Running an enterprise in your home, garage or on the go means you can take more control over your professional goals, set more ambitious financial targets and achieve a more desirable work-life balance.

But what if you're ready to start a business but don't know what type of services to provide? You've come to the right place if you need profitable business ideas. Below, find a detailed breakdown of 63 small business ideas — from financial services to physical labor and creative contracting — to help you chart a path forward.

Some of these opportunities require more experience or credentials than others. Some can be started from home for cheap, while others require dedicated office space and capital investment. To ensure you choose the right business venture for yourself, it's crucial to consider a few factors before you pursue a sole proprietorship.

How do you determine the best small business idea?

Consider your current skill set and credentials..

For instance, if you already have a CPA license, venturing out as a freelance accountant (as detailed below) would be a natural avenue to explore. If you have experience as a writer, you might consider editorial services, or if you've spent years working in the food and beverage industry, you could explore catering or becoming a personal chef.

As you explore your options, consider if you'll need to secure special licenses (for example, hairstylists and electricians) or if the work requires additional education and credentialing.

Determine the goals of your small business.

For some people, starting a small business means leaving their full-time gig and committing to the new endeavor. For others, a part-time business provides meaningful supplemental income and can be managed in addition to other work. Consider how much money you're hoping to earn from the business, how many clients or customers you'll need to be profitable and how many hours you'll need to work each week to make it feasible.

Think about capital costs, as well as growth: Will launching the business require the purchase of equipment or other serious financial investment? Do you plan to hire employees? Will you expand to multiple locations? At the outset, it's a good idea to create a formal business plan .

Study your location and identify what's most feasible there.

Finding customers and clients is essential to any small business, so conduct a market analysis before you open shop. For instance, your boat cleaning business will be significantly more successful if you live near a coast, and your side hustle as an interpreter will likely be more profitable if you live in a diverse community.

You should also research what businesses already exist. Is there a dearth of dependable landscapers in your market? Is there a glut of professional photographers in your town? Answering these questions will help you determine the viability of your idea.

Decide if you want to run a business online or in person.

The digital age has created many opportunities for entrepreneurs to run a business from behind a laptop, meaning their enterprise can go wherever they choose. That's not for everyone, though. If you want to run a brick-and-mortar shop at the heart of your community or are more comfortable interacting with customers and clients in person, launch a business that will allow you to achieve those goals.

Related: TV Shows All Entrepreneurs Should Be Watching

Financial and Business Service Ideas

1. accounting and tax services.

Experience, training or licensing may be needed

At some point, most people seek the advice of a good bookkeeper or accountant, whether to prepare for tax season, get advice for starting a business or simply plan for the future. If you're already a Certified Public Accountant, you can earn good money by going out on your own.

If you're not already trained as an accountant or licensed by the state you live in, you'll want to explore the recommended educational prerequisites and plan to obtain the appropriate credentials. Most tax preparation franchises offer courses, seminars and training to get you ready to work for them.

You'll also want to think about the types of services you'll provide:

• Do you want to simply do bookkeeping for small businesses?
• Or do you also want to prepare balance sheets, income statements and other financial reports?

Other specializations can include tax accounting — a huge area of potential work.

2. Business Consulting

Has expansion possibilities

With a consulting business, you can work with a wide range of businesses on a variety of business problems. You could help new entities get off the ground by creating business plans , conducting market research and organizing a management structure.

Depending on your level of experience, you could also help large organizations through difficult transitions and periods of restructuring or outline a successful exit strategy by providing executive-level advice and guidance on an array of matters core to the business' mission.

A good calendar app will likely come in handy as time-tracking is crucial to accurate billing.

3. Financial Planning and Advising

Financial advisors help millions of Americans save for things like retirement and college funds while also helping them grow their wealth through various investments. If your goal is to become a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), you'll have to complete coursework and ultimately pass an exam. This will earn you a certificate that shows potential clients you have expertise and credibility. Once you're certified, working as an independent financial advisor can provide a steady income.

4. Buying a Franchise

Some business experience needed

The benefits of buying a franchise are many: You'll have a proven business model, the market research is already done and the brand typically provides support to franchisees as part of the purchase. Plus, many franchises can be launched for less than $10,000, including:

• Dream Vacations
• Cruise Planners
• Jazzercise Inc.

To learn more about how to buy and launch a franchise, read Entrepreneur's basics of buying a franchise business .

Related: Considering franchise ownership? Get started now to find your personalized list of franchises that match your lifestyle, interests and budget.

5. Notary Public Services

In most states, a notary public is a state officer who is authorized to witness and attest to the legalities of certain documents by stamping a seal and signing. Most states require that you pass an exam and a background check, but it costs very little to become a notary. You can generate significant income from notary work by charging fees for services such as loan-signing notarizations.

Manual Labor Business Ideas

6. general construction.

If you have experience working in construction, you may be ready to start your own handyman business and take on projects of your own. From building a fence to hanging drywall or framing an addition, many people need skilled laborers who can do quality work on time.

If you have a network of skilled people whose work you trust, you could also subcontract some of the construction and spend more time finding clients and growing your business. Check with your state to determine what permits and licenses you need to get started.

7. Landscaping

Put your green thumb to work. Most people want their yards tidied up in the spring, their lawns mowed in the summer, their leaves removed in the fall, their shrubs trimmed and their trees cared for. Your landscaping business could also offer irrigation services, including the installation and repair of sprinkler lines, as well as blowing them out before winter.

Garden work, such as planting annuals and perennials and vegetable garden preparation, can also be a lucrative business. There is plenty to do in the yard that has nothing to do with plants: stone wall restoration, fencing, artificial turf installation and more.

Read This: Start Your Own Lawn Care or Landscaping Business by The Staff of Entrepreneur Media and Cheryl Kimball | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

8. House Painting

Regardless of the season, you can make good money with a residential painting business — inside and out. Before you begin offering services, you'll want to work with professional painters and learn the basics:

• Masking a house
• Laying a drop cloth
• Choosing the appropriate paints and brushes for various indoor and outdoor climates

You'll also need to invest in some basic equipment — ladders, brushes, trays and more. Once you're set up, you can begin marketing your services to customers through a variety of online platforms with relatively low upfront costs.

9. Carpentry

Woodworking is in high demand these days, and if you're a talented carpenter, there are a variety of ways you can make money. Residential projects like cabinets, tables and shelves are often high on homeowners' lists and typically pay well. You can also make good money with boutique projects like gallery frames, hand-carved figurines and other work. In some cases, you can work for general contractors to frame doorways and support larger construction projects.

10. Electrical Work

Becoming an electrician is not easy — you must take classes, work as an apprentice and pass licensing exams before you can start your own business — but there's no shortage of work for electricians. Master electricians are always in demand for small and large projects, and you'll have the ability to hire apprentices, build a team and scale your business offerings.

11. Moving Services

When people move, they often want to hire someone to do the heavy lifting for them — literally. You can focus your work on local moves across town or to the town next door. As your business ramps up, you may also offer large-scale, long-distance moving services if you have the personnel and equipment to accommodate it. Advertise around town to convince the locals to let you take care of their move, provide excellent customer service and watch your business grow.

Read This: Start Your Own Freelance Writing Business and More by Entrepreneur Press and George Sheldon | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

Creative Work Business Ideas

12. content and editorial contracting.

Almost every business or organization needs good writers and editors, and if you have the skills to go out on your own, you'll likely find a bevy of work. From copyediting to developmental editing, ghostwriting and digital content production, freelance writers and editors can find clients in a host of industries, including marketing, communications, journalism and book publishing. To get started, you'll need to create a portfolio of work that exemplifies your skills for writing, content creation and/or editing–this will help you build relationships with potential clients.

13. Graphic Design

Have an eye for design? Logos, fliers, newsletters, information sheets and advertisements are just a few of the types of design materials that businesses hire independent designers to create for them. Websites and online advertising need graphic design services as well. You can offer clients a suite of services to take their project from beginning to end, including coordinating with content creators and print shops and getting products ready to mail and present.

Read This: Start Your Own Graphic Design Business by Entrepreneur Press and George Sheldon | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

14. Web Development

Many in-person and online courses exist to teach you the language of coding and website creation. With some specialized training, you can master the basics of building a website from scratch — a service you can offer to many small businesses, whether they're looking for an ecommerce platform or just a landing page to describe their services. You may also find clients who will hire you to not only design their website but manage their online presence on a day-to-day basis.

15. Marketing or Public Relations Agency

Every business has a story to tell, but not everyone has the know-how to get their message into the world. With your marketing or public relations agency, you can help businesses identify new audiences, craft messages that resonate with new customers and produce newsletters and other products — potentially winning the media's interest along the way. You'll want experience working in this field before you set out on your own, as potential clients will want to hire someone who understands the world of marketing and public relations.

Read This: Start Your Own Consulting Business by Entrepreneur Press and Eileen F. Sandlin | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

16. Photography

Independent photographers can run successful businesses with one or more specialties. You can offer:

• Portraits or senior pictures
• Wedding photography
• Editorial shots for newspapers or magazines

To get your photography business off the ground, you'll want to create an online portfolio of your work so potential clients can see your style and inquire with you. Being active on social media platforms is also a great strategy for growing your brand.

Read This: Start Your Own Photography Business by Entrepreneur Press and Charlene Davis | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

17. Videography

If you can do quality work behind a camera and edit footage well, there are plenty of opportunities for videography work, from creating brand videos for organizations to filming events, weddings and interviews. Your clients could include outdoor brands, small nonprofits and big corporations, but you'll want to have some filming and editing training and experience creating quality content before you launch your business.

18. Audio Editing

Audio storytelling is a growing industry, with countless podcasts being streamed daily by listeners all over the world. If you have experience recording and editing audio, you could shop your services to media brands, businesses or individuals who might want to launch their own podcasts. And who knows? Maybe you can use your skills to launch and monetize a podcast of your own.

19. Social Media Management

Some experience needed

Although many businesses want to enhance their social media presence, they often don't have the skills or internal bandwidth to grow their following and post engaging content.

If you're skilled at brainstorming content plans and writing snappy copy — and you already spend many hours on social media — it might be worth launching your own social media marketing enterprise. Clients might have you create a content marketing plan, monitor and reply to comments and report growth statistics monthly.

If making art is already your hobby, you might be able to turn it into a profitable business. You can sell your work on sites like Etsy, enter your work in shows or ink contracts with clients who need illustrators or custom art as part of their brand assets. Other potential art business offerings include creating portraits, painting murals and teaching art classes.

21. Music Lessons

Turn down the volume and listen up: Your music skills could be in high demand. There are a few ways to approach running your own music business. You can be mobile and teach in your clients' homes or run it out of your own space (a separate building or designated area of your home).

Some people teach music lessons online by recording lessons on YouTube and offering subscriptions. To get started, try connecting with local music schools for part-time gigs. This will allow you to see if you like it and help you build a reputation with potential clients.

Related: 10 Essential Tips For a Long and Lucrative Music Career

Repair and Maintenance Business Ideas

22. mechanic shop.

If you've spent years working on your vehicles and know your way around an engine, it could be time to offer your services to customers. Depending on where you live, you may not need to obtain a mechanics license, but taking some formal classes and earning a certification will help build trust with customers.

Many shops require licensing before hiring mechanics, so if you're looking to get some experience before launching your own business, you'll likely want to take some classes.

23. Appliance Repair

Every household has several appliances — from refrigerators to dishwashers to dryers — and appliances tend to break down, so appliance repair is one of the best business ideas for any area. You can work on your own or contract with appliance stores to cover their warranty service calls — or some of each.

Start slow and build your customer base on recommendations and referrals from work well done. You could also develop relationships with contractors to be the go-to person to install appliances in newly constructed houses.

24. Bicycle Repair

Almost every bike needs a good tune-up. This business tends to be seasonal in many parts of the country, but you can find ways around that. If you have the space, you could offer to store people's bicycles during the winter after you do a tune-up and any needed repairs on them.

And if you keep Saturday shop hours, you could make your shop a meeting place for cycling enthusiasts. If you live in a bike-oriented place, you may be able to purchase and sell used bikes, making some money as a retailer on top of your repair business.

25. Boat Cleaning

Boats hauled out of the water for the winter or even just for mid-season repairs will need their hulls cleaned. Depending on the type of boat, it might also be time for a major cleaning of everything else—the decks, the sleeping quarters, the head and the holds.

Start by advertising on Nextdoor, Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, reaching out to homes with boats sitting in their yard, or marketing your services to a local marina.

26. Car Cleaning & Detailing

Making a car shine inside and out isn't easy work, which is why many people don't want to do it themselves. Plus, because drive-thru car washes don't clean every corner, there's a market for car cleaning and detailing across the country. With a little investment in materials (soaps, scrubs, hoses, vacuums, etc.), you could make house calls or rent a garage space where customers can drop off their vehicles.

27. Electronics Repair

Whether it's a laptop, a television, a tablet or a specialized radio, if you're handy with circuit boards, you could run a profitable business for customers whose electronics are on the fritz. You'll want to run the business out of your home or a storefront so people can bring equipment directly to you. Not unlike other repair shops, your business may evolve to the point where you're buying used electronics and selling them to your customers.

28. Furniture Restoration

If you have a knack for sewing and woodwork, upholstery and restoration might be a natural business idea. Many books and online videos can be helpful as you learn the trade, but nothing will be as helpful as finding some discarded furniture and tearing it apart before restuffing and constructing it.

Often, furniture in need of upholstering will also require repairs—sanding, staining, or reinforcing damaged areas. Much of this work is relatively minor (you don't have to be a carpenter) and can add significant upsell value to your services.

Read This: Spruce: A Step-by-Step Guide to Upholstery and Design by Amanda Brown | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

29. Rug Cleaning

Most people don't have the time or space to do more for their rugs than a basic vacuum. As a rug cleaner, you will need to learn how to work with all kinds of carpet fabrics, from synthetic to wool. You should also decide whether you will take on valuable antique rugs and family heirlooms. If you do, you should consider getting specialized training in handling and properly cleaning these carpets.

Learn how to get tough stains and odors out of carpets — such as dog and cat odors — and customers will seek your services out. You'll need a dedicated space for people to drop off their rugs, so plan for that as you set up your business.

30. Jewelry Making and Repair

There are many different ways of getting into the jewelry business and different types of materials you can work with. Manipulating metal will require specific tools since you need to heat the metal and use tools to cut and engrave, but you'll likely also work with glass, gemstones, and maybe even wood. The wider the variety of materials you can work with, , the broader the range of repair services you can provide to your customers, including stone polishing and setting.

Read This: Start Your Own Fashion Accessories Business by Entrepreneur Press and Eileen F. Sandlin | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

Property and Real Estate Business Ideas

31. real estate.

Every community needs trusted real estate agents. Whether your clients are buying or selling property — or just seeking real estate advice — there are many opportunities to launch your own business. But, first, you'll need to become a licensed agent, and the requirements vary by state. Typically, you'll have to complete coursework and pass an exam. Once you've done that, you can start offering services and building your business from scratch.

32. Property Management

Many people manage properties as a side hustle. Maybe you have a vacation home that you use for short-term rentals or perhaps you have an additional property with a long-term lease. If you want to dive in full-time, you can acquire multiple properties and be a full-time landlord. In the case of rental units, your job will be to make sure the property is running smoothly, ensure tenants are paying rent and honoring their lease terms, and be available in case of any issues. You can also contract with individual property owners to serve as their property manager, lightening their load by taking care of the landlord duties for them.

33. Cleaning Service

No experience needed

There are many directions you can take this small business idea. If you want to work during hours when no one else does, you can focus your cleaning business on office clients. You can provide cleaning services to retail businesses and keep your customers within one or two blocks. Restaurants need daily thorough cleaning and can also be a great source of steady clients. But, if you're more interested in house cleaning, you can start with a small number of clients, and new customers will likely emerge via word of mouth.

Read This: Start Your Own Cleaning Service by Entrepreneur Press and Jacquelyn Lynn | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

34. Professional Organizing

Spatial planning is not everyone's strength. If it's yours, you can make good money as a professional organizer for individuals and businesses. For individuals, you can choose either to do the organizing work — maybe a kids' playroom or a cluttered garage — or consult with the homeowner to help them better organize themselves.

Businesses, too, don't always know how to organize their office and maximize the efficiency of their spaces. You can consult on ways to better arrange furniture, desks, conference areas, stockrooms and more.

35. Home Inspection

To be a successful inspector, first establish contacts with real estate agents who can recommend your services to customers. Home inspection can be an incredibly competitive market so you will need to constantly update your education and knowledge. For instance, Builders are constantly introducing new materials. If you only know about wood decks, you will not know how to inspect and assess the new materials on the market, such as composites that look like real wood. Also, stay apprised of all safety updates regarding materials and problems with things like off-gassing, carbon monoxide production and other chemical hazards.

Read This: Start Your Own Home Inspection Service by Entrepreneur Press | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

36. Home Energy Auditing

Homeowners are always looking for ways to save on their utility bills. With some specialized training, you can help by conducting an audit of their homes and calculating how much they might save on heating, cooling and electrical use by implementing new technology or upgraded appliances.

To grow your business, you can work directly with vendors to refer upgrades or gain a certification and learn how to do electrical work like installing solar panels and heat pumps yourself.

Read This: Toward a Zero Energy Home: A Complete Guide to Energy Self-Sufficiency at Home by David Johnston and Scott Gibson | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

37. Interior Decorating and Design

If you have an eye for design, market your interior decorating talents to building contractors. People purchasing new homes can often be overwhelmed with choices and possibilities. Create questionnaires for each major element and room in the house:

• How will the homeowner use the home?
• Are there children?

Depending on how involved your client wants to be, you can also help them purchase furniture, art, plants and more. You can also work with businesses, such as hotels and restaurants, to design their spaces.

Planning, Training and Coaching Business Ideas

38. event planning.

There are a variety of ways to launch an event-planning business, particularly if you have a professional background in planning large gatherings. First, you'll want to hone in on your niche, some of which include:

• Private parties at people's homes
• Kids birthday parties
• Corporate events

If you work with businesses, you must visit every potential event location you plan to work with. Tour each site and learn what's available, including capacity, AV equipment, chairs and tables and more. If you can nail a big party as an event planner, new clients will seek you out.

Read This: Start Your Own Event Planning Business by The Staff at Entrepreneur Media and Cheryl Kimball | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

39. Wedding Planning

You will need to be up-to-date on wedding trends, dress styles, popular colors — and almost every other facet of the wedding industry. Offer your customers an à la carte menu of services, from helping them choose flowers, a wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses to picking the venue and hiring the caterer.

Before you open your business, visit area wedding shops and see what kinds of services they provide. Wedding planners need to know every business detail to assure couples that they are in the right hands.

40. Vacation Planning

Some people take great joy in planning their vacations. However, if you're an experienced traveler and know how to save people money, you can still be very much in demand as a vacation planner for individuals or large groups. You can coordinate hotel and flight bookings, arrange transportation, provide daily itineraries and help your clients re-book in case of unforeseen travel crises. There's typically no required certification for this work, but there are courses you can take that will put you and your clients at ease.

41. Private Coaching

Active children and adults alike often seek athletic instruction beyond what they've learned in group formats. If you're highly skilled in an athletic discipline, you can help take athletes to the next level.

Common business options include:

• Baseball pitching

In terms of qualifications, you should already have some coaching experience and be able to offer high-level instruction. Depending on the community where you're coaching, you may need to have a license to run your business or a certification to use public amenities, like tennis courts, for profit.

42. Personal Training

Many people are looking to improve their overall fitness, and working with a personal trainer is one way to achieve their goals. To get started, you'll need to obtain a certification — especially if you're working with a gym — which will help your clients trust that you know what you're doing and can help them avoid injury. You can advertise your business at gyms and other public places, and having a strong social media and web presence is always helpful.

43. Nutritional Advising

With so many different dieting trends and supplements in the world, a nutritionist can help people better understand the landscape of healthy eating and living. Although nutritionists don't offer medical nutritional counseling or treat illnesses (as a dietitian does), there is still a wide market for the work.

First, determine what kind of nutrition service you want to provide — pediatric, sports, holistic or something else — and then work toward credentialing. At a minimum, you'll need to research the laws for becoming certified in your state and begin taking prerequisite courses to help you become licensed.

44. Life Coaching

Life coaching has exploded in popularity over the past decade, as many people are looking to recreate or realign their personal goals. Life coaches do not provide clinical mental healthcare (a therapist does), but they help people create and use tools to move closer to their ultimate goals. To become a life coach, you'll first want to determine what kind of client you're looking for:

• People with professional hurdles to clear
• Folks struggling with romantic endeavors
• Busy entrepreneurs looking to reclaim work/life balance

You don't technically need certification, though many practitioners take courses and have credentials.

45. Career Coaching

Career coaches help people navigate professional transitions, establish business goals and make the most of their skills. As a career coach, you might help people write cover letters and resumes, find new opportunities, establish business plans and success strategies or hone their niche in a crowded market.

Your background and specialty will determine what clientele you should work with:

• Recent graduates
• People looking to start second careers
• Someone who has been out of the workforce for years

Although there is no standard license or certification, many career coaches have earned credentials or successful careers of their own.

46. Tutoring

If you have a background in education, you can make significant supplemental income — or launch a full-fledged business — by offering tutoring services. Start by choosing the subject area that best fits your strengths. For instance, if you're a professional writer or English teacher, you could offer essay writing help. If you're skilled in math and sciences, you could help high schoolers with algebra or precalculus.

You don't have to be a licensed teacher to offer tutoring services, but being a subject matter expert will make it easier to sell your services to potential customers.

Hospitality Business Ideas

47. private chef service.

If you have experience working in restaurants or other areas of the food and beverage industry, you could tap into the growing private chef market. Whether potential customers are looking to accommodate specific dietary needs or an intimate event with friends, a positive experience should lead to client testimonials and referrals to help you grow your business.

You'll want to make sure you have proper training — either via work experience or formal courses — because your reputation is on the line with every dish you create.

48. Bed and Breakfast / Airbnb

Do you have a room that has its own bathroom and is private from the rest of the living space? Or do you own a property that could function as a small lodging establishment near a tourist area, sports stadium or large venue? Maybe you own a charming home in the country. If so, turn your property into a bed and breakfast or Airbnb rental and welcome guests into a home away from home.

Read This: Start Your Own Bed and Breakfast by Entrepreneur Press and Cheryl Kimball | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

49. Catering

Are you experienced with managing large-scale food operations? Consider branching out into catering to serve large events like weddings and corporate banquets. You'll need to make sure you have strong project- and personnel-management skills, because catering requires you to lead a team and deliver exceptional service for clients. You'll also need to obtain the proper licensing from the state in which you operate, similar to the requirements for opening a restaurant.

50. Food Truck

Do you want to deliver a specific type of cuisine to the masses without running an entire restaurant? Build (or purchase) a food truck and take your product on the go. You'll have to obtain appropriate operating licenses, but once you've checked those boxes, you can start working at festivals, breweries and other community events. As your reputation grows, you'll likely book business by word-of-mouth.

51. Brewery

Have you always wanted to run your own brewery? Maybe you've already been experimenting with brewing at home.? If so, opening a brewery could be an option. But first, you'll want to pursue training in brewing sciences and work as an apprentice to someone who knows the craft well. From there, you'll need to conduct a competitive market analysis to make sure there's room for another brewery in your area.

Other Small Business Ideas

52. dog walking.

If you have a flexible schedule and can make multiple house calls, you can generate significant revenue as a dog walker. Dog walkers take pooches out for their daily constitutional one or more times a day, individually or in small groups.

In some cities, like New York, dog walking alone can be a booming business. But, it's more common for dog walkers to offer additional services, including playing with and feeding pets, bringing in newspapers and mail and turning lights on and off.

Read This: Start Your Own Pet Business and More by Entrepreneur Press and Eileen F. Sandlin | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

53. Pet Sitting or Boarding

Most people leave behind their pets when they travel. Although big daycare shelters exist, you can make decent money by offering a more personal pet-sitting service — either by staying at someone's house while they're out of town or by hosting their animal at your place.

Starting a pet-sitting service requires almost nothing in startup costs. Your list of credentials should probably include personal pet ownership — if not currently, at least in the past — and other pet-related experience, including referrals from pet owners whose pets you have taken care of before.

Read This: Start Your Own Pet Sitting Business and More by Entrepreneur Press and Cheryl Kimball | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

54. Pet Grooming

Most animals need a bath or fresh cut from time to time. Most pet owners aren't equipped to do a full grooming themselves. This means there's a target market for professional groomers who do house calls or have a space where people can drop their pets for a few hours.

There are no required certifications, but most groomers begin by taking courses, which are widely available in most states.

55. At-Home Daycare

Childcare needs continue to soar in the United States, and many people prefer for their child to be cared for in a home environment as opposed to a more institutional setting. These factors make the market ripe for a home-based childcare business. The regulations for a home-based child care vary by state, so you'll need to pursue appropriate certifications and training depending on where you live.

Read This: Start Your Own Child-Care Service by The Staff of Entrepreneur Media and Jacquelyn Lynn | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

56. Making Gift Baskets

Finding a niche is the best way to start out in the gift basket business. Are you a dog-lover, horse enthusiast or exercise guru who could put together baskets that hold the things that people with this interest would like?

Do you already create a product that a gift basket could be built around?

You could create custom, place-based gift baskets that could be shipped across the country or sold in a local store, or you can collaborate with local makers to get your business idea off the ground.

57. Hair Styling / Barber Shop

Styling hair or working as a barber is a popular business idea that can be lucrative if you have the right skills and online presence. Typically, a home-based hairstylist business or barber shop would be started by someone with a cosmetology career who wants to go out on their own. If you don't have experience, you can take courses and sharpen your skills by working in someone else's shop. You'll need to obtain the appropriate licenses before you can launch your own business.

58. Nail Technician

If you'd like to offer professional nail styling to clients, most states require that you complete cosmetology school — the number of hours varies depending on where you live. It can be smart to work with someone else before opening your own shop so you learn the skills and techniques you need to be successful.

Once you've completed these steps, you can run your own small business from home or a dedicated storefront.

59. Massage Therapist

Massage therapy can be a successful business, but you must have the proper education and training to not cause injury to your clients. At a minimum, you will want to become certified, which will help you practice safely and ultimately market your qualifications.

Certification courses cover not only human anatomy and physiology and the ways massage affects both, but also how to establish your own successful massage business.

60. Storage Facility

People tend to acquire more things than they can reasonably store in their homes. If you have land, you could make meaningful income by storing large items like recreational vehicles, boats, trailers and campers. Or, if you want to dive deeper into the self-storage business, you could consider opening a storage facility, which would require an increase in overhead costs, appropriate licensing and market analysis.

61. Independent Car Service / Ride-Sharing Driver

Driving experience needed

If you drive for companies like Uber and Lyft, you lose a percentage of your wage to the company. However, there are still market demands for private drivers. If you have a reliable vehicle — or can afford to manage a fleet and other drivers — you can cater to high-end clients not interested in using ride-share apps for their transportation needs.

Newer peer-to-peer car rental services like Turo (think Airbnb for cars) also allow potential business owners to rent out their vehicles to generate incremental income when not in use.

62. Online Reselling Business

Do you have items lurking around your household that you could sell? Or are you scouring Craigslist, eBay, Facebook Marketplace and thrift stores for deals on items you could flip?Here's a relatively straightforward online business idea: Auction or sell the items you find on one of online marketplaces.

Reselling products online can provide a major source of supplemental income, especially if you're willing to refurbish items and sell them at a higher rate. Anyone can get into this type of business as long as they're willing to hustle.

63. Interpreting or Translating Services

In communities with international populations, dependable interpreters and translators are extremely valuable. If you already speak multiple languages, you could earn extra income as an interpreter if you pursue a certification, which typically involves about 40 hours of training.

From there, you can determine what type of translation service clients you're seeking: business professionals, government officials, folks who need documents translated and more.

How to Get Started

Addressing these foundational "business checklist" elements early on can set a strong course for growth and operational efficiency for your entrepreneurial endeavor.

1. Create a Business Plan

Create a detailed business plan outlining your business goals, strategies for achieving them, market analysis, operational structure and financial projections. This document is crucial for guiding your strategy and securing business loans.

2. Decide on Legal Structure

Choose the appropriate legal structure for your business (e.g., sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership, corporation), and register your business according to local laws.

Your chosen business structure affects your taxes, liability and business operations, so consult an attorney and a certified accountant before finalizing your decision.

3. Keep Finances Separate

Set up a robust system for managing your finances, including budgeting, bookkeeping and financial forecasting. Consider your startup costs, ongoing expenses and how you will fund your business idea.

Keeping personal and business finances separate is also highly advisable.

• Open a business bank account and use it for all business-related transactions.
• Obtain a business credit card for company expenses.
• Pay yourself a salary from your business account, which then goes into your personal account, rather than directly using business funds for personal expenses.
• Keep all receipts and document all financial transactions meticulously.

4. Plan Operational Needs

Outline your business' operational needs, including staffing, location, equipment, technology and software needs. Consider how you will efficiently manage the production of goods or delivery of services.

5. Develop a Brand and Marketing Strategy

If through social media platforms, affiliate marketing or search engine optimization, consider how you will establish a strong brand identity and develop a marketing plan to reach your target audience.

This should include your branding elements (logo, color scheme) and your strategies for content creation, promotion and advertising.

6. Operate Within the Law

Ensure you know and comply with all relevant city and state laws, regulations and industry standards. This includes obtaining necessary licenses and permits, understanding labor laws if hiring employees and ensuring data protection and privacy.

7. Build a Support Network

Support networks can provide invaluable advice, feedback and connections. Build a network of mentors, advisors and fellow entrepreneurs.

This network might be close friends, former colleagues or paid mastermind groups.

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63 small business ideas to start in 2024.

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

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30 top small business ideas for 2024

Alison Kilian

Sierra Campbell

“Verified by an expert” means that this article has been thoroughly reviewed and evaluated for accuracy.

Published 4:53 p.m. UTC Feb. 9, 2024

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Morsa Images, Getty Images

Americans are increasingly eager to become small business owners, with startup registrations jumping since the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re thinking of starting a business, you aren’t alone. While entrepreneurship is exciting, it can also be nerve-wracking. Business owners may stress about everything from finding funding to running out of money.

Selecting a viable business model can help reduce such stressors by minimizing risk and improving the odds of lasting success. There are many ways to ensure there’s a market for your product or service, from analyzing the competition to interviewing your intended target audience.

If you’re eager to pursue entrepreneurship but aren’t sure where to start, we’ve done some of the grunt work for you. Below, we outline 30 business ideas that look promising for 2024.

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How to come up with a good business idea

What makes a business idea good , anyway? Plenty of successful innovators had concepts that were duds before striking it rich with a brilliant idea. Before he started Ford Motors, Henry Ford went bankrupt. Meanwhile, Thomas Edison and his team tested thousands of materials before developing the lightbulb based on carbon filament.

The key to a successful business idea is meeting a need that is currently unmet. This doesn’t mean that you have to develop a completely innovative service or product. You might just come up with an easier way to deliver an existing service or product. For example, consider how Amazon revolutionized online shopping and made it more convenient.

Catering to an unserved location can be another strategy for success. If a product or service is available in other markets but not your target market, you may have a winning concept. The way that bubble tea has spread across the globe is one (delicious!) example.

Cost improvements can also be a way to innovate. If you can offer an existing product or service at a lower rate, you may have an eager audience. For instance, one of the early selling points of Uber was that it was cheaper than traditional taxis (although that’s no longer always the case).

Last but not least, there’s the customer experience to consider. What if you can give people what they already want, but make it easier for them? Airbnb is one example, providing holiday housing (the demand was already there) in an easily accessible new format.

For a business to be profitable, it also helps if the concept requires minimal investment and overhead costs. When there’s less overhead eating away at earnings, profit margins can be larger. Online businesses can be a savvy move, for instance, since they don’t require the expense of commercial rent, which is on the rise. Businesses that don’t require pricey education, pricey inventory or a lot of staff can be profitable for the same reasons.

Ultimately, it all boils down to finding a niche and filling it , and then running the business as profitably as possible by keeping money coming in and minimizing the amount of money that’s going out.

Best small business ideas for 2024

1. cleaning service.

Cleaning has a low barrier to entry, with no special education required, plus a diverse demand, from offices to homes to gyms and beyond. The COVID-19 pandemic shook up the market, creating a spike in demand for cleaning services. It seems that the drive toward greater cleanliness inspired by the pandemic isn’t just a fleeting trend but is here to stay.

2. Lawn care provider

If you’d rather spend your time outdoors in the fresh air than cooped up in an office or home, lawn care services are worth a look. Like cleaning, lawn care is something that both business and private consumers need. Similarly, there’s no need for an expensive college degree or a pricey office space. You just need to start with some basic lawn care tools.

3. Handyman

Like cleaning and lawn care, handyman services are something that a lot of people need. The job outlook for this profession is steady and projected to grow at a rate of 4% through 2032, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Getting started is easier than ever with platforms like TaskRabbit and Thumbtack to advertise your services. You’ll need some basic tools to begin.

4. E-commerce shop

E-commerce is another industry that boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic and has remained resilient. E-commerce revenue is anticipated to reach some $3.6 billion in 2024. There are many types of e-commerce stores you can set up, from reselling items you salvage from thrift stores to hawking your own handcrafted goods.

5. Freelance Coder

In our increasingly digital-first world, coding is more important than ever. From websites to apps, the everyday tools people use rely on coding professionals. Online work-for-hire platforms like Upwork and Fiverr have simplified entry into the field, giving you a readymade marketplace to advertise your services.

6. Web development agency

If you’re looking for career security, look no further. The field for web developers is anticipated to grow much faster than average, according to the BLS, with growth of 16% expected through 2032. You can start out as a solopreneur and, if you’re feeling ambitious, scale up and establish your own agency.

7. Digital marketing agency

With everyone online these days, digital marketing is becoming an in-demand service. It covers everything from search engine optimization (SEO) to brand management. With your own digital marketing agency, you can help brands and businesses stand out in the crowded online space. We recommend harnessing new artificial intelligence (AI) tools to stand out.

8. Freelance social media manager

If managing a full-blown digital marketing agency sounds daunting, you might niche down and focus on social media only. Social media marketing is among the most in-demand digital marketing skills. With experts suggesting that a social media marketing strategy is no longer a “nice to have” but a must-have, demand for social media whizzkids should be strong.

9. Graphic design services

Graphic designers are in demand and can earn upwards of $100 per hour. The need for great graphic design isn’t surprising when you consider all the possibilities, from designing web pages to restaurant menus, business cards, logos, book covers and beyond. With affordable online courses for graphic design, you don’t even have to pay for art school. 

10. Photographer/videographer

If you like working in the visual arts but don’t love graphic design, why not start a photography or videography business instead? Again, the plethora of online courses available means you can teach yourself. Plus, you don’t need much to get started beyond a camera. From wedding photography to family portraits, there are a lot of styles to explore.

11. Freelance writer

While there has been some concern that AI may replace writers, it’s more likely that modern technologies will simply change the way writers work, not annihilate them completely ( here’s why ). There are many types of writing jobs available, including social media writing to SEO writing, technical writing and ghostwriting.

12. Resume writer

Every job-hunter needs to write their resume and update it regularly. Resume writers help them do just that. Demand for resume writing is expected to increase through 2027, making this one interesting niche for writers.

13. Editing services

In the face of AI, editing is another uniquely promising business idea. Odds are that people will need human editors to review AI content. Like writing, editing is a job you can do pretty much anywhere, and it requires minimal investment. All you really need is a laptop.

14. Translation/interpreting services

Offering a unique service is one way to pave the path toward business success. If you have language skills, this could be your ticket to entrepreneurship. Translation and/or interpreting services cover an array of fields, including literature, technical documentation, finance and healthcare.

15. Child care provider

If the thought of sitting solo behind your laptop makes you lonely, there are plenty of business opportunities that require in-person contact. Child care is one example. Depending on where you live, you may be able to run a childcare center out of your own home. A lack of adequate childcare services across the country means the demand is there.

16. Senior homecare services

Senior home care is a wonderful alternative to childcare if you aren’t big on kids. While home health nurses need special training and licensing, there are other types of senior care services with a lower barrier to entry, such as cooking, cleaning and simply providing companionship. Given America’s aging population, the need for such services will likely increase.

17. Personal training

Personal training is another business idea that allows for plenty of personal interaction. Depending on the type of training you offer, you can work with people in person or online. The virtual fitness market took off during the pandemic and remains popular.

18. Pet care/grooming

If you’d rather work with four-legged friends than humans, a pet care or grooming business may be your perfect fit. American pet owners spent some $136.8 billion on their pets in 2022 alone, so catering to Fido and Fluffy may be lucrative. This is another business model that doesn’t require an expensive education or a lot of fancy equipment or supplies. The most important thing? A love of animals.

19. Pet sitting/house sitting

Pet sitting is another way to get in some time with a four-legged friend and can be especially appealing if you don’t have a pet yourself. Alternatively, you could set up a house-sitting business (or offer both). You don’t need any fancy credentials or technology. You just have to establish yourself as trustworthy and reliable. Platforms like Trusted Housesitters are one way to connect with potential customers.

20. Online tutoring

Here’s another online business that doesn’t require much investment beyond a computer with a good webcam and a subscription to Zoom or similar. You can tailor your tutoring service to your skillset. For example, if you have a degree in math, offer math tutoring. Beyond subject tutoring, there are also options like writing assistance or group tutoring.

21. Bookkeeping

Unlike accounting, you don’t need any special qualifications or licenses to become a freelance bookkeeper. If you’ve got a knack for numbers, consider this option. You can work remotely, helping small business owners stay on top of their invoicing, expenses and quarterly bookkeeping.

22. Personal assistant services

If you’re well-organized, responsive and detail-oriented, you might consider offering virtual personal assistant services. The virtual PA market is growing and is expected to continue its upward trajectory. Again, like most of the business ideas on this list, there is a low barrier to entry. You don’t need an expensive education or equipment, just a computer.

23. Data entry provider

Data entry professionals are needed in all kinds of industries, from employment services to the accounting, technology and education sectors. Although some people may prefer to hire someone with at least a high school diploma or GED, you don’t need much more than that to get started.

24. Alteration/sewing services

You might be surprised to learn that global demand for tailoring and alteration services is on the rise. Experts speculate that an increased focus on sustainability among consumers is making people eager to maintain the clothes they already own. Similar to cleaning, lawn care or handyman services, the equipment investment is minimal. Get a sewing machine, and you’re good to go!

25. Professional organizer

Marie Kondo sparked a passion for organizing, which the pandemic furthered, thanks to everyone being stuck at home. All those soothing social media videos of immaculately organized kitchens, bathrooms and closets may also be fueling the trend toward more orderly homes. If you have a passion for organizing, this unique business niche may be for you.

26. Coaching

The coaching field is diverse, including everything from leadership development to holistic health, mental health and life coaching. In most cases, a formal credential isn’t required. If you find fulfillment in seeing other people thrive, coaching could be for you. Plus, it can be done online, giving you a wide target audience.

27. Consulting

Consulting can be a savvy business model if you’ve already gained expertise in a specific field. Similar to coaching, the consulting field offers a vast array of specialties, like management, human resources, strategy, financial and operations consulting. Whatever your area of expertise is, that’s where to focus.

28. Event planner

Birthdays, retirement parties, graduations, anniversaries, weddings – the types of events and reasons people celebrate are plentiful. If you set yourself up as an event planner, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to explore. You don’t need a specific degree, training or equipment to get started and can build a portfolio by planning events for family and friends.

29. Travel planning

Are you one of those people who’s always on a plane? Do your friends come to you for travel tips? Is your camera roll full of vacation photos? If so, travel planning could be a niche worth exploring. Business travel planning may be especially in demand in the year ahead, with corporate travel having picked back up since the COVID-19 pandemic ground it to a halt.

30. Food truck owner

If you’re a foodie, you may have big dreams of owning your own restaurant. Unfortunately, restaurants can be expensive, as you have to pay for commercial rent, staffing and more. Plus, the failure rate is high. 

A food truck is a cost-efficient alternative. This gives you a chance to test out your culinary chops and start building a legion of loyal fans. If it’s a success, you can always open a full-fledged restaurant later.

Small business startup considerations

If you’ve decided on your dream startup idea, congratulations! You’re one step closer to becoming your own boss as a thriving entrepreneur. Of course, it requires more than a great idea to get a business up and running. Here are some essential steps you’ll want to take, plus some resources to help you:

• Decide on a business structure. Possible business structures include a sole proprietorship, limited liability company (LLC) or corporation . Different business structures have different requirements for setup, tax reporting and administrative upkeep. The Small Business Administration (SBA) also has a comprehensive guide to different types of business structures. We recommend consulting a business attorney to determine the best option for you.
• Register your business with the state. Depending on the type of business model you select, you may need to register it with your state, establishing it as a distinct legal entity. Every state has its own requirements for business registration, so check with the relevant body to see what’s needed in your jurisdiction. This will likely be the Secretary of State’s office, Attorney General’s office, State Business Bureau or a similar statewide business agency.
• Pick a business name. When you formally register your business with the state, you’ll need to designate a business name. Most states require that the name be unique from other business names already operating in the state. There are also practical considerations, like making sure the name is catchy. Our guide to naming a business can help you get it right .
• Research business licenses and permits. Depending on the type of business you operate, you may need business licenses or permits from your state or local agencies. Examples of businesses that may require permits range from accounting firms to bakeries, gyms, pest control providers and woodworking pros (to name just a few)! Learn more about the importance of licenses and permits.
• Write an operating agreement. An operating agreement details how your business is structured and run. You may be required to draft an operating agreement or it may be optional for your business structure in your state. Even if it isn’t mandatory, it’s usually a smart idea to draft one, as it can help protect your personal liability and clarify verbal business agreements. Get the facts about operating agreements.
• Get an employer identification number (EIN). Even if your business is starting as a one-person show, odds are that you want to expand and, eventually, hire staff. To do so, you’ll need an EIN. This is a unique identifier for your business, which you’ll use on your tax paperwork. We explain why it matters in our EIN guide . You can get your EIN for free from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Learn more about what it takes to start a business from our how-to guide on the topic .

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Profitable business ideas include consulting, bookkeeping, e-commerce, cleaning services and online tutoring. One thing these business models have in common is that they have low overhead and startup costs. 

You don’t need to invest in expensive equipment, pay commercial rent or get a degree to start a cleaning service, for instance. Lower overhead cost means more of the money you earn is left over, which translates to bigger profit margins.

The best way to determine if an LLC or corporation is right for you is to consult a small business attorney. An LLC is a popular model for small business owners because it offers personal liability protection while still providing a streamlined tax structure. However, LLCs have drawbacks, such as not allowing for the issuance of shares (something a corporation allows for).

In addition to traditional bank business loans, many organizations help finance small businesses, including the SBA and the Department of Agriculture . Other options for funding a small business include crowdfunding, grants, private investors and venture capital firms. Check out these innovative ways to get money for your business.

Possible ways to grow a business include adding products or services, expanding your marketing to reach new customers or simply selling more to your existing customers. It’s also important to scale for growth, for example, by hiring more staff as needed. Learn more about growing a small business faster.

Whether or not you need a business license and the type of license you may need will depend on your business type and location. Different states have different requirements for business licensing and permitting. The types of businesses that require licenses range from realtors to child care.

Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Blueprint has an advertiser disclosure policy . The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Blueprint editorial staff alone. Blueprint adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.

Alison Kilian has been working as a journalist and ghostwriter for over ten years. She has written for internationally recognized publications and brands, including Forbes Books, ABC News, U.S. News & World Report, and Axel Springer Media.

Sierra Campbell is a small business editor for USA Today Blueprint. She specializes in writing, editing and fact-checking content centered around helping businesses. She has worked as a digital content and show producer for several local TV stations, an editor for U.S. News & World Report and a freelance writer and editor for many companies. Sierra prides herself in delivering accurate and up-to-date information to readers. Her expertise includes credit card processing companies, e-commerce platforms, payroll software, accounting software and virtual private networks (VPNs). She also owns Editing by Sierra, where she offers editing services to writers of all backgrounds, including self-published and traditionally published authors.

How to start a small business: A step-by-step guide

Business Eric Rosenberg

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58 Profitable Small Business Ideas in the United States in 2024

• December 31, 2023
• by Editorial Team

Do you want to start a business in the United States of America? If yes, you are in the right place. Here in this article, we list down the most profitable business ideas in the USA that can be started with little money.

However, choosing the right business opportunity is most critical wherever you decide to do business . Here we have compiled trending and profitable small business ideas you can start with less money in the United States of America.

The fulcrum of US culture is the American Dream. Americans believe that every individual can succeed and prosper financially by working hard. This belief contributes to a strong work ethic and a system that is merit-based.

American business culture is also characterized by a heavy emphasis on individual initiative and achievement. Personal competence, professionalism, and accountability for individual performance are highly appreciated.

Broadly, there are three ways to start a small business in the United States. They are starting a business from scratch, buying a franchise, or buying an existing business. Let’s have a look at our recommended list of best small business opportunities in the United States that can be started by investing little money:

58 Small Business Ideas in the USA

1. become a transcriber.

According to research conducted by the international marketing research firm MarketsandMarkets, the speech recognition industry is expected to reach $12 billion by the end of 2022. The job of a transcriber is to convert an audio file into a text document. If you are interested to become a professional transcriber, check our detailed article on How to Become A Transcriptionist and make money.

2. Cleaning Services

With a wide growing market, the cleaning service business can be segregated into two different markets. One is domestic or household and another is commercial or office cleaning. This is definite that you will be paid higher by your commercial clients. You can start this business from your home location and on a part-time basis also.

3. Become a Life Coach

There are many individuals who love to share pains and provide counseling to other people. If you are the one having a similar attitude and are passionate about helping people, becoming a life coach is a rewarding business.

Read :   How to Start a Life Coach Business

Full-time work engagement of parents has turned the daycare service into a profitable business. You can start small from your home location and then gradually grow into a commercial business. In the United States, you must have a proper license and permission from the Government Authority to start your own day service business.

5. Fitness Center 

The Fitness center business demands careful planning and research. It is an industry that continues to be lucrative for small businesses and entrepreneurs globally. The fitness center industry will hardly see a recession ever, and an individual having knowledge and experience in the fitness center industry can initiate this business with a little capital investment in the USA.

6. Mobile Food Truck

The mobile food truck business opportunity in nature is different from a normal restaurant in two major ways. One is you are moving and you don’t have a retail location. The second is you are going to the customers. A person having minimum experience in the food service industry can initiate this venture in the city area.

7. Freelancing

Freelancing has a great business opportunity for people who are looking to work on a part-time basis. If you have expertise and skill in a specific subject, with so many opportunities available in the United States of America to work on, you can start freelancing today with whatever you are good at.

8. Handyman Service 

The handyman service industry is generally provided services to the house owner and commercial clients. This business is emerging and highly profitable.

Some of the popular handyman service business ideas are air conditioning service, aluminum door & window making and repairing, antique furniture refurbishing, appliance repair service, blind cleaning, basement remodeling, cabinet making, etc.

9. Home Appliances Renting

Home appliance renting is a new trending business that can be started in any metro city where people generally relocate for their professional requirements.

It’s an innovative and lucrative business model for startup entrepreneurs in the United States of America where you can simply rent out different home appliances including furniture and electronic equipment for monthly rent.

10. Image Consulting

The image consulting business is about providing advice to your clients about beauty makeovers, clothing fitness, color basics, and instructions.

You will help your clients how they can enhance their self-confidence which helps them to look and act their best professionally. Image consulting is a self-rewarding and exciting career to start with.

11. Jewelry Making

Increasing awareness of fashion and style has made jewelry making an immensely potential business opportunity for entrepreneurs in the USA. A person having a creative mind, knowledge about current fashion trends, and a passion for jewelry can start a jewelry-making business.

12. Landscaping

A landscape expert is someone who has enough knowledge about landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes site analysis, site inventory, land planning, planting design, grading, stormwater management, sustainable design, construction specification, and ensuring that all plans meet the current building codes and local and federal ordinances.

13. Marketing Copy Writing

If you can plan and build creative online campaigns and content for your clients— you can have a successful marketing copywriting business in the United States of America. You will have to create social media campaigns, apps, mobile contests, videos, email distribution, search engine optimization, online media ad buys — or a mix of all of the above.

14. Mobile Salon

Mobile salon businesses provide services to people who just can not make time in their busy schedules to allow themselves the luxury of salon service, especially when they work full-time or in old age. A person having interest and training in beauty and cosmetology could provide this service where he/she bringing the salon service to a person’s home or any desired location like an office, hotel, or hospital.

15. Online Selling

If you are an expert with any specific product, you can start online selling the business from your home. You can source that finished product from the manufacturer and can sell these products from your own website or from other online marketplaces.

16. Party Service

A party service business is one of the most profitable opportunities one can start with some basic management and marketing skills. The party service business is in high demand in the USA, where you can also offer services of food & beverages, catering, flower arrangement, decoration, sitting arrangement, photography, DJ, etc.

17. Sell Personalized Products

If you are someone who can create personalized products, you might consider starting a personalized product business. It includes candle making, specialty soap making, specialty cake making, crocheting, glass etching, scrapbook making, gift basket, etc.

18. Property Management

If you live in a location that attracts so many absentee property owners, you can start a property management business of your own. Your main responsibility will be keeping watch and taking care of those properties when the owners are not there. Apart from maintenance, you will need to take care of the different property taxes that need to be deposited on time.

19. Recycling Pickup

Recycling pickup is one of the most profitable small business opportunities in the United States. In your product category, you can include any type of recyclable items right from e-waste to any junk. You can start this business with wholly recyclable products or with a specific niche.

20. Smart Phone Repairing

As the smartphone market is increasing rapidly worldwide, it creates a huge opportunity in starting a smartphone repair business. This business is quite easy to start. You will need to have proper skills and expertise.

21. Finance Consulting

Finance consulting includes various different finance-related services. Having proper expertise and knowledge, any individual can start this business home-based also. In the USA, it includes insurance, investment planning, tax consulting, bookkeeping, business consulting, collection agency, expense reduction analysis, and a lot more.

22. Translation Service 

The translation is fast becoming a highly potential web-based business offering opportunities for making money online. With ever-increasing net connectivity and globalization, knowing and understanding other languages have become extremely vital in keeping pace with the speed of society.

23. Upholstering

If you have proper skills, knowledge, and experience in furniture and upholstery management, you may start this business part-time also. In this business, your customer can come from both two sectors; residential and commercial. Proper pricing and marketing strategy are important in this business.

24. Wedding Consulting 

Wedding consulting or wedding planning business may come naturally to someone who is organized and focuses on details. In the last decade, the need for professional wedding consultants has grown exponentially. Today, people are often too busy juggling the demands of their professional and personal lives to oversee the details necessary to create the wedding of their dreams.

25. Woodworking

Wooden craft-making business can be initiated from home. Different innovative boxes, spoons, candle stands, bookshelves, sitting arrangements, home decor items, toys, photo frames, jewelry, cutting boards, and so many other products can be made like wooden crafts. Wooden craft making is one of the most trending and profitable small business opportunities in the United States.

26. Graphic Designing Company

Ads, logos, fillers, and different sorts of graphics are always in high demand. Companies generally tend to outsource and work on a contractual basis with graphic design companies. If you can have your small setup, you can start as a creative graphic designing agency at a minimal cost.

27. Social Media Consultancy

Businesses now happen over the internet, and companies look for such firms who can handle their social media channels while they can focus on their business. You can set up your own social media consultancy with very less investment to outsource your service.

28. Marketing & Promotional Services

Often small companies look for such firms who can help them with their promotional activities. If you think you can get creative with how people market and promote, there’s gold hidden in this marketing service industry.

29. E-commerce Store

Instead of a physical store, it’s always better to start with an e-commerce store . This gives you a more wide audience and requires a very small investment. You can start with a niche product and grow gradually in the market.

30. Writing Services

Companies look for creative writing agencies that will help them with their writing needs. The services are basically contract-based jobs, and you can line up your clients to deliver some quality writing by successfully establishing your writing business .

31. Computer Training Centre

The growing market of AI, ML, and coding has again pushed back the focus on computer training. You can open a center and hire a few professionals to teach computers and train them. This requires a small investment but works really well in the long term.

32. Property Management Services

As a property manager, you are going to make sure that the properties owned by your clients are satisfied. You will act as a middleman carrying out all the responsibilities and making sure that the properties are safe and are being well-maintained.

33. Event Management Company

Event hosting and managing events is a growing business in the USA and you can offer your services in your area and surrounding places. Start small, and start investing as you grow and make more money.

34. Currency Trading Agency

Currency trading does need some experience, and even if you don’t know much, there are free tutorial videos and courses available offering easy guidelines on how you can become a currency trader and start your own agency.

35. Tutoring Services

If you are good at something, it’s high time that you start teaching that to someone else. There are a lot of apps available where you can find who needs such services around you or your area, and you can start your tutoring business .

36. Printing Business

If you can print at a low cost, you can rapidly grow your business. This will require some investment, but even if you can print something on your own and work as a contractor for other companies, the printing business is a money-spinner.

37. Organic Farming Business

With more people opting for organic farm fresh food primarily due to health reasons, the market for organic products is growing at a rapid rate. The organic farm business requires a small investment, but you can sell these products at high margins.

38. Shipping Business

The business may require some sort of investment, but it’s one of the most successful industries with the least failure rates. The shipping business mainly involves creating a proper network of distribution channels and delivery zones.

39. Investment Firm

If you are someone who keeps a track of the market and knows what’s happening around finance, the private equity business is one of the most lucrative businesses. With growing investors and a wide range of direct funds, investment firms are now a big hit among both equity companies and customers.

40. Crypto Trading Agency

As more people are moving into the business of cryptocurrency and its trade, bitcoins are now the hottest investment option for most investors. The future is bright, and crypto trading agencies will outperform other investment firms soon.

41. Catering Business

Catering service will provide you an opportunity to get access to a commercial kitchen and have your own team of servers and some assistant cooks to start. The catering business requires a small investment and the overhead costs are also much more manageable.

42. Restaurant Business

Starting a small restaurant requires a little investment, and the market has a lot of scopes. The restaurant business is one of the most lucrative businesses, but you will have to work hard to gain customers. An established restaurant chain is going to be a money-spinner for you in long term.

43. Digital Marketing Agency

As more companies are going digital, everyone is in need of a good digital marketing agency that will help them to establish their online market. You can start a successful digital marketing agency with very less investment.

44. Elderly Care Facilities

The elderly population in the USA is growing at an apparent rate and there’s a huge market for good elderly care facilities. The business idea has a lot of scope, and you can hire staff to offer such services at affordable rates.

45. API Management Firm

The API helps companies to get access to their data from their platforms. As an API management firm, you will help companies to manage their data and integrate it with APIs. Google has different APIs where you can pull data.

46. Website Development Firm

The growing age of the internet has opened up a huge market for website development companies. Learn a few skills online for free and start as a freelancer. If you see you are getting good at it, set up your own facility, and market, and hire other designers for a full-fledged business.

47. Wedding Planner

The wedding planning business will require skills like party planning, event coordination, and hospitality. If you have good organizational and communication skills, you can start your own wedding planner business at a very nominal cost.

48. Custom Baking Business

If you are someone who can bake well or a good cake designer, you can start your own custom bakery business. You can even work out of a non-commercial home kitchen, but you will have to meet the health requirements.

49. Pet Grooming Services

Time has crunched up for people and pet owners now need pet groomers to visit their homes to offer pet grooming services. With a small investment, you can start your own pet-grooming facility mobile service to clients.

50. Accounting Services

The demand for accounting or bookkeeping services may have slowed down in the past few years, but good accounting service providers are still hired by companies to do their balance sheets or are called to audit their trading accounts and accounting records.

51. Health Care Consulting

Healthcare consulting requires proper knowledge and certification in health care. This is a highly profitable business and you can operate this business from home or from any commercial place also. To start your business in the USA, you need to obtain a federal tax identification number, also known as an “EIN.”

52. Adventure Tourism

Adventure tourism is perfect for those who are aspiring entrepreneurs and avid lovers of outdoor tourism, and with so many exotic locations in the United States of America, one can turn this into a profit-making venture. This type of tourism activity generally takes place in strange, exotic locations where thrill-seeking travelers always expect unexpected happenings.

53. Tree Service

There is a good demand for tree service experts in the United States. The primary job in this business is to install or remove trees on behalf of property owners. Other services that are provided are tree pruning and trimming. If you have some experience in the tree care industry, this business can fetch you good returns.

54. Greenhouse Business

Greenhouse business owners generally sell products related to gardening and landscaping.  It can be plants, seeds, flowers, vegetables, and many more. Both homeowners and business owners can be your buyers.

55. Hydroponics Store

The use of hydroponics is a new way of growing plants. This method does not require soil to cultivate. As a hydroponic store owner, you will be selling different types of hydroponic equipment and related supplies to customers.

56. Pet Care

For the last few years, the number of pet owners is growing in the USA. If you love pets, starting a pet-related business can fetch you good returns. some of the pet care businesses you can start are as follows;

• Pet Sitting
• Pet Breeding
• Dog Walking

57. Create Online Courses

Since the pandemic, the demand for online education has grown exponentially in the United States of America. If you are an expert on a specific subject, consider creating online courses for students. You can sell those courses on online education platforms like Udemy, Coursera, Teachable, etc.

58. Buy a Franchise

Franchise business opportunities in the United States of America continue to grow as the franchising model of business has turned into a powerful economic growth driver.

Read:   Best Franchise Opportunities Under $50k

As per a report from Statista, there were around 792,000 franchise establishments in the United States in the year 2022 contributing roughly economic output of $827 billion. Furthermore, the total number of employees working employees under franchise businesses was almost totaling almost 8.5 million.

Industry sectors like Personal Care, Maintenance, Pet Care, and Quick-service Restaurants are dominating the franchise opportunities in the United States of America

These are the selected business opportunities you can consider starting in the United States of America. Find the one which fits you most and start your business right now.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which business is fast growing in the usa.

The 5 major fastest-growing industries in the United States are Energy, Security, Commercial Banking, Insurance, and Real Estate.

What services are in high demand in the USA?

The top in-demand services in the United States are accounting, tax advice, business consulting, legal advice, and web development.

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Table of Contents

If you are thinking about starting a business , you should be considering whether your idea fills a need in the way people live their lives and approach their work. If you can identify an unmet need and a target market, then you might just have a business idea with legs. But how can you come up with a good small business idea in the first place? This list of business ideas includes 26 great types of business to help you find success.

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26 great small business ideas

This list of 26 great business ideas will help you get started on your entrepreneurial journey. Note that many of the ideas below only require you to have a credit card processing partner to get started, so you can keep upfront expenses relatively low.

Read on for some inspiration into the many types of businesses that could launch you to success.

1. Online reselling

If you’re interested in clothing and sales, you might consider starting an online reseller business . Although it takes time, dedication and an eye for fashion, you can start your business as a side hustle and turn it into a full-time resale business. You could start by using online store websites like Poshmark and Mercari to sell your unwanted clothing and items, then expand to your own resale website.

Consider shopping estate sales and flea markets for hidden finds at a low cost and then listing them for a profit online. You may be able to collect a substantial inventory of items that are in good shape for very little overhead if you’re diligent enough and search the right places.

2. Pet sitting

About 70% of U.S. families have a pet . When these families go away for extended periods, your pet-sitting small business can give them peace of mind. As a pet sitter, you’ll watch over your clients’ dogs, cats or other pets at their house. As part of the job, you’ll need to feed them, give them water, play with them, and (with dogs) walk them as needed. To help keep clients satisfied, you’ll need to regularly update them on how their pets are doing.

If you have other sources of income that require nothing more than an internet connection and a laptop, pet sitting may be an especially apt small business idea. Almost all pet owners will be glad to let you work on your laptop while you spend time at their home with their pets, meaning that you can run two income streams simultaneously.

3. T-shirt printing

If you have a sense of fashion (or humor), you might enjoy launching a T-shirt printing business. You can also license someone else’s designs and screenprint them onto a blank tee. Either way, if you have space for a T-shirt printing setup, you can easily acquire the necessary tools to get started.

4. Cleaning service

If you like to clean, you can easily turn that into a business. With a few staff members, a host of cleaning supplies and transportation, you can offer cleaning services to homeowners, apartment complexes and commercial properties. Most cleaning services charge $25 to $50 per hour. Cleaning services are straightforward businesses that require relatively little overhead; you simply need planning, dedication and marketing to attract customers.

If you’re looking to differentiate yourself from other cleaning services, consider adding premium options like floor waxing or exterior power-washing for an additional fee. These services could be the deciding factor between your new cleaning service and seasoned companies that maintain too large a client list to provide that level of cleaning.

5. Online teaching

The demand for online education has opened up possibilities for entrepreneurs. Since this is an online venture, you can choose any subject you know about and teach a course regardless of location. If you don’t have advanced knowledge in any particular subject, consider teaching English as a foreign language online to students overseas.

6. Online bookkeeping

As with education, technology allows many bookkeeping services to be performed online. If you are an accountant or bookkeeper who wants the freedom and autonomy of running your own business, take advantage of modern technology to start your own online bookkeeping service.

7. Consulting

If you are knowledgeable and passionate about a specific topic (like business, social media, marketing, human resources, leadership or communication), consulting can be a lucrative option. You can start a consulting business on your own, then grow your business and hire other consultants over time.

8. Medical courier service

If you have a reliable vehicle and good time management skills, consider creating your own courier service – more specifically, a medical courier service. As a driver, you would be responsible for transporting medical items like lab specimens, prescription drugs and equipment. You could start your courier business on your own or hire other drivers to work for you.

9. App development

If you are knowledgeable and experienced in technology, you may want to consider a career in app development. Smartphones are an everyday accessory for many Americans that has increased the demand for mobile apps. Similarly, virtual reality software has become popular in recent years, so there is also a demand for VR app development. 

10. Transcription service

If you have a good ear and can type quickly, a transcription service would allow you to work from home with a flexible schedule. Medical transcription services are especially needed as voice recognition technology proliferates for healthcare provider dictation. 

You can accept as few or as many transcription jobs as you’d like. This flexibility can be especially beneficial if you’re not looking to start all at once or if you have a day job you would like to keep for now. To boost your business prospects and justify charging more, consider becoming a certified transcriptionist and delving into a few specialties.

Medical transcriptionists typically charge 6 to 14 cents per line of transcription, which adds up quickly. The typical turnaround time for transcription work is 24 hours, so it’s important to stay on top of the jobs you accept. However, the ability to accept only a few requests at first means you can scale up as you are ready. Best of all, there is very little startup cost and overhead. You only need a computer, the appropriate software and a secure messaging service.

11. Professional organizing

Looking for a small business idea that can really spark joy? Professional organizers, like Marie Kondo, help people declutter and minimize for a living. In an age of materialism, many people are desperate to downsize and take control over their possessions. Minimalism is becoming extremely popular, but people often find it hard to part with things they’ve owned for a long time. Part of being a professional organizer is helping clients develop a system for downsizing.

If you’re a highly organized person who enjoys making spaces functional and comfortable, you might be good at coaching others to do the same. People will pay you to help them devise a method of minimizing their possessions and maintaining an organized space. To promote your business, ask if your clients will let you take before-and-after photos of the areas of their homes you’ve organized. If so, you can use those to create a portfolio that you can put on social media to attract more clients.

12. Freelance copywriting or content writing

If you’re a natural wordsmith with a bit of marketing knowledge, you can establish yourself as a freelance copywriter or content writer. Whether you write blogs, web content or press releases, plenty of companies will pay for your services. Increase your value by using SEO knowledge to help clients craft a strategy around specific keywords that their target audience is already using in their online searches.

Freelance copywriting is a great business to run because as long as you have an internet connection, you can work. It’s a business that you can operate from the comfort of your own home or even from the road if you travel. If you establish a large enough network and gain referrals from satisfied clients, you could even make freelance writing your full-time job .

13. Home care service

A background in care and hospitality can go a long way to support housebound seniors who require in-home care. It’s also a service for which demand is only going to grow. According to the Population Reference Bureau, between 2020 and 2060, the 85-and-over population is projected to triple from 6.7 million to 19 million. The global number of centenarians (those over age 100) has already reached nearly 600,000. Many will need care and assistance, often in their own homes.

Luckily, you don’t need a background in healthcare to help seniors and grow a successful business at the same time, although those skills will be in demand as well. Many seniors need help with all kinds of tasks, like errands or repairs around the house. With some experience, you could consider growing your business to help seniors transition from their homes to assisted living facilities, offering services such as packing, transporting, setting up, or storing their furniture and possessions.

14. Translation service

According to research from IBISWorld, the translation services industry saw a decline in 2020, as did many industries; however, IBISWorld forecasts a “major uptick” for the industry over the next five years. That projected growth isn’t surprising, as the internet has opened up entrepreneurs in other countries to English-speaking markets, and vice versa.

This trend has created an opening for multilingual speakers to offer specific services, such as document translation and the translation of website information into languages for use in other markets. If you’re fluent in multiple languages, you could be successful in carving out a niche in the translation services industry.

15. Digital marketing

The importance of the internet grows with every passing day, but it also becomes harder for businesses to cut through the online clutter and properly market themselves. Digital marketing services are always in demand. Yet, many small and midsize companies would rather outsource them than establish a costly in-house team. If you have chops in SEO, content marketing, pay-per-click advertising, web development or social media management, you could seize a business opportunity that allows you the freedom to work from home.

Digital marketing is an important part of any brand, so you’ll need to respond to developments in your clients’ marketing strategies. Social media management entails watching for comments and messages around the clock, not just scheduling posts with a set-it-and-forget-it mindset. If you enjoy strategizing and implementing marketing plans meticulously, digital marketing could be the right business for you. You may also consider becoming an affiliate marketer, which is another form of digital marketing.

16. Owning a food truck

Food trucks come in all shapes and sizes, serving up a wide range of snacks and cuisines. Take your favorite style of food on the road, and sell your culinary passions directly to hungry customers. Sure, you’ll be working, but you’ll be in a space you’re passionate about, with a chance to connect to people who have similar interests. 

Starting a food truck is a great small business idea for entrepreneurs with a taste for the culinary. The overhead and upkeep for a truck is significantly less than for a restaurant, and you have the added benefit of mobility. [Check out our recommendations for POS systems for your food truck.]

17. Lawn care service

If you grew up with a lawn, chances are your parents made you maintain it. For many, lawn care is bothersome, but for some it offers a sense of peace and serenity. Working outdoors with your hands to tame and beautify the natural landscape can be a rewarding experience, but since so many people find the work tedious, it can also be profitable.

Lawn care services require little more than some basic equipment, a trailer and perhaps some staff, depending on how many clients you have and how big the jobs are. You can grow a small lawn care service into a full landscaping company by offering premium services and establishing a reputation as a brand that does a thorough job with a smile. If you like working outdoors and creating elegant landscapes, this could be the business for you.

18. Rideshare driving

If starting your own business seems daunting or too much of a risk, you can always use your car to become a rideshare driver. The overhead and responsibility of running the company fall on the rideshare service, giving you the freedom to work as much or as little as you want. Rideshare applications such as Uber and Lyft allow people to start side hustles that pay well and require little more than a willingness to drive people to their destinations and make occasional friendly conversation.

Rideshare drivers have the independence of a small business owner without the heavy workload required to manage behind-the-scenes logistics. If any of the other business ideas seem to require too much effort or upfront capital, ridesharing might be the way to dip your toe into the world of entrepreneurship.

19. Real estate

For many people, navigating the housing market is overwhelming. As a real estate agent, you can help people find their dream home at a price that fits their budget. In many states, you only need to complete a few months of classes and pass an exam to qualify as a real estate agent. Keep in mind that even with a certification, you’ll need strong social skills, so if you’re not a people person, this might not be the route for you. [Read related article: How to Become a Real Estate Agent ]

20. Graphic design

Corporations, small businesses and sole proprietors all need eye-catching promotional materials, but not everybody has an eye for what looks good. If you have an artistic streak and know how to organize content into a visually pleasing format, start a graphic design business to provide flyers, digital ads, posters and other engaging visual materials. Graphic design requires few physical tools beyond a laptop and a desk.

21. Dropshipping

Not all companies that sell goods store them on-site. In drop-shipping, people who run e-commerce sites go to a third party to fulfill all orders. The third party is likely a wholesale retailer or other entity that runs a warehouse and shipping operation. The minimal inventory and tools needed for drop-shipping make it an especially great startup idea if you’re worried about overhead costs and physical space.

22. Personal training

If the gym is like your second home, you might want to share some of your expertise and help others reach their fitness goals. As a personal trainer, you can offer in-home training sessions that cater to each of your clients’ exercise capabilities. You can also help clients build customized nutrition and meal plans so their diets complement their physical goals.

Many personal trainers start their client acquisition process with social media pages that detail their experience in the gym along with some motivational quotes. While a certification can help expand your customer base, you aren’t legally required to have any specialized training to start this type of business.

23. Resume writing

People are always applying for jobs, whether they want to make a career shift, increase their pay or switch work environments. Of course, most job applications require candidates to submit resumes to detail their professional background. As a resume writer, you can help job applicants’ resumes stand out from their competition.

You’ll also help your clients create cover letters and portfolios that show off the best of their work. Plus, you don’t need any special schooling to be a resume writer – just some basic organizing and proofreading skills. If you know what makes resumes appear professional and ready for employers’ eyes, you’re already off to a great start.

24. Host a podcast

Podcasts have become extremely popular, with more than 100 million active podcast listeners in the U.S. alone. Best of all, you can start a podcast on any topic that interests you, from business to history to pop culture and more. Starting a podcast requires consistency and dedication, as well as a basic understanding of audio editing (and video editing if you want to start a companion YouTube channel for subscribers to follow).

Once your podcast has built up a substantial following, you can sell time to advertisers or establish partnerships with companies that generate revenue. As your brand expands further, you may even be able to charge to speak at events or moderate panels on topics your podcast focuses on. Of course, in order to get to that level, you need to come up with a unique small business idea that you’re passionate and knowledgeable about, and then make sure you can relate to your target audience . 

25. Launch a newsletter

If podcasts aren’t your thing but you like the idea behind building a robust list of subscribers and then selling space to advertisers and partners, consider creating an email newsletter. More than 90% of Americans subscribe to email newsletters . This means if you can capture the attention of a particular audience, you could build a substantial following and monetize it. 

To do so, come up with an umbrella topic you can write about at length, and then work to establish a brand voice and mission. Explore the best email marketing software that can help you manage your subscriber list and email sends, and then you’re ready to get started. Solicit feedback from your audience over time to give them more of what they want and less of what they don’t. After all, their continued engagement with your newsletter is what will help you build it into a successful business. 

26. Event catering

Do you have a passion for the culinary arts? If so, event catering may be a great business idea for you. There’s no shortage of people who need delicious food to serve their guests, whether that’s at parties, weddings, fundraisers, or family reunions. If you have a knack for cooking or baking and love to serve hungry guests, event catering could be a fun and lucrative way to do just that.

To get started, you’ll need to set up a menu and price sheet, as well as obtain all necessary permits and licenses. Start small to get the word out about your catering service, but when your food speaks for itself don’t be surprised if your business grows by leaps and bounds through word of mouth alone.

What are the most successful small businesses?

Small businesses that involve website design, a subset of digital marketing, are among those that make the most sales and bring in the most profit. People learn about businesses on the internet more often than via other avenues, so finding clients and a steady income stream isn’t as difficult. Cleaning services and real estate businesses also have high success rates, which makes sense – all people need homes, and they prefer them to be clean.

What would be a good small business to start?

If you want to maximize your profit while minimizing your workload, try any of the small business ideas that most frequently prove successful. However, if you’re more interested in pursuing your passions while earning enough money to live, start a small business that fulfills you, requires you to use your skills and offers you a good work-life balance . There are so many great business ideas – and you know better than anyone what small business ideas will bring you happiness, success and stability.

How can I start my own business with no money?

You don’t need money to become a small business owner. The first step in starting a business with no money is to keep your current job and launch your small business as a side pursuit at first. Then, develop your business plan and analyze your consumer base, market and potential challenges. 

Near the final stages of planning, you’ll better understand how much money you need to make your business a full-time job. You can find this money through crowdfunding platforms and investors . Consider taking out a business loan only as a last resort.

You should also work with reliable professionals, including an attorney and an accountant. Most of the businesses on this list require particular permits or licenses, and legal counsel can help you make sure you do it all by the book. Meanwhile, an accountant is critical for managing finances properly, especially in the early days when you’re still establishing your revenue stream. While these professionals represent an upfront cost, they’re well worth it and can help you build a healthy business.

How do I start a small business from home?

Home-based businesses tend to be the most convenient and manageable ones. That said, not all great business ideas are suited for home offices, so make sure your business can be conducted from home – jobs with on-site needs and heavy in-person demands might not be suitable. In your business plan and budget, incorporate any office supplies and tools that make your online business ideas feasible, such as a separate business computer, a suitable desk, high-speed internet, filing cabinets and a business website.

What makes for a good work-from-home small business idea?

A good work-from-home small business idea boasts the following traits:

• Minimal inventory and supplies: Presumably, your home isn’t a mansion (yet), and you have only so much space in which to store inventory and supplies. That means lawn care service is probably a no-go if you’re looking to work from home. The same might be true for T-shirt printing if you don’t have space to store your prints. Copywriting and graphic design, on the other hand, require little more than a laptop and a working internet connection, and you probably already have those.
• Low startup costs : A viable work-from-home business shouldn’t cost much to launch. With minimal storage space, it’s not like you can pile up raw materials and inventory. You might need to buy some software or obtain licensure for certain small business ideas, but your financial obstacles should be few and far between.
• Computer-based, online work: Many of the above small business ideas require the use of a computer with an internet connection. Drop-shipping, digital marketing and translation are all great examples. An exception to the rule is pet- sitting if you watch over pets at your house rather than the owner’s home. Then, all you need is a pair of watchful eyes and open ears. You can even do computer-based work while watching the pets.
• Flexible schedule: Traditional office jobs often demand a rigid 9-to-5 schedule from employees. This schedule can feel less important to adhere to if you’re working from home , especially when you’re your own boss. As such, the best work-from-home small business ideas allow for a flexible schedule. If you do your best app development work at 3 a.m., who’s to stop you?
• Modest collaboration needs: Although remote team collaboration is easy to achieve, working from home goes more smoothly when you’re almost fully independent. A small business in which you answer to just a handful of clients and one or two colleagues (if any) leads to greater independence. Then you can truly work on your own terms and see your small business idea through to full fruition.

What is the step-by-step process for starting a business?

Starting a business takes work, but with the right tools and guidelines, your company will be up and running in no time. Although your specific business journey will be unique to you, we identified a few steps that entrepreneurs can take to start their businesses.

• Choose a business idea and find your niche
• Analyze the current market
• Create a business plan
• Assess your finances and raise money as needed
• Determine your legal business structure
• Register your business with the government and IRS
• Choose the appropriate business insurance policies
• Hire employees and build your team
• Choose your vendors
• Market and advertise your business

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21 Unique Business Ideas for 2024

March 22, 2024

Unique business ideas across sectors and industries are waiting to be discovered. These businesses might cater to niche markets, invent and sell new products, or offer a traditional service in a new way.

Finding the right unique business idea can be a balancing act. You want to be different enough to stand out from the crowd, but not so different that there’s no market for your product or service. We’ll discuss the unique small business ideas that hit that sweet spot.

Top 21 Unique Business Ideas 2024

Unique service business ideas, unique cleaning business ideas, unique business ideas for small towns, unique online business ideas, unique business ideas for students, unique brick-and-mortar shop ideas, unique business ideas from home, unique business development ideas, finding the right unique small business idea.

• Dog walking business
• Fingerprinting business
• Personal chef
• Remote cleaning business
• Ewaste collection and recycling
• Window cleaning business
• Flower shop
• Mobile veterinary services
• Specialty food store
• Virtual interior designer
• Online bakery
• Voiceover business
• Transcription business
• Pet sitting services
• AI book business
• Axe throwing business
• Sensory deprivation tank business
• Drone photography
• Furniture restoration business
• Custom treehouse business

You’ll find more information on each of these small business ideas, along with more unusual business ideas, in the article below.

1. Dog Walking

• Average Annual Revenue: $34K+ • Average Profit Margins: 16% • Startup Costs: $500-$5K • Time to Revenue: 3+ months • Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.7% • Best For: Animal lovers and experts, pet owners, people who like working outdoors

High demand puts a dog walking business among the best small business ideas for animal lovers to start in 2024. As of 2023, 65.1 million households in the U.S. own at least one dog, and many of those need help taking care of them. That’s a lot of potential customers for your new business venture.

Another plus of dog walking is the potentially low startup costs compared to other businesses. You can set up a profile on a site like Rover and start providing services locally right away with a very small budget.

2. Fingerprinting

• Average Annual Revenue: $132K+ • Average Profit Margins: 9.1% • Startup Costs: $500-$250K • Time to Revenue: 6-18 months • Annual Market Growth Rate: -0.6% • Best For: People with high professionalism, a commitment to security, and strong organization skills and attention to detail

Fingerprinting is another unique business idea with a potentially low initial investment.

These services have a broader customer base than many people realize, from criminal investigations to employment background checks and security clearances. If you’re able to attract customers and are skilled at providing customer service, fingerprinting can be a very lucrative business.

Dan Jurkowitsch is an expert in this unique niche market. He teaches people how to use this business model to start successful businesses. Hear his advice in this podcast interview:

3. Personal Chef Services

• Average Annual Revenue: $129K • Average Profit Margins: 51.7% • Startup Costs: $500-$5K • Time to Revenue: 1-6 months • Annual Market Growth Rate: 0.9% • Best For: Culinary experts like chefs, cooks, and bakers with strong customer service skills

Being a personal chef is a great business idea for chefs who want to avoid the stress and high startup costs of food trucks and restaurants.

Since you work one-on-one with customers, it’s much less hectic and demanding, and you won’t need a brick-and-mortar space.

Connecting with your target audience is often the trickiest part of starting a personal chef business. Having an online presence for your business, including a website and a strong social media following, can be the best way to grow small businesses in this niche.

You can even expand this online presence into another revenue stream by offering online courses in cooking techniques or connecting your chef services to an online store selling ingredients or cooking supplies.

4. Remote Cleaning

• Average Annual Revenue: $74K+ • Average Profit Margins: 6.7% • Startup Costs: $500-$30K • Time to Revenue: 1-6 months • Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.2% • Best For: System-driven and organized entrepreneurs who are tech-savvy with strong digital marketing skills

Offering cleaning services may not be a unique business idea on its own, but it is when you run that company completely remotely. You can set up an online booking system, hire remote team members, and run a cleaning business without ever setting foot in a customer’s home.

Neel Parekh launched his cleaning company, MaidThis, in 2013. Today, it brings in an average revenue of $166,000 per month using a 100% remote business model. Learn how Neel started and grew this unique business idea in the interview below:

5. E-Waste Collection and Recycling

• Average Annual Revenue: $5.7M+ • Average Profit Margins: 2.9% • Startup Costs: $100K-$3.5M • Time to Revenue: 6-18 months • Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.9% • Best For: People who like physical work, entrepreneurs passionate about sustainability and the environment

Electronic waste, also known as e-waste, has been a growing problem over the past decade. Roughly 6.9 million tons are generated in the United States alone each year, of which only about 17% is properly recycled. Part of the problem is that many people don’t know how to properly dispose of electronics or lack services in their area to do so.

This makes an e-waste recycling service both a unique business idea with potentially high demand and a much-needed service to safeguard our natural resources.

This is another unique small business idea that could be done remotely. Kyle Landwehr started a junk removal business and has turned those systems into six-figure remote trash hauling businesses through the Junk Academy. Find out more in this podcast interview:

6. Window Cleaning

• Average Annual Revenue: $64K • Average Profit Margins: 8.8% • Startup Costs: $200-$5K • Time to Revenue: 3+ months • Annual Market Growth Rate: 0.9% • Best For: Detail-oriented and hands-on entrepreneurs who excel at customer service

One way to stand out with a cleaning services business is to focus on a niche. Window cleaning can be an extremely profitable option because it’s a relatively untapped niche with a potentially wide customer base.

Both residential and commercial customers have a need for window cleaning services. This is also something many people can’t do themselves, particularly for multi-story buildings.

On The Spot Window Cleaning has grown to a $45,000-a-month business since its founding in 1998. Learn how owner Jeremiah Hickey started and grew this small business idea in his podcast interview:

7. Flower Shop

• Average Annual Revenue: $262K+ • Average Profit Margins: 5.4% • Startup Costs: $100,000-$3.5M • Time to Revenue: 6-18 months • Annual Market Growth Rate: 2.8% • Best For: Gardeners, florists, and other plant care professionals, creative entrepreneurs with a green thumb

A flower shop is among the best small-town business ideas. People everywhere love getting beautiful, sweet-smelling flower arrangements as a gift, but smaller towns often don’t have local businesses that provide the service.

Small business owners in the floral niche also have several options to add revenue streams. For example, you could sell herbs, potted plants, seeds, bulbs, and gardening supplies. You can also expand your customer base by selling edible flowers to local restaurants or partnering with other small businesses in the gift niche.

It doesn’t take much experience or business savvy to start a flower business. Dylan Capshaw started a flower business online when he was only 16. He’s since expanded it into a unique business, Stemistry, that combines a flower shop with a cafe. Hear his story in this podcast interview:

8. Mobile Veterinary Services

• Average Annual Revenue: $72K • Average Profit Margins: 11.5% • Startup Costs: $1K-$100K • Time to Revenue: 6-18 months • Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.1% • Best For: Veterinarians, dog breeders and trainers, and other animal care experts

Being a veterinarian isn’t necessarily a unique business in its own right, but it is once you put it on wheels!

This is an innovative business idea for a small town or rural area. Pet owners in lower-population areas often have to travel a long distance to access vet care. Mobile services go to them, making transactions more lucrative because you’re giving customers much-needed convenience.

Granted, this unique business idea isn’t for everyone. You’ll need extensive training in animal healthcare. For those who already have this training, though, a mobile business model can be a great way to start a successful business venture.

9. Specialty Food Store

• Average Annual Revenue: $9.3M+ • Average Profit Margins: 1.8% • Startup Costs: $100K-$3.5M • Time to Revenue: 6-18 months • Annual Market Growth Rate: 0.8% • Best For: Foodies, cooks, and food service professionals with strong organization and inventory management skills

People who live in small towns still enjoy unique food, but it can be hard to come by outside of large cities. This is why a specialty food store is an excellent small business idea for small-town entrepreneurs.

Successful business owners in the specialty food niche need to be responsive to customer demands. The key is to find out what items are missing from your local markets and fill that gap.

Communicating with locals, both in person and through social media, is a great way to predict which specialty foods will fly off the shelf in your town.

10. Virtual Interior Design

• Average Annual Revenue: $168K+ • Average Profit Margins: 10.6% • Startup Costs: $1K-$100K • Time to Revenue: 1-3 months • Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.2% • Best For: Designers, artists, and creative entrepreneurs, real estate industry and home staging professionals

The expansion of virtual tools has created lots of opportunities for unusual business ideas, one being virtual interior design. Designers in this niche use virtual design software to make furnishing and decoration recommendations completely remotely.

Having a website and a strong social media presence is crucial for success as a virtual designer. You can demonstrate your authority and aesthetic with an online portfolio, virtual design workshops, or online courses that teach interior design basics.

11. Online Bakery Business

• Average Annual Revenue: $1.52M • Average Profit Margins: 5.4% • Startup Costs: $100-$3M • Time to Revenue: 1-6 months • Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.1% • Best For: Cooks, bakers, and food experts who are system-driven, organized, and tech-literate

Similar to a cupcake food truck business or bakery catering service, an online bakery business can be a great way to profit from your baking skills without the expense of a brick-and-mortar space.

Instead of buying products at a bakery, customers order their baked goods through an online interface and then get products delivered, either through the mail or local delivery.

Along with lower expenses, this mode allows the business owner to work at their own pace. It’s also easier to control inventory when you’re preparing baked goods to order rather than trying to anticipate the demands of hungry customers.

12. Voiceover Business

• Average Annual Revenue: $73K+ • Average Profit Margins: 3.7% • Startup Costs: $100-$500 • Time to Revenue: 1-3 months • Annual Market Growth Rate: 9.12% • Best For: Actors, singers, and performers who are patient, detail-focused, and excel at time management

If you’ve ever been told that you have a great voice for radio, then a voiceover business should be on your list of top small business ideas.

Voiceover artists take on a range of assignments, from voicing characters in cartoons and video games to reading audiobooks or content for apps like GPS systems. The main skills you’ll need are a clear speaking voice and the ability to read from a script.

The easiest way to start an online business in voice acting is to sign up for a freelance platform focused on the craft. Snap Recordings , Filmless , and Voice123 are among the most popular sites for building a career in this industry.

13. Transcription Business

• Average Annual Revenue: $25K+ • Average Profit Margins: 9% • Startup Costs: $0-$5K • Time to Revenue: 1-3 months • Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.9% • Best For: Good listeners with fast typing skills

Students need a business with low startup costs—and it doesn’t get any lower than 0. While some new transcription business owners pay for advertising to attract customers, you can start for free by taking jobs through sites like TranscribeMe or Rev .

If you can type at a speed of at least 60 words per minute, transcription can be a good business idea. You can also find free and low-cost software to make the job easier. Typically, transcriptionists work at their own pace, so this is also an easy business to schedule around your classes and other activities.

14. Pet Sitting Services

• Average Annual Revenue: $34K+ • Average Profit Margins: 16% • Startup Costs: $500-$5K • Time to Revenue: 3+ months • Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.7% • Best For: Animal lovers, pet owners, people who are patient, organized, and great communicators

Many students need to fit their small business ideas around studying and homework time. This is what can make pet sitting a perfect fit. While you’ll need to feed and care for the animals, a lot of your work is just keeping an eye on them—basically, you can get paid for hanging out with cats and dogs.

Building your client base can be the tricky part of getting started in this niche business. Many small business owners in the pet sitting niche build a client list through websites like Rover , Wag! , and PetSitter . You can also connect with clients through social media sites like Nextdoor.

15. AI Book Business

• Average Annual Revenue: Unknown • Average Profit Margins: 23.3% • Startup Costs: $500-$5K • Time to Revenue: 1-3 months • Annual Market Growth Rate: 7.80% • Best For: Strong editors with knowledge of generative AI and digital marketing skills

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has opened up a host of new business ideas. Using AI to generate books is one way to leverage this new technology into a lucrative business opportunity.

The key to success with an AI book business is knowing how to identify your target audience and market to them effectively. That’s how Joe Popelas made over $1M in his first year selling AI-generated books. Hear his story and advice in this podcast interview:

16. Axe Throwing Business

• Average Annual Revenue: $454K • Average Profit Margins: 9.91% • Startup Costs: $100K-$3.5M • Time to Revenue: 6-18 months • Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.9% • Best For: Outgoing and fun-loving entrepreneurs with strong system-building and marketing skills

If you want to provide your area with a unique entertainment option, starting an axe-throwing establishment can be both a very fun and an extremely profitable business opportunity. Originating in Canada, this is a relatively new industry that’s skyrocketed in popularity over the past decade.

Along with charging customers for axe-throwing sessions, you can expand your revenue streams by hosting tournaments, selling memberships, or having an on-site shop that sells refreshments and merchandise.

17. Sensory Deprivation Tank Business

• Average Annual Revenue: $1.1M+ • Average Profit Margins: 12.07% • Startup Costs: $100K-$3.5M • Time to Revenue: 6-18 months • Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.1% • Best For: Wellness-oriented entrepreneurs with strong customer service and marketing skills

First developed in the 1950s, sensory deprivation tanks (also known as flotation tanks or isolation tanks) have seen substantial growth in popularity in recent years. They can help people unplug from the distractions of modern life, so it’s no surprise that so many of them have popped up across the United States since 2020.

Ryan Duey’s transformative experience in a float tank led him to open his own flotation therapy spa, Capitol Floats. He’s since built on that business by making and selling his own cold plunge tanks and sensory deprivation tanks. Hear how he built his business in this podcast interview:

18. Cat Cafe

• Average Annual Revenue: $865K+ • Average Profit Margins: 5.8% • Startup Cost: $1K-$100K • Time to Revenue: 3+ months • Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.2% • Best For: Animal lovers, baristas and food service professionals

Some of the top unique businesses are twists on old classics. Cat cafes are one example of this, putting a new spin on the classic coffee shop.

Connecting with other businesses is a critical first step to opening a cat cafe. Primarily, you’ll need an animal partner that can provide well-socialized cats for guests to interact with (and adopt, if they fall in love with a floof during their visit).

Cat cafes can set up multiple revenue streams to increase their odds of success. This can include selling merchandise and pet-friendly snacks in addition to the typical cafe offerings. They can also charge an entrance fee for the cat space.

19. Drone Photography and Videography

• Average Annual Revenue: $50K • Average Profit Margins: 7.3% • Startup Costs: $1K-$10K • Time to Revenue: 1-6 months • Annual Market Growth Rate: 0.3% • Best For: Photographers and visual artists, tech-literate and creative entrepreneurs

Drone photography is a relatively new industry, and that’s part of what makes it a good small business idea. While the market for photography services can be crowded, most photographers can’t take overhead shots. Offering that unique service can help a new small business owner stand out in their local market.

This niche business in the photography industry is often in high demand as a B2B business. For instance, real estate industry professionals use drone photography to sell their properties, while advertising professionals use it in commercials and other marketing materials.

Mile High Productions built a strong customer base of real estate agents, earning an average revenue of $35,000 a month. Learn how it grew in this YouTube interview:

20. Furniture Restoration and Flipping

• Average Annual Revenue: $111K+ • Average Profit Margins: 1.9% • Startup Costs: $100K-$3.5M • Time to Revenue: 6-18 months • Annual Market Growth Rate: 6.55% • Best For: Woodworkers, interior designers, creative entrepreneurs who like working with their hands

Furniture restoration is among the best home business ideas for makers, tinkerers, and other hands-on entrepreneurs. It lets you make a living from breathing new life into old things, which makes it sustainable and eco-friendly, as well.

The best business plan for a furniture restoration business often includes multiple services. You can restore pieces for clients or buy, fix up, and flip old furniture you find at thrift stores, flea markets, and antique stores.

Jennifer Beck started in furniture retail sales, then built on her passion for restoration into her own business with Saved By Design. Learn how she got started in this podcast interview:

21. Custom Treehouse Business

• Average Annual Revenue: $696K+ • Average Profit Margins: 3.4% • Startup Costs: $1K-$100K • Time to Revenue: 1-6 months • Annual Market Growth Rate: -1.3% • Best For: Carpenters, designers, and construction professionals with strong customer service and communication skills

Treehouses aren’t just for kids anymore. From unique Airbnbs to fun home offices and entertainment spaces, there are a variety of reasons people add custom treehouses to their properties.

You don’t have to only build treehouses, either. Often, business owners in this niche market build other backyard spaces for customers, like decks and sheds.

Anthony and Jamie Taylor-Weber and started their innovative business, Outdoor Office, from their home garage. Now, it brings in a revenue of $1.2M a year. See how they did it in this YouTube interview:

Having a unique business concept doesn’t need to mean you’re inventing a completely new thing from scratch. Here are some tips on ways to turn any concept into a unique business idea.

Take Your Business on the Road

Convenience is king in the modern world. Taking your product or service straight to customers can give you a definite leg up on your competition.

Mobile vet services are one example of this, and you can apply the concept to just about any niche. From food trucks to mobile clothing boutiques or hair salons, there’s a way to take just about any type of business on the road.

This approach has benefits for business owners as well as customers. It often costs less to start, for one thing, and has lower overhead expenses compared to brick-and-mortar shops. It also makes any type of business super-scalable—just buy another truck for the fleet, and you’ve effectively doubled your capacity.

Combine Compatible Ideas in New Ways

One of the businesses referenced above is Stemistry, a combination flower shop and coffee shop. By bringing these concepts together, Dylan Capshaw expanded his revenue streams and target audience.

A cat cafe is another example of this. People love cafes, and they love playing with pets—so why not put the two together into one place?

You can take the same approach with other business ideas. This can be a way to put a new spin on a familiar concept, or it can add profitability to a new idea that may take a while to gain traction otherwise.

Share Independent Research and Education Resources

You might think that teaching other people about your industry is counterproductive for growing business revenue. After all, if your customers know how to do things themselves, why would they pay you?

But think about it: most people know how to clean a home, but cleaning businesses are still very profitable.

Providing educational resources, like online courses, white papers, infographics, or how-to videos, establishes your authority in your industry. You can also use these as an additional revenue stream or as marketing materials to attract new customers.

This list of unusual business ideas certainly isn’t comprehensive. There are unique business ideas not yet implemented in every industry. Now it’s time for you to go out and find the right one for you.

What is your favorite unique business idea? Let us know in the comments!

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How to start online business from home

How to market an online business, which online business idea will you choose, the 4 most profitable online business ideas, #1. affiliate marketing.

• Average Annual Revenue: $60K-$160K
• Average Profit Margins: 8%
• Startup Cost: $500-$2K
• Time To Revenue: 1-3 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 10.5%
• Best for: Bloggers, YouTubers, those with a large social media presence

Affiliate Marketing Pros:

• Low startup costs and time investment
• No need to store or manage inventory
• Potential for a mostly-passive income
• Wide range of niches you can match to your interests
• Profit from recommending products and services you like and use

Cons of Affiliate Marketing:

• Need to reach a large audience to see significant profits
• The niche is considered to be dishonest because many people suggest the product that pays them the most

#2. Create an Online Course 

• Average Annual Revenue: $234K
• Average Profit Margins: 5.8%
• Startup Cost: $150-$1K
• Time To Revenue: 3-12 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.1%
• Best for: People with unique or in-demand skills

Online Course Pros:

• High profit margins and potential revenue
• Can be mostly passive once the online course is live
• Doesn’t cost much to get started
• No need for technical or specialized skills

Online Course Cons:

• High up-front time investment before you can start making revenue
• Lots of competition can make it a challenge to get customers

#3. Start a Blog, Podcast, or YouTube Channel

• Average Annual Revenue: $712K/employee
• Average Profit Margins: 14.6%
• Startup Cost: $100-$200
• Time To Revenue: 1 month to 3 years
• Annual Market Growth Rate: -1.5%
• Best for: Content creators, people with unique, in-demand, or niche interests and knowledge 

Pros of Starting a Blog, Podcast, or YouTube Channel:

• Very low start-up expenses
• No specialized skill or knowledge required
• Works well with other online business ideas
• Can work anytime and from anywhere

Cons of Starting a Blog, Podcast, or YouTube Channel:

• High initial time investment with no guarantee of a return
• Can take a while to build into a profitable venture

#4. Clothing eCommerce Business

• Average Annual Revenue: $147K/employee
• Average Profit Margins: 3.3%
• Startup Cost: $2K-$10K
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 3.4%
• Best for: Entrepreneurs with an interest in fashion

Pros of a Clothing eCommerce Business:

• High potential for repeat customers
• Can be a source of passive income
• Easy to scale with high revenue potential

Cons of a Clothing eCommerce Business:

• Will need to store, manage, and ship inventory
• Trend-driven industry

Brandon's Picks: 3 Reliable Business Ideas

• Software Developers ( 9.3% of GDP )
• Marketing ( 20% of GDP )
• Web Design ( 23% Expected Growth through 2031)

#5. Software Development

• Average Annual Revenue: $400K-$1M+
• Average Profit Margins: 14.5%
• Startup Cost: $100-$50K, depending on size and scope
• Time To Revenue: 3 months to 2 years
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 3.1%
• Best for: Programmers, developers, and software engineers

Development Pros:

• Low investment at startup
• Lucrative business with potential for passive income
• High demand and growth potential
• Easily scalable
• Don’t need programming skills if you use no-code/low-code platforms

Development Cons:

• Requires a lot of time invested before you start making revenue
• Low code tools make people think software development is easy

#6. Digital Marketing

• Average Annual Revenue: $817K  
• Average Profit Margins: 6.9%
• Startup Cost: $1,800-$16K
• Time To Revenue: 1-6 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.3%
• Best for: Entrepreneurs skilled in social media, marketing strategies, data analysis, and similar areas 

Digital Marketing Pros:

• Relatively low startup costs
• High average profit margins
• Easy to scale and automate
• Great way to leverage social media expertise to become your own boss

Digital Marketing Cons:

• Can take a while to build a reputation and attract clients
• The tools are constantly changing
• Industry is time-sensitive and you need to keep up with trends

#7. Web Design and Web Development

• Average Annual Revenue: $239K+
• Average Profit Margins: 5.3%
• Startup Cost: $100-$1K
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.4%
• Best for: Designers, programmers, or anyone with website-building skills 

Design and Development Pros:

• Affordable and quick to get started
• High demand
• Easy to scale by growing into an agency
• Can be started and run from home by a solopreneur
• Required skills can be learned for free online

Design and Development Cons:

• Fast pace of change can make it tricky to keep up with the latest trends
• Can take a while to build a reputation and secure clients

#8. eBay Reselling

• Average Annual Revenue: $60K-$120K
• Average Profit Margins: 5-15%
• Time To Revenue: 30-90 days
• Annual Market Growth Rate: -9.3% (Based on eBay annual reports)
• Best for: Thrifters and collectors

Pros of Selling on eBay:

• No specialized skills or knowledge needed
• Easy and affordable to start
• Can be run from home by a solo entrepreneur
• Platform comes with a built-in audience of potential customers

Cons of Becoming an eBay Seller:

• Will need a space for your back inventory
• No guarantee the items you buy will turn a profit

#9. Voiceover Business

• Average Annual Revenue: $50K-$110K
• Average Profit Margins: 19.8%
• Startup Cost: $3K-$5K
• Time To Revenue: 1-6 months 
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 0.7%
• Best for: Strong readers and performers

Pros of Becoming a Voiceover Artist:

• Can be a full-time business or a side-hustle
• Easy to do from home with a flexible schedule
• Low money and time investment to start
• Get paid to contribute to creative projects 

Cons of Offering Voiceover Services:

• Will need to invest in a high-quality microphone and recording equipment 
• You might not get credited as the voice of Siri

#10. Online Tutoring Business

• Average Annual Revenue: $30K-$50K
• Average Profit Margins: 13.1%
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 8.5% 
• Best for: Educators, experts in a particular skill or knowledge area

Pros of Becoming an Online Tutor:

• Low startup costs
• Help others learn while you make income
• Easy to start and run from home
• Doesn’t require inventory or equipment
• Full control over when and how much you work

Cons of Starting an Online Tutoring Business:

• Lower income potential than other online business options
• Can be tricky to find students as an independent online tutor

#11. Dropshipping

• Average Annual Revenue: $36K-$50K
• Average Profit Margins: 5%
• Startup Cost: $150-$500
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 25%
• Best for: Those with marketing and eCommerce skills

Pros of Dropshipping Businesses:

• Low startup costs and upfront time investment
• No need to manage inventory 
• Potential to be a mostly passive income stream
• Flexible schedule and low ongoing time commitment

Cons of Drop Shipping Businesses:

• Need strong marketing skills to find and land customers
• Per-product cost is often higher than when you buy and store

#12. Become a Virtual Assistant

• Average Annual Revenue: $35K-$50K
• Average Profit Margins: 10.5%
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.9%
• Best for: Detail-oriented people, those with administrative, clerical, or similar experience
• One of the cheapest online business ideas to start
• No specialized skills required
• Doesn’t require equipment or inventory
• Great for a small online home business
• Lower earning potential than other online business ideas 
• Competition with overseas talent

#13. Translation

• Average Annual Revenue: $75K-$200K
• Average Profit Margins: 12.4%
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 1.2%
• Best for: People who speak more than one language

Pros of Offering Translation Services:

• Minimal startup costs and setup time
• High demand with lots of work available
• Work on your own schedule from home
• No need to create or promote your own content

Cons of Offering Translation Services:

• Requires fluency in multiple languages to succeed
• Regional dialects may vary

#14. Writing and Content Creation

• Best for: Creative entrepreneurs with strong communication skills

Pros of Writing (Not To Be Mistaken with Prose):

• Work on your own schedule from anywhere
• Only need a word processor and internet connection to start
• Straightforward and simple business model
• Can choose the topics and type of writing you like to do

Cons of Being a Writer:

• Crowded field with a lot of competition
• Writer's block
• You don’t always get to pick your topics

#15. Photography

• Average Annual Revenue: $50K
• Average Profit Margins: 7.3%
• Startup Cost: $1K-$10K
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 0 .3%
• Best for: Visual artists and other creative entrepreneurs

Pros of Becoming a Photographer:

• Flexible job you can do from anywhere
• Quick to get started 
• You choose when and how much you work
• Great online business idea for visual artists and designers

Cons of Photography:

• Equipment can be costly to get and maintain
• Low barrier of entry
• This is a low-growth field, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ideas for online store businesses

#16. handmade products ecommerce business .

• Average Annual Revenue: $50K-$100K
• Average Profit Margins: 15%
• Annual Market Growth Rate: unknown
• Best for: Crafty and artistic entrepreneurs

Pros of Opening a Handmade Product Store:

• Fast and affordable to start
• Low overhead and ongoing costs
• Flexible schedule and easy to start as a side hustle
• Make money doing things you enjoy 

Cons of Opening a Handmade Product Store:

• Can’t be scaled as easily as other online business ideas
• Quality control is difficult with products made by hand

#17. T-shirt Printing and Custom Apparel

• Average Profit Margins: 3.2%
• Startup Cost: $1K-$200K, depending on size
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 3.3%
• Best for: Those with graphic design or marketing expertise
• UpFlip blog : How to Start a $41K/Month T-Shirt Business  
• UpFlip podcast : How to Start a $500K/Month T-Shirt Printing Business
• UpFlip podcast : How to Start a T-Shirt Printing Business and Scale It to 7 Figures

Custom Clothing Pros:

• Minimal resources required to start
• Flexible schedule and capability to work anywhere
• Can use automation and other software to make it mostly passive
• Doesn’t require any specialized knowledge or skill set

Custom Clothing Cons:

• Lots of competition from other sellers
• Work can be repetitive and less creative than expected

#18. Flower Delivery Website

• Average Annual Revenue: $4.5 million ($3.6 million when you subtract the top 2 companies)
• Startup Cost: $10K-$50K
• Time To Revenue: 3-9 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 8.8%
• Best for: Gardeners, designers, and others with a green thumb and creative eye

Pros of a Flower Delivery Website:

• High demand around holidays 
• Relatively high profit margins
• Doesn’t require tons of space
• No prior experience or specialized skills required

Cons of a Flower Delivery Website:

• Business can be seasonal
• Can end up with high waste from wilting or damaged flowers

#19. Pet Products

• Average Annual Revenue: $16.58 million
• Average Profit Margins: 4.35%
• Startup Cost: $5K-$30K
• Time To Revenue: 1-2 years, including product development 
• Best for: Animal lovers, inventors, graphic designers

Pros of Selling Pet Products:

• Wide variety of niches, many of them underserved
• Potential for passive or mostly-passive income
• Revenue can be scaled easily
• Can help fellow pet owners while making a profit

Cons of Selling Pet Products:

• Higher cost to start than other online businesses
• Need to manage, ship, and store inventory

#20. Self-Publishing Books and Guided Journals

• Average Annual Revenue: $444K/employee
• Average Profit Margins: 6.7%
• Startup Cost: As little as $500
• Time To Revenue: Varies based on book length
• Annual Market Growth Rate: -1.9%
• Best for: Writers, educators, and innovative thinkers

Self-Publishing Pros:

• Higher profit margins than traditional publishing
• Print-on-demand can reduce inventory costs and storage needs
• Lower average initial investment than other online stores
• Potential for passive income

Self-Publishing Cons:

• High upfront time investment before you can start earning revenue 
• Need to do your own marketing

9 More Online Store Ideas

• Tech products and accessories
• Unique or educational toys for kids
• Collectables and antiques
• Craft and art supplies
• Home decor and furnishings
• Board games or video games
• Books, comic books, or magazines
• Domain names or websites

Best online business ideas with a low investment

#21. retail and food delivery.

• Average Annual Revenue: $133K/employee
• Startup Cost: $100-$9.5K
• Time To Revenue: Less than 1 week, including background check
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 3.6%
• Best for: Logistics-minded entrepreneurs

Delivery Business Pros:

• Potentially low startup costs
• No need to buy inventory or equipment
• Minimal space requirements

Delivery Business Cons:

• Requires a lot of time spent on the road
• Lots of competition from larger businesses

#22. Music Recording 

• Average Annual Revenue: $65.4K/employee
• Average Profit Margins: 11%
• Startup Cost: $50-$5K
• Best for: Musicians, sound engineers, and other creative entrepreneurs

Music Recording Pros:

• Fun and creative work
• Gives musicians full creative freedom over their own tracks
• Can be cheap to start if you get the right equipment
• Potential to be a very profitable online business

Music Recording Cons:

• Requires knowledge of or a background in music recording tech
• Lower average income than other options

#23. Accounting and Bookkeeping

• Average Annual Revenue: $244K/employee
• Average Profit Margins: 18%
• Startup Cost: $500-$2.5K
• Time To Revenue: 3-12 months (plus accounting degree)
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 1%
• Best for: Certified accountants, entrepreneurs with strong math and financial skills

Pros of Accounting or Bookkeeping:

• Relatively high earning potential
• Low initial financial investment
• Can be scaled by growing into an agency
• Work is largely flexible and independent

Cons of Accounting or Bookkeeping:

• Will need CPA or similar certification
• Competition from large firms for the best clients

Online business ideas for beginners

#24. data entry.

• Startup Cost: $0-$500
• Best for: Detail-oriented entrepreneurs

Pros of Data Entry:

• Can work when and where you want to
• Consistent and reliable demand
• No advanced skills or specialized equipment required
• Low startup costs and time investment 

Cons of Data Entry:

• Lower earning potential than other online business ideas
• Work can be boring and tedious

#25. Travel Planning

• Average Annual Revenue: $189K/employee
• Average Profit Margins: 3.7%
• Startup Cost: $100-$6K
• Time To Revenue: 3-6 months
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 2.2%
• Best for: Frequent travelers, people who love research and problem-solving

Travel Planning Pros:

• Can be run from home or while you’re traveling
• Don’t need any certifications or specific skills to start
• Low initial investment and ongoing costs
• Can get travel perks for yourself as you grow

Travel Planning Cons:

• Relatively long sales process
• Working with clients can be stressful

#26. Transcription

• Average Annual Revenue: $25,197
• Average Profit Margins: 9%
• Startup Cost: $0-$5K
• Best for: Fast typers with strong listening skills

Transcription Pros:

• No specific background or experience required
• Low cost and time investment to start
• Work from anywhere on your own schedule

Transcription Con:

• Not a fit for people who type slowly
• Lower profit potential than other online businesses

#27. Telemarketing and Market Research

• Average Annual Revenue: $235K/employee
• Average Profit Margins: 10.7%
• Startup Cost: $1.5K-$3K
• Time To Revenue: $2.5 billion
• Best for: Outgoing entrepreneurs with a knack for research and data analysis

Telemarketing Pros:

• No specialized training or equipment needed
• Can be scaled by starting an agency 
• Wide variety of work, depending on the clients

Telemarketing Cons:

• May need to base work hours on your client's needs
• The work can be boring or stressful

Other online home business opportunities

#28. pr consulting.

• Average Annual Revenue: $179K/employee
• Average Profit Margins: 13.2%
• Startup Cost: $0-$1K
• Best for: Experienced business owners, marketing and branding experts

Pros of PR Consulting:

• Low cost to start
• High earning potential that can be scaled down the line
• Wide variety of clients you can work with

Cons of PR Consulting:

• Need a portfolio of successful PR work to be successful
• Can take some time to build a reputation and get clients

#29. Online Therapy

• Average Annual Revenue: $74.5K/employee
• Average Profit Margins: 10.2%
• Startup Cost: $100-$2K
• Time To Revenue: 3-9 months (plus degree)
• Annual Market Growth Rate: 3%
• Best for: Licensed therapists and mental health experts

Pros of Online Therapy:

• Low upfront financial investment
• You set your own schedule and workload
• Can work from anywhere
• Help others live better lives while making a profit

Cons of Online Therapy:

• Need to be a licensed mental health provider before you start
• Work can be emotionally draining

Online business ideas FAQs

• Perform Market Research
• Conduct Market Validation
• Develop a Business Plan
• Choose a Business Name
• Fund Your Business
• Choose a Location
• Choose a Business Type
• Register Your Business
• Get a Business License
• Open a Business Bank Account
• Get Insurance For Your Business
• Market Your Business
• Serve Customers

• Social Media
• Email Marketing
• Creating Content
• Search Engine Optimization
• SMS Marketing
• Loyalty Rewards Programs 

How to Start a Contracting Business: 17 Steps to Success

Did you know contract work makes up 4% of the United States’ GDP? Construction is even a leading indicator of how the economy is likely to progress in the future.

We ask two general contractors, Marc Rousso and Vitaliy, how to start a contracting business—and ensure its success.

Marc Rousso lost everything when the Great Recession caused banks to collect on their loans, but today, his company JayMarc Homes makes $80M annually. Meanwhile, Vitaliy started with $80 bucks in tools and now earns 50% profits on his homes.

We’ll discuss how to start a general contracting company. Plus, we’ll help you understand the different types of contractors and what each does. Throughout it all, you’ll get great information from these successful business owners.

[su_note note_color="#dbeafc"] Click on any of the links below to jump ahead, or just read on.

What is a contracting business?

What is a general contracting business, how much do contractors make, how much does it cost to start a contracting business, 1. decide whether you’re a fit, 2. choose a trade, 3. learn a bit of everything, 4. write a contracting business plan, 5. choose a business name, 6. register your contracting business, 7. get licensed and bonded, 8. get a business bank account, 9. get general liability insurance (and other coverage), 10. plan funding and finance, 11. set pricing, 12. brand and market your business, 13. find customers, 14. follow regulations, 15. get equipment, 16. hire subcontractors, 17. monitor performance and grow.

• Are you ready to start your own general contractor business? [/su_note]

A contracting business is a company—of one or several people—that consumers hire to perform a specific task. There are different types of contractors people hire based on their skill sets and needs. Contractors are most commonly seen in the construction industry.

Common types of contractors include general contractors, subcontractors, and independent contractors. Like business owners, contractors work for themselves and may manage a team of subcontractors.

Next, let’s look at some of the specialized contracting companies you might see in the construction business.

A general contractor (GC) is responsible for overseeing construction companies. The GC is the direct point of contact between the construction crew and the property owner.

GCs are often responsible for maintaining budgets and timelines, as well as hiring subcontractors, paying them, and inspecting their work.

Marc is a general contractor focusing on buying off-market properties, demolishing them, and building multi-million dollar custom homes. Find out how below.

According to IBIS World , the construction industry makes $3T and is growing. When you divide the industry revenue by the 4 million U.S. construction businesses, you get an average revenue of $750K per business.

The net and gross profit margins vary depending on the specific type of contractor, but the table below shows some of the publicly held segment margins based on NYU Stern Data as of January 2023.

JayMarc Homes makes $80M annual revenue. Marc told us:

[su_quote] We aim for 10% profits. In recessionary times, you're hoping to get a 5% profit. In a normal year, it's about 10%. When it is booming, it could be 17%, and when it is through the roof, it could be 27%. And I think that in a 10-year timeline, you touch all of those profit margins. [/su_quote]

Meanwhile, Vitaliy, another custom home builder , makes nearly 50% margins.

Marc and his business partner, Jay Mezistrano, started JayMarc Homes during the Great Recession. This made it harder to start a general contracting business because banks weren’t lending and millions of homes were underwater—but that didn’t stop them.

They sold their SUVs for $100,000 and put all the money into buying lots. Then they raised money from friends and family to get started and used hard-money lenders for three years before getting real loans.

The hardest part about starting his own business was getting the funding. Marc told us:

[su_quote] I sent 200 emails, and everyone said no. When I started asking people to meet up with me and showed them our business plan, people started investing. [/su_quote]

You don’t have to start that big. Take it from Vitaliy, who only spent $80 on tools and made $1,000 in the first week. From there, he grew VP Homes to a $1.2M-per-year general contracting business. Check out our interview with him below:

How to Start a Contracting Business

• Decide whether you’re a fit.
• Choose a trade.
• Learn a bit of everything.
• Write a contracting business plan.
• Choose a business name.
• Register your contracting business.
• Get licensed and bonded.
• Get a business bank account.
• Get general liability insurance.
• Plan funding and finance.
• Set pricing.
• Brand and market your business.
• Find customers.
• Follow regulations.
• Get equipment.
• Hire subcontractors.
• Monitor performance and grow.

Before starting a contracting business, you should take the time to consider whether becoming a contractor is right for you. You’ll need a diverse skillset, you’ll be waking up early, and you’ll be working in inclement weather.

General contractors need business skills, accounting skills, knowledge of project and people management, an understanding of laws and regulations, and knowledge of each building trade.

Meanwhile, specialty trades like HVAC, plumbing, electricians, carpenters, masons, and other fields require specialized skills and licensing.

If you have these qualities or are committed to building them, you might be cut out for the contracting business.

Most contractors start with a specific trade and then move on to running full builds. There are more than 70 in-demand skilled trades in the U.S., but some aren’t in the construction industry.

You might want to take this easy trade quiz to find some ideas that fit you well.

You’ll need to know a little bit about all the construction trades to become a general contractor.

HVAC techs work with plumbers and electricians; painters' work can impact carpenters, tile layers, and carpet installers. The more you know as a tradesperson, the more valuable your services, regardless of whether you work directly with homeowners or subcontract for a general contractor business.

Any contractor should have a solid business plan. Their business plan should include:

• The type of contracting business you’ll start
• Information about your competitors
• Challenges facing your industry and how you’ll overcome them
• Necessary licenses
• Regulations you’ll need to follow
• Amount of funding you need
• Your pricing strategy
• Detailed information about your target market
• Your marketing strategies
• Equipment you’ll need

Whether you’re writing a general contractor business plan or a specialty trade business plan, you will be able to use the documentation to inform your management style, expansion efforts, and budget. Plus, you’ll need a business plan to get a small business loan.

Contracting businesses need effective names. The name needs to be descriptive and easy to remember so people can search for your business’s website, reviews, and social media.

We offer more business name tips here .

You’ll want to register your business as a legal entity. Register through your secretary of state as either a limited liability company (LLC) or corporation—this keeps your personal assets and business assets completely separate.

While starting a contractor business as a sole proprietorship is technically allowed, it’s a horrible idea for new business owners. A contractor business can be held legally liable if employees die on the job, and more than 300 people die each year across all contractor businesses.

Many locations need a contractor’s license, which is like a business license but with more requirements. Business licenses typically only require paying a fee, while a construction license may also require a surety bond, background checks, prior experience, and passing a written test.

Check with your state and local governments for the exact requirements for each type of contracting business.

Get a business bank account when starting your own business. In addition to registering as limited liability companies or corporations, this is how contractor companies keep their business expenses and personal finances separate.

Note that you’ll need your business registration documents and your employer identification number to open a business account.

Check out our blog about business accounts to learn about other benefits of getting the best business bank accounts.

Both general contracting companies and subcontractors need business insurance. You’ll want at least general liability protection and property insurance for your own company.

Most contractors will combine general liability, property insurance, and business income insurance in a business owner policy plan. You might also want to get other types of insurance, like:

• Equipment insurance: Covers losses when equipment is stolen
• Commercial auto insurance: Covers automotive accidents
• Workers’ compensation: Covers employee injuries
• Contractor’s broadening insurance: Protects from liability for professional mistakes that cause damage

You may struggle with funding when you start your own company. Equipment and materials can be expensive, plus there is a period between when you need to buy everything and when you get paid.

Marc Rousso told us:

[su_quote] We had to sell our SUVs to get our first plot of land and then still needed hard money loans (i.e., loans backed by real property). It took us three years before we saw enough business success as a general contractor to qualify for normal bank loans. [/su_quote]

There are loans, partners, and other ways to start contractor business operations. Learn more about funding a contracting business .

One of the hardest parts of the construction industry is estimating the time and materials required to build homes or commercial buildings.

That means you’ll want to have estimating software, like On-Screen Takeoff , and add your pricing sheets to it. Using this software allows you to quickly and accurately measure the dimensions of each material and create an estimate.

Both general contractors and independent contractors can benefit from this software.

You might also consider time-and-materials or fixed-price quote methods. Both have advantages and disadvantages that you must consider when you are operating on thin margins.

Contractors often rely on word-of-mouth, but that’s not the only way to market your services. Vitaliy told us:

[su_quote] Up until the last year, we had no branding. The hoodies, car magnets, and hats we have now are only because my 12-year-old son started doing some graphic design work for fun. [/su_quote]

You need to be intentional in your marketing efforts. He also explained:

[su_quote] I have a signature style. I love the distressed wood look, but I want to provide a high-end vibe. That’s what the outside of many of our homes is. I’m amazed at how well it’s done. [/su_quote]

Marc uses a strategy of finding distressed homes in nice neighborhoods, buying, demolishing, and building beautiful custom homes.

Meanwhile, Vitaliy only works based on word-of-mouth referrals. He normally requires a 5% to 10% deposit when building a home.

Then, Vitaliy designs and builds the custom homes. Some homes are commissioned for a specific person, and others are built and sold to whoever offers the best price.

Starting a general contracting business requires complying with many laws and industry regulations. Vitaliy and Marc have to ensure they are up to date on all the rules that apply to their business to protect their customers and themselves.

Industry regulations include OSHA regulations , building codes, and other laws. General contractors must ensure that the subcontractors follow the laws, too.

They must also get the necessary permits for any project, hire licensed subcontractors, and schedule inspections.

Successful general contractor businesses need a lot of tools and equipment. Vitaliy told us:

[su_quote] I spend about $1,000 per month and $15,000 every few months on larger purchases. [/su_quote]

A successful contractor can’t possibly be effective doing every position. There are too many skill sets necessary for a single build, and the easiest way to offer them is to hire talented subcontractors.

You’ll want to verify all subcontractors’ licenses, business insurance, and previous experience.

Your company stands to gain potential clients if the subcontractors represent you well. Their behavior on the job site can affect your business.

General contractors need to monitor performance as an ongoing task. The business’s finances and cash flow depend on consistent performance.

In addition to measuring the finances and timelines, you should also measure customer satisfaction. Your business entity should support customer requests after your initial services are complete. While a general contractor might do well in the build phase, Vitaliy mentioned:

[su_quote] One of the biggest differences between what I do and what other people who start a general contracting company do is I am heavily focused on supporting the customer after they move in, too. [/su_quote]

This helps increase satisfaction, word of mouth, and eventually growth. You must also seek out new clients as you manage your existing projects.

Are you ready to start your own general contractor business?

We’ve explained how to get into contracting and clarified the different types of contractors. We shared a handy step-by-step for starting a contracting business and relayed advice from two successful general contractors.

The primary responsibility of a general contractor is to make sure construction contracts go well. Make sure you give the kind of service you can be proud of showing people.

What else would you like to know about how to start a contractor business?

How to Start a 7-Figure Poultry Farm (2024)

Step 1. Learn About Poultry Farming

• Why poultry is better than beef
• Different feeds for different chickens

How much to start a chicken farm?

• 32 broiler chickens : $75
• One chicken tractor : $220
• 150 pounds feed : $100
• Gravity water dispenser : $60
• Total : Under $500

How much does it cost to start a chicken farm if you don’t own land?

Is chicken farming profitable?

Poultry companies selling dtc, selling as a commodity, poultry industry.

• A processing plant (or slaughterhouse)
• A wholesale processor
• Supermarkets and retailers
• The final consumer

• Land : It’s best to be near but not in big cities. Prices of land can vary dramatically. For example, you might find two to five acres ranging from $5,000 per acre to $2.5 million per acre.
• Chicken coop : Later on, we’ll explain how to build a chicken coop, but if you’re building with three square feet per chicken, you’ll probably end up spending a ton on your chicken house.
• Chickens: You might find day-old chickens for approximately $1 to $2.50 per chick based on the quantity, sex, and whether they are GMO-raised.
• Feed: You’ll need to feed the chickens, and you’ll probably want to buy in bulk. Per pound, smaller bags are much more expensive than when you buy a ton of feed.
• Transportation costs : IRS mileage deductions change each year, but have been over $.50 per mile since 2008. You can deduct actual costs instead.
• Employees: If you have over 500 chickens per owner, plan to spend $15 per hour according to the BLS .
• Purchase price per pound: $.99
• Additional expenses per pound: $.75
• Profit per pound: $.09
• Sell to the wholesaler by the pound: $1.83

Poultry Wholesalers

• Purchase price per pound: $1.83 
• Additional expenses per pound: $.40 per pound
• Profit per pound: $.57
• Sell to supermarkets by the pound: $2.80 

Supermarkets

• Payment to wholesaler: $2.80
• Profit: $.07
• Other expenses: $1.13
• Consumer price per pound: $4

Why does this matter to a poultry farm?

Governing laws.

• EPA rules on animal feed operations
• USDA policies regarding livestock
• Farmers Service Agency (FSA, a division of the USDA specifically to help farmers succeed)
• State agencies may have policies about farming permits, licensing, or inspection. Check the FSA map to find experts on your state regulations.
• Many cities and counties may have regulations that apply to starting a chicken farm. I would suggest talking to your local SBA office and health district.

Market Forces

Choose a poultry sector next.

• Sell chickens for meat
• Create feed to sell for poultry farmers
• Hatchery and breeding chicks
• Egg and meat processing
• Broiler farm : meat per pound of feed 
• Laying eggs : Eggs per pound of feed 

Type of Bird

• Number of eggs per year
• Growth potential
• Aggressiveness
• Space requirements 
• And other considerations

Step 2. Write a Poultry Farming Business Plan

Step 3. poultry business loans, step 4. find a location of chicken farm.

Step 5. How to Make a Chicken Farm 

• Establish how to position everything on your land.
• Decide how to make the most of your space.
• Build a chicken coop.
• Manage your supply chain.
• Purchase and care for your chickens.
• Process and sell your poultry products.

How to start a poultry farm: Build a Chicken Coop

• Nine 2” x 2” wood beams : $4 each = $36
• Seven 8’ x 2’ corrugated steel panels : $22 each = $154
• Chicken wire : $39 (should be approximately 1 roll)
• Nails and screws: $5
• Estimated Total: $234 + tax, shipping, and handling

How to start a poultry farm: Buy Feed

• Baby chickens: Starter food is best for ages that range from day old chicks to 20 weeks.
• Chicken broilers: If you’re just trying to raise chicks to sell the meat, get food specifically for broilers.
• Teenage chickens: If you want to keep your chicks properly cared for until they each become an adult chicken, you might want to change from starter food to grower food at six weeks. You’ll want to change this when they start laying eggs.
• Egg layers: Once chickens start laying eggs, they need layer feed to help produce healthier eggs. It’s like grower feed but with more calcium and minerals.

How to start a poultry farm: Other Equipment

• Waste removal system(s)
• Lighting instruments
• Brooders (for breeding)
• Heaters (for cold weather)
• Crates (for collecting eggs)
• Egg trays (for handling and selling eggs)
• Perches (for laying hens)
• Nests (for laying hens and breeding)
• Incubator (for breeding)

Get Your Chickens

• Jenks : Business success is often measured by profitability, but longevity is also important. As the longest operating poultry company supplier, they know they understand the poultry farm business.
• Cackle Hatchery : If you are looking to buy from only one supplier, Cackle is probably the place. They sell pretty much everything you need for raising and selling chickens. Plus, they’ve been around for over 80 years.
• Privett Hatchery : If you are on the west coast, you might consider getting your chickens from Privett. It’s in New Mexico making it more convenient for a farmer located in the southwest United States.

Step 6. How to Run a Chicken Farm

• Feed your birds the proper nutrients: We discussed this in the section on feed. This will help promote chicken health.
• Treat against poultry diseases: If your flock catches a chicken disease, you need to separate the sick ones and care for them. You may also have to hire a vet. Learn more about diseases chickens catch .
• Protect against predators: We discussed this during the section on design.
• Dispose of their waste: You’ll need a waste disposal system to help keep the chicken coop clean. 
• The deep litter system is a method of composting inside the coop. 
• You can also use an automated system.
• Treat against poultry diseases : If your flock catches a chicken disease, you have to separate sick ones and care for them. You may also have to hire a vet.
• Maintain documentation of care: You'll need a great system to document your date of purchase, care, date of processing, and more. Check out USDA documentation requirements .

Step 7. Process the Birds

Step 8. sell the chickens or eggs.

• Consumers: Reach this target market through websites, social media, your own retail location, and farmers' markets.
• Restaurants: Get in touch with restaurant owners through similar channels as consumers but also through trade organizations.
• Poultry processors and wholesalers : Join trade associations or keep reading to find out how to farm for Perdue or Tyson.

How to start a chicken farm for Perdue

• Some of the most advanced systems in the industry
• A consistent supply of industry best practices
• A regional vet dedicated to helping provide care for your poultry
• Flock advisors to help you maximize gross income and profit
• Technical assistance to maintain your systems

How to start a chicken farm for Tyson

How to start a chicken farm to sell eggs, step 9. other business functions.

• Bartering (unique to farming)

How to start a poultry farm: Hiring

• Skill: Do they at least somewhat understand the job?
• Personality: Are they fun to be around? Similar values? Work Ethic?

How to start a poultry farm: Accounting 

How to start a poultry farm: marketing.

Go start your own business!

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This free sheet contains 100 accelerators and incubators you can apply to today, along with information about the industries they generally invest in.

This free sheet contains all the information about the top 100 unicorns, including their valuation, HQ's location, founded year, name of founders, funding amount and number of employees.

This free Notion document contains the best 100+ resources you need for building a successful startup, divided in 4 categories: Fundraising, People, Product, and Growth.

Top 300 Startups in United States in 2024

Description

Countless startups in the United States are being launched every day.

Many fail because they did not learn from the success of other companies who've managed to rise above.

We just published this list of 300 well-known and fast-growing United States companies that impressed investors.

300 Startups in the United States

Everything you need to raise funding for your startup, including 3,500+ investors, 7 tools, 18 templates and 3 learning resources.

Information about the industries, countries, and cities they generally invest in.

Information about their valuation, HQ's location, founded year, name of founders, funding amount and number of employees.

List of startup investors in the FinTech industry, along with their Twitter, LinkedIn, and email addresses.

List of startup investors in the BioTech, Health, and Medicine industries, along with their Twitter, LinkedIn, and email addresses.

List of 250 startup investors in the AI and Machine Learning industries, along with their Twitter, LinkedIn, and email addresses.

Airmeet is an all-in-one event platform that features virtual social lounges for networking and virtual summits, meetups, and courses.

Details of the startup:

• City: Delaware
• Started in: 2019
• Founders: Lalit Mangal, Manoj Singh, Vinay Kumar Jasti
• Industries: Events, Social, Software, Video Conferencing
• Number of employees: 101-250
• Funding: $50,000,000
• Funding rounds: 9
• Number of investors: 35 (Sequoia Capital India, LetsVenture, Redpoint, Gokul Rajaram, Global Founders Capital)

You can find their website here .

Gopuff is a digital delivery service based on a smartphone app that distributes over-the-counter medicine, baby food, and booze.

• State: Pennsylvania
• City: Philadelphia
• Started in: 2013
• Founders: Rafael Ilishayev, Yakir Gola
• Industries: Delivery Service, E-Commerce, Food Delivery, Mobile Apps
• Number of employees: 10001+
• Funding: $2,449,710,000
• Funding rounds: 7
• Number of investors: 13 (SoftBank Vision Fund, Fidelity Management and Research Company, Accel, Valor Equity Partners, Eldridge)

3) Calendly

Calendly is an automated scheduling service that eliminates the hassle of communicating with others, allowing users to get more done.

• State: Georgia
• City: Atlanta
• Founders: Tope Awotona
• Industries: Productivity Tools, Recruiting, SaaS, Scheduling, Software
• Funding: $350,550,000
• Funding rounds: 2
• Number of investors: 3 (ICONIQ Capital, OpenView, Atlanta Ventures)

4) Outreach

Outreach is a sales interaction software that employs artificial intelligence (AI) for sales forecasting.

• State: Washington
• City: Seattle
• Started in: 2014
• Founders: Andrew Kinzer, Gordon Hempton, Manny Medina, Wes Hather
• Industries: Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, CRM, Enterprise Software, SaaS, Sales, Software
• Number of employees: 501-1000
• Funding: $489,018,000
• Funding rounds: 10
• Number of investors: 33 (Techstars, Salesforce Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Spark Capital, Tiger Global Management)

Thrasio is a digital consumer products company that buys Amazon FBA private label businesses as well as direct-to-consumer e-commerce enterprises.

• State: Massachusetts
• City: Walpole
• Started in: 2018
• Founders: Carlos Cashman, Joshua Silberstein
• Industries: Brand Marketing, Consumer Goods, E-Commerce, Product Management, Supply Chain Management
• Funding: $1,746,500,000
• Funding rounds: 8
• Number of investors: 20 (BlackRock, Advent International, Barclays, RiverPark Ventures, Goldman Sachs Asset Management)

Conversations may be used to make business purchases more seamless, pleasurable, and human.

• City: Boston
• Started in: 2015
• Founders: David Cancel, Elias Torres
• Industries: Apps, Enterprise Software, Internet, Marketing Automation, Sales Automation, Software
• Number of employees: 251-500
• Funding: $107,000,000
• Funding rounds: 3
• Number of investors: 12 (General Catalyst, HubSpot, Sequoia Capital, CRV, NextView Ventures)

7) Transmit Security

For clients and employees, Transmit Security provides risk management and passwordless identity solutions.

• Founders: Mickey Boodaei, Rakesh K. Loonkar
• Industries: Cyber Security, Fraud Detection, Identity Management, Information Technology, Security
• Funding: $583,000,000
• Number of investors: 9 (General Atlantic, Insight Partners, Vintage Investment Partners, Geodesic Capital, Cyberstarts)

8) RoadSync

RoadSync is a logistics industry-specific digital payment software application platform.

• Founders: Akmann Van-Mary, Ryan Droege, Spencer Barkoff
• Industries: FinTech, Logistics, Payments, Software, Transportation
• Number of employees: 51-100
• Funding: $38,300,000
• Funding rounds: 6
• Number of investors: 15 (Bain Capital Ventures, Gaingels, Tiger Global Management, Base10 Partners, Clocktower Technology Ventures)

Small company owners, entrepreneurs, and freelancers can use Novo's digital banking platform.

• State: Florida
• City: Miami
• Started in: 2016
• Founders: Michael Rangel, Tyler McIntyre
• Industries: Banking, Financial Services, FinTech
• Funding: $135,000,000
• Number of investors: 14 (Techstars, BoxGroup, Crosslink Capital, Rainfall Ventures, RRE Ventures)

10) Flyhomes

Flyhomes is a real estate brokerage platform that assists customers throughout the home-buying process.

• Founders: Stephen Lane, Tushar Garg
• Industries: Financial Services, FinTech, Information Technology, Real Estate
• Funding: $310,000,000
• Funding rounds: 5
• Number of investors: 13 (Battery Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Shasta Ventures, Canvas Ventures)

11) Sweetgreen

Sweetgreen is a fast-casual restaurant that specializes in salads and grain bowls that are simple, seasonal, and healthful.

• State: District of Columbia
• City: Washington D.C.
• Started in: 2007
• Founders: Jonathan Neman, Nathaniel Ru, Nicolas Jammet
• Industries: Food and Beverage, Organic Food
• Number of employees: 1001-5000
• Funding: $478,595,000
• Funding rounds: 13
• Number of investors: 23 (T. Rowe Price, Collaborative Fund, Franklin Templeton Investments, Fidelity, Red Sea Ventures)

12) DataRobot

Global organizations can benefit from DataRobot's AI technology and ROI enabling services.

• Started in: 2012
• Founders: Jeremy Achin, Thomas DeGodoy
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Enterprise Software, Machine Learning, SaaS
• Funding: $750,598,000
• Funding rounds: 11
• Number of investors: 34 (Silver Lake, BlackRock, Techstars, Salesforce Ventures, Intel Capital)

Home refinancing, customer service, consumer finance, home acquisition, and financial services are all offered by Lower.

• State: Ohio
• City: Columbus
• Founders: Chris Miller, Dan Snyder, Grayson Hanes, Mike Baynes, Robert Tyson
• Industries: Finance, Financial Services, Lending
• Funding: $100,000,000
• Funding rounds: 1
• Number of investors: 1 (Accel)

14) Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group is a global music publishing, recording, and merchandising company.

• State: California
• City: Santa Monica
• Started in: 1934
• Founders: David Gould
• Industries: Media and Entertainment, Music, Publishing
• Funding: $45,368,869,030
• Number of investors: 3 (Tencent, Tencent Music Entertainment, Bill Ackman)

Rover is an online pet-sitting and dog-walking marketplace that connects pet parents with sitters and walkers.

• Started in: 2011
• Founders: Aaron Easterly, Greg Gottesman, Philip Kimmey
• Industries: Consumer, Marketplace, Pet
• Number of employees: 5001-10000
• Funding: $310,900,000
• Number of investors: 18 (First Round Capital, Menlo Ventures, Spark Capital, Petco, TCV)

G2 is a software marketplace where companies can explore, buy, and manage their software and services.

• State: Illinois
• City: Chicago
• Founders: Godard Abel, Mark Myers, Matt Gorniak, Mike Wheeler, Tim Handorf
• Industries: B2B, Business Intelligence, CRM, Marketing Automation, Software
• Funding: $257,572,384
• Number of investors: 22 (Salesforce Ventures, Emergence, Accel, Institutional Venture Partners, LinkedIn)

Upsie is a smartphone app that offers warranties for electrical and appliance purchases.

• State: Minnesota
• City: Minneapolis
• Founders: Clarence Bethea
• Industries: Apps, Insurance, Mobile, Mobile Apps, Software
• Number of employees: 11-50
• Funding: $26,380,000
• Number of investors: 36 (Techstars, Backstage Capital, True Ventures, Village Capital, Kapor Capital)

18) Riot Games

Riot Games is an online game development business based in the United States.

• City: Los Angeles
• Started in: 2006
• Founders: Brandon Beck, Marc Merrill
• Industries: Computer, Developer Platform, PC Games, Video Games
• Funding: $21,000,000
• Number of investors: 4 (Tencent, Benchmark, FirstMark, HAX)

19) Mayo Clinic

MayoClinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research organization dedicated to providing integrated health care, education, and research.

• City: Rochester
• Started in: 1919
• Founders: Augustus Stinchfield, Charles Horace Mayo, Christopher Graham, Donald Balfou, Henry Stanley Plummer, Melvin Millet, William James Mayo
• Industries: Biotechnology, Health Care, Medical, Non Profit
• Funding: $386,100,000
• Number of investors: 3 (National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Defense, Jay Alix)

20) Ginkgo Bioworks

Ginkgo Bioworks is a multi-market developer of biological engineering solutions and bespoke microorganisms.

• Started in: 2008
• Founders: Austin Che, Barry Canton, Jason Kelly, Reshma Shetty, Tom Knight
• Industries: Biopharma, Biotechnology, Chemical
• Funding: $798,728,100
• Number of investors: 33 (General Atlantic, Felicis Ventures, Bill Gates, MassChallenge, T. Rowe Price)

Bird creates a vehicle sharing network that offers low-cost transportation to communities all around the world.

• Started in: 2017
• Founders: Travis VanderZanden
• Industries: Electric Vehicle, Mobile, Mobile Apps, Ride Sharing, Transportation
• Funding: $623,000,000
• Number of investors: 32 (Index Ventures, Craft Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Target Global, Relay Ventures)

Hulu is an online video service that streams a variety of popular episodes, snippets, movies, and documentaries.

• Founders: Elizabeth Comstock, Jason Kilar
• Industries: Content, Film, TV, Video, Video Streaming
• Funding: $683,000,000
• Number of investors: 3 (The Walt Disney Company, Providence Equity Partners, Time Warner)

Snyk is a cybersecurity firm that creates security analysis tools for detecting open-source flaws.

• Founders: Assaf Hefetz, Danny Grander, Guy Podjarny
• Industries: Cyber Security, Developer Tools, Network Security, Software
• Funding: $752,000,000
• Number of investors: 20 (BlackRock, Salesforce Ventures, Canaan Partners, Tiger Global Management, GV)

Papa is a website that connects college students with senior adults for companionship and help.

• Founders: Alfredo Vaamonde, Andrew Parker, Jake Rothstein
• Industries: Elder Care, Elderly, Nursing and Residential Care
• Funding: $91,205,000
• Number of investors: 13 (FJ Labs, Canaan Partners, Tiger Global Management, Y Combinator, Initialized Capital)

Axios is a media organization that publishes important and reliable news and commentary.

• State: Virginia
• City: Arlington
• Founders: Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, Roy Schwartz
• Industries: Analytics, Media and Entertainment, News, Politics
• Funding: $57,000,000
• Number of investors: 11 (Emerson Collective, Lerer Hippeau, Greycroft, Headline, WndrCo)

Pipe is a global trading platform that facilitates the exchange of recurring revenue streams.

• Founders: Harry Hurst, Josh Mangel, Zain Allarakhia
• Industries: Finance, Financial Services, FinTech, Trading Platform
• Funding: $316,000,000
• Funding rounds: 4
• Number of investors: 45 (Republic, Okta, HubSpot, Craft Ventures, Shopify)

27) Boom Supersonic

Boom Supersonic is a commercial aircraft manufacturer that specializes in supersonic aircraft that are designed for speed, safety, and environmental sustainability.

• State: Colorado
• City: Englewood
• Founders: Blake Scholl, Joe Wilding, Joshua Krall
• Industries: Aerospace, Air Transportation, Transportation
• Funding: $241,131,868
• Number of investors: 27 (SV Angel, Y Combinator, Emerson Collective, 8VC, RRE Ventures)

Tinder anonymously locates people who like one other in their immediate vicinity and connects them if they are both interested.

• City: West Hollywood
• Founders: Christopher Gulczynski, Dinesh Moorjani, Jonathan Badeen, Justin Mateen, Sean Rad, Whitney Wolfe Herd
• Industries: Dating, Mobile, Search Engine, Social Media
• Number of investors: 2 (Benchmark, IAC)

29) Relativity Space

Relativity Space is an aerospace company that creates 3D printed rockets by designing, developing, and manufacturing them.

• City: Long Beach
• Founders: Jordan Noone, Tim Ellis
• Industries: 3D Technology, Aerospace, Artificial Intelligence, Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management
• Funding: $1,335,720,000
• Number of investors: 44 (General Catalyst, BlackRock, Lux Capital, Fidelity Management and Research Company, Tiger Global Management)

PlayVS is an eSports platform that organizes collegiate and high school esports.

• Founders: Delane Parnell
• Industries: Computer, eSports, Gaming, PC Games
• Funding: $106,211,719
• Number of investors: 28 (SoftBank, Battery Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, Science, Sapphire Ventures)

31) Headspace

Headspace is a digital health platform that offers mindfulness training and guided meditation sessions.

• Started in: 2010
• Founders: Andy Puddicombe, Richard Pierson
• Industries: Health Care, Mobile Apps, Training, Wellness
• Funding: $215,853,477
• Number of investors: 24 (SV Angel, WME, Adam Morley, Breyer Capital, Next Play Ventures)

32) ReCharge

E-commerce companies can use ReCharge's subscription management software.

• Founders: Michael Flynn, Oisin O'Connor
• Industries: Billing, E-Commerce, Mobile Payments, Software
• Funding: $277,000,000
• Number of investors: 3 (Bain Capital Ventures, Summit Partners, ICONIQ Growth)

33) Remitly

Remitly is a mobile payments service that allows customers to send money internationally from one person to another.

• Founders: Joshua Hug, Matthew Oppenheimer, Shivaas Gulati
• Industries: Financial Services, FinTech, Payments
• Funding: $505,000,000
• Number of investors: 29 (Goldman Sachs, Techstars, QED Investors, Visa, International Finance Corporation)

34) Songtradr

Songradr is an online marketplace for music licensing for films, television shows, advertisements, apps, and other forms of media.

• Founders: Paul Wiltshire
• Industries: Digital Entertainment, Digital Media, Marketplace, Music, Music Streaming
• Funding: $101,240,000
• Number of investors: 9 (Regal Funds Management, Perennial Value Management, Aware Super, Richard White, Argo Investments Limited)

35) Emocha Health

Emocha Health is a digital health firm that uses video technology and scaled human engagement to enable every patient to take every medication.

• State: Maryland
• City: Baltimore
• Founders: Jeffrey Daley, Morad Elmi, Sebastian Seiguer, Sharon Kong
• Industries: Health Care, Medical, mHealth
• Funding: $14,950,000
• Number of investors: 15 (National Institutes of Health, Gaingels, Kapor Capital, Dreamit Ventures, TEDCO)

36) Lineage Logistics

Lineage Logistics is a warehouse and logistics firm specializing in temperature-controlled logistics and supply chain management.

• State: Michigan
• Industries: Food Delivery, Food Processing, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Warehousing
• Funding: $7,000,000,000
• Number of investors: 10 (Morgan Stanley, Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, D1 Capital Partners, EPIQ Capital Group, Oxford Properties Group)

Convoy is the most efficient digital freight network in the country.

• Founders: Dan Lewis, Grant Goodale
• Industries: Freight Service, Logistics, Service Industry, Supply Chain Management, Transportation
• Funding: $665,500,000
• Number of investors: 45 (Jeff Bezos, T. Rowe Price, Y Combinator, G Squared, Greylock)

38) Goat Group

Goat Group is an online store that sells real footwear, clothing, and accessories.

• City: Culver City
• Founders: Daishin Sugano, Eddy Lu
• Industries: Consumer Goods, E-Commerce, Fashion, Marketplace, Shoes
• Funding: $492,600,000
• Number of investors: 31 (Index Ventures, First Round Capital, New Enterprise Associates, Andreessen Horowitz, SV Angel)

39) Bright Health

Bright Health is working on a health insurance platform that will provide a high-quality healthcare experience.

• Founders: Kyle Rolfing, Robert John Sheehy, Tom Valdivia
• Industries: Health Care, Health Insurance, Hospital, Insurance, InsurTech
• Funding: $1,575,000,000
• Number of investors: 17 (Bessemer Venture Partners, New Enterprise Associates, Tiger Global Management, T. Rowe Price, Redpoint)

40) Blue Origin

Blue Origin is an aerospace business whose mission is to reduce the cost of spaceflight while also assisting in the exploration of the solar system.

• Started in: 2000
• Founders: Jeff Bezos
• Industries: Aerospace, Electronics, Energy, Manufacturing, Mining, National Security, Renewable Energy, Solar, Telecommunications
• Funding: $13,000,000
• Number of investors: 1 (NASA)

41) SoLo Funds

SoLo is a marketplace community that enables members to quickly obtain and supply short-term finances for pressing needs.

• Founders: Jarrel Carter, Rodney Williams, Taylor Bruno, Travis Holoway
• Industries: Financial Services, FinTech, Lending, Peer to Peer
• Funding: $12,920,000
• Number of investors: 19 (Alumni Ventures Group, Techstars, Taavet Hinrikus, Endeavor Catalyst, JumpStart)

Zenoti is a cloud-based software supplier for the spa and salon industry.

• City: Bellevue
• Founders: Dheeraj Koneru, Saritha Katikaneni, Sudheer Koneru
• Industries: Billing, Cloud Data Services, CRM, Enterprise Software, Marketing, Point of Sale, SaaS, Scheduling, Software
• Funding: $331,000,000
• Number of investors: 6 (Norwest Venture Partners, Advent International, Tiger Global Management, Accel, TPG)

43) NuORDER

NuORDER is a cloud-based and mobile B2B eCommerce platform that helps brands and merchants run their businesses more efficiently.

• Founders: Heath Wells, Olivia Skuza
• Industries: B2B, E-Commerce, Marketplace, Wholesale
• Funding: $81,900,000
• Number of investors: 16 (BoxGroup, NewSpring, Greycroft, Cowboy Ventures, Upfront Ventures)

44) Mythical Games

Mythical Games is a video game engine that allows players to build their own economies.

• Founders: Cameron Thacker, Chris Downs, Jamie Jackson, John Linden, Rudy Koch
• Industries: Blockchain, Gaming, Video Games
• Funding: $110,000,000
• Number of investors: 15 (Alumni Ventures Group, Okcoin, Fenbushi Capital, Hashed, Galaxy Interactive)

Drata is a compliance and security automation company that provides a quick and easy approach to achieve and maintain compliance.

• City: San Diego
• Started in: 2020
• Founders: Adam Markowitz, Daniel Marashlian, Troy Markowitz
• Industries: Compliance, Cyber Security, Internet, Software
• Funding: $28,240,856
• Number of investors: 8 (GGV Capital, SV Angel, Cowboy Ventures, AAF Management Ltd., Okta Ventures)

46) Splash Financial

Splash Financial is a financial education and student loan refinancing company that provides financial freedom to young people.

• City: Cleveland
• Founders: Steven Muszynski
• Industries: Education, Financial Services, FinTech
• Funding: $60,900,000
• Number of investors: 7 (DST Global, Citi Ventures, Firebolt Ventures, Detroit Venture Partners, CMFG Ventures)

47) Klaviyo

Klaviyo is a marketing automation and email tool that aims to assist organizations in growing.

• Founders: Andrew Bialecki, Ed Hallen
• Industries: Advertising, Analytics, E-Commerce, Marketing, Marketing Automation, Software
• Funding: $678,500,000
• Number of investors: 15 (Accel, Summit Partners, Owl Rock Capital, Sands Capital Ventures, Glynn Capital Management)

48) Rise Science

RISE is a sleep management application that provides personalized sleep planning.

• Founders: Jeff Kahn, Leon Sasson
• Industries: Health Care, Mobile Apps, Software, Wearables, Wellness
• Number of employees: 1-10
• Funding: $15,500,000
• Number of investors: 4 (True Ventures, Goodwater Capital, Freestyle Capital, High Alpha)

49) Akili Interactive Labs

Akili creates video-game-like cognitive therapies, tests, and diagnostics that are clinically validated.

• Founders: Adam Gazzaley, Eddie Martucci
• Industries: Biotechnology, Health Care, Medical, Neuroscience, Therapeutics
• Funding: $300,900,000
• Number of investors: 22 (Temasek Holdings, Polaris Partners, Neuberger Berman Group, Mirae Asset Global Investments, Silicon Valley Bank)

50) Prefect

Prefect is a workflow management solution that assists data teams in resolving data flow issues.

• Founders: Jeremiah Lowin
• Industries: Big Data, Cloud Data Services, Data Integration, Open Source, Software
• Funding: $57,594,793
• Number of investors: 10 (Bessemer Venture Partners, Tiger Global Management, Nat Friedman, Positive Sum, Sam Teller)

SpaceX is a private aerospace and aviation firm that develops, builds, and launches sophisticated rockets and spacecraft.

• City: Hawthorne
• Started in: 2002
• Founders: Elon Musk
• Industries: Aerospace, Manufacturing, Space Travel, Transportation
• Funding: $7,460,112,010
• Funding rounds: 43
• Number of investors: 45 (Founders Fund, Google, Craft Ventures, Bank of America, Cyan Banister)

52) Algorand

Algorand is a digital currency and transaction platform that is scalable, safe, and decentralized.

• Founders: Silvio Micali
• Industries: Information Technology, Life Science, Software Engineering
• Funding: $126,000,000
• Number of investors: 19 (Alumni Ventures Group, Foundation Capital, ICONIUM, Union Square Ventures, Adam Morley)

53) Encantos

Encantos is a global creator platform that connects children with the best storyteachers from across the world to teach them 21st-century skills.

• Founders: Carlos Hoyos, Nuria Santamaria Wolfe, Steven Wolfe Pereira, Susie Jaramillo
• Industries: Apps, Children, Consumer, Digital Entertainment, EBooks, Education, Subscription Service, Video
• Funding: $8,500,000
• Number of investors: 25 (Precursor Ventures, Kapor Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Portfolia, Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund)

54) project44

For shippers and third-party logistics companies, project44 offers an advanced supply chain visibility platform.

• Founders: Jett McCandless, Wally Ibrahim
• Industries: Developer APIs, Enterprise Software, Freight Service, SaaS, Transportation
• Funding: $397,500,000
• Number of investors: 18 (Lineage Logistics, Insight Partners, Sapphire Ventures, Emergence, 8VC)

55) Arrived Homes

Arrived Homes is a company that provides rental property investment services to help people become financially independent.

• Founders: Alejandro Chouza, Kenneth Cason, Ryan Frazier
• Industries: Financial Services, Real Estate, Real Estate Investment, Rental Property
• Funding: $37,000,000
• Number of investors: 10 (Spencer Rascoff, Good Friends, Bezos Expeditions, Dara Khosrowshahi, Core Innovation Capital)

56) Stackline

Stackline is a retail intelligence and software firm that offers e-commerce tools, data, and services.

• Founders: Michael Lagoni, Michael Masaki, Mitchell Keidan, Rajan Ramasamy
• Industries: Analytics, E-Commerce, Machine Learning, Retail Technology, Software
• Funding: $180,000,000
• Number of investors: 2 (TA Associates, GS Growth)

Coinme is a digital currency exchange with the goal of making digital currency more accessible to the general public.

• Founders: Michael Smyers, Neil Bergquist
• Industries: Bitcoin, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, FinTech, Virtual Currency
• Funding: $19,080,000
• Number of investors: 4 (Pantera Capital, Digital Currency Group, Blockchain.com Ventures, Xpring)

58) Popmenu

Popmenu is a software-as-a-service firm that assists restaurants in transforming their menus into customer conversion engines.

• Founders: Brendan Sweeney, Justis Blasco, Mike Gullo, Tony Roy
• Industries: Hospitality, Information Technology, Internet, Restaurants, SaaS
• Funding: $87,144,981
• Number of investors: 7 (Salesforce Ventures, Felicis Ventures, Tiger Global Management, Base10 Partners, Bedrock Capital)

StockX is an online marketplace where you can purchase and sell high-demand, limited-edition sneakers.

• City: Detroit
• Founders: Chris Kaufman, Dan Gilbert, Greg Schwartz, Josh Luber
• Industries: E-Commerce, E-Commerce Platforms, Marketplace, Sales, Shoes
• Funding: $690,000,000
• Number of investors: 26 (General Atlantic, DST Global, Battery Ventures, GGV Capital, SV Angel)

60) Blavity

Blavity is a network of platforms and brands that cater to the diverse needs of Black millennials and Generation Z.

• Founders: Aaron Samuels, Jeff Nelson, Jonathan Jackson, Morgan DeBaun
• Industries: Communities, Digital Media, Social Media
• Funding: $9,359,798
• Number of investors: 9 (500 Startups, GV, MaC Venture Capital, Comcast Ventures, Harlem Capital Partners)

Ecwid is an e-commerce firm that supplies small businesses with software-as-a-service e-commerce solutions.

• City: Encinitas
• Started in: 2009
• Founders: Ruslan Fazlyev
• Industries: E-Commerce, Internet, Point of Sale, SaaS, Small and Medium Businesses
• Funding: $48,500,000
• Number of investors: 5 (Runa Capital, Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital, PeakSpan Capital, iTech Capital, Trestle Partners)

62) Affectiva

Affectiva is a company that makes software that recognizes emotions by analyzing minor facial and speech cues.

• Founders: Rana el Kaliouby, Rosalind Picard
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Vehicles, Digital Marketing, Fleet Management, Human Computer Interaction, Machine Learning, Market Research, Ride Sharing, Software
• Funding: $62,550,000
• Number of investors: 17 (National Science Foundation, Horizons Ventures, Pegasus Tech Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, MIT Media Lab)

63) Pear Therapeutics

Pear Therapeutics is a software-based digital therapeutics platform that aims to improve the efficacy of drugs and treat disease.

• Founders: Corey McCann, Stephen Smith, William Greene
• Industries: Biotechnology, mHealth, Pharmaceutical, Software, Therapeutics
• Funding: $284,000,000
• Number of investors: 17 (SoftBank Vision Fund, Novartis, Temasek Holdings, Perceptive Advisors, EDBI)

Bambee is a platform that allows small and medium-sized enterprises to hire HR managers at a low cost.

• Founders: Allan Jones
• Industries: Human Resources, Professional Services, SaaS, Software
• Funding: $33,000,000
• Number of investors: 7 (QED Investors, Greycroft, Alpha Edison, Mucker Capital, Steve Goodman)

65) ExtraHop

ExtraHop delivers total visibility, real-time detection, and intelligent reaction through cloud-native network detection and response.

• Founders: Jesse Rothstein, Raja Mukerji
• Industries: Cyber Security, Enterprise Software, IT Management, Network Security, Software
• Funding: $61,600,000
• Number of investors: 6 (TCV, Madrona Venture Group, Meritech Capital Partners, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz)

66) Formlabs

Formlabs creates easy-to-use 3D fabrication tools for producing complex figures.

• City: Somerville
• Founders: David Cranor, Maxim Lobovsky, Natan Linder
• Industries: 3D Printing, 3D Technology, Consumer Electronics, Hardware
• Funding: $253,699,968
• Number of investors: 24 (SoftBank Vision Fund, New Enterprise Associates, SOSV, Acequia Capital (AceCap), Autodesk)

67) Gate.io

Gate.io is a cryptocurrency exchange.

• City: Malta
• Industries: Angel Investment, Cryptocurrency, Cyber Security, FinTech, Information Technology, Security, Trade Shows, Trading Platform
• Funding: $64,000,000
• Number of investors: 1 (5 BLOCKS CAPITAL)

68) Cambridge Mobile Telematics

DriveWell is a full telematics and behavioral analytics system developed by Cambridge Mobile Telematics to increase safety.

• City: Cambridge-US
• Founders: Bill Powers, Hari Balakrishnan, Sam Madden, Tim Vogel
• Industries: Insurance, Mobile, Public Safety, Transportation
• Funding: $502,500,000
• Number of investors: 1 (SoftBank Vision Fund)

69) Iora Health

Iora Health is a healthcare startup that assists patients in navigating the healthcare system and managing their health.

• Founders: Christopher McKown, Rushika Fernandopulle
• Industries: Health Care, Medical, Medical Device
• Funding: $349,250,000
• Number of investors: 15 (Khosla Ventures, Temasek Holdings, Polaris Partners, Cox Enterprises, Humana)

BitPay offers businesses and organizations enterprise-grade bitcoin payment solutions.

• Founders: Anthony Gallippi, Stephen Pair
• Industries: Bitcoin, Finance, FinTech, Payments, Peer to Peer, Software
• Funding: $72,510,000
• Number of investors: 28 (Index Ventures, Founders Fund, Digital Currency Group, Felicis Ventures, Menlo Ventures)

PathAI is working on technology that will help pathologists make accurate and timely diagnosis for every patient.

• Founders: Aditya Khosla, Andrew Beck
• Industries: Health Care, Health Diagnostics
• Funding: $255,200,000
• Number of investors: 18 (General Catalyst, General Atlantic, Bristol-Myers Squibb, LabCorp, Tiger Global Management)

72) Boston Dynamics

Boston Dynamics is an engineering firm specializing in the development of dynamic robotics and software for human simulation.

• City: Waltham
• Started in: 1992
• Founders: Marc Raibert
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Hardware, Industrial Engineering, Robotics, Software
• Number of investors: 1 (SoftBank)

Auth0 is an online, mobile, IoT, and internal application identity management platform.

• Founders: Eugenio Pace, Matias Woloski
• Industries: Developer APIs, Enterprise Software, Identity Management, Information Technology
• Funding: $332,275,000
• Number of investors: 16 (Bessemer Venture Partners, Salesforce Ventures, Sapphire Ventures, Trinity Ventures, Silicon Valley Bank)

74) Outdoorsy

Outdoorsy is an online marketplace that links RV owners with campers.

• State: Texas
• City: Austin
• Founders: Jeff Cavins, Jennifer Young, Ryan Quinn, Tyler Stillwater
• Industries: Internet, Marketplace, Peer to Peer
• Funding: $195,120,000
• Number of investors: 14 (ADAR1 Partners, iAngels, Altos Ventures, Greenspring Associates, Autotech Ventures)

75) Bitwise Industries

Bitwise is a technology ecosystem that gives people in underserved communities access to resources.

• City: Fresno
• Founders: Irma Olguin, Jake Soberal
• Industries: Education, Software, Training
• Funding: $83,350,000
• Number of investors: 26 (Reach Capital, Kapor Capital, Portfolia, Acumen, JP Morgan Chase)

76) LegalZoom

LegalZoom is a technological platform that allows anyone to get professional legal assistance and protect what matters most to them.

• City: Glendale
• Started in: 1999
• Founders: Brian Lee, Eddie Hartman
• Industries: Consulting, Legal, Legal Tech, Professional Services
• Funding: $811,000,000
• Number of investors: 11 (Francisco Partners, TCV, Polaris Partners, Neuberger Berman Group, TA Associates)

77) Morning Consult

Morning Consult is a multinational enterprise technology firm that provides smart data to help leaders make better decisions.

• Founders: Alex Dulin, Kyle Dropp, Michael Ramlet
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Business Intelligence, Consumer Research, Information Technology, Market Research
• Funding: $91,030,000
• Number of investors: 3 (Susquehanna Growth Equity, Lupa Systems, Advance Venture Partners)

78) Punchbowl

Punchbowl is a web-based software platform that provides party planning services as well as personalized digital invites and greeting cards.

• City: Framingham
• Founders: Matt Douglas, Sean Conta
• Industries: Enterprise Software, Events, Information Technology, SaaS, Software, Video
• Funding: $14,798,482
• Number of investors: 7 (Intel Capital, Silicon Valley Bank, Contour Venture Partners, Dharmesh Shah, SG Credit Partners)

79) Greenlight Guru

The only quality management software platform built particularly for medical device companies is Greenlight Guru.

• State: Indiana
• City: Indianapolis
• Founders: David DeRam, Jon Speer
• Industries: Enterprise Software, Medical Device, Risk Management, Software
• Funding: $121,250,000
• Number of investors: 1 (JMI Equity)

80) Nearpod

Nearpod is an edtech platform that allows teachers in grades K-12 to create interactive presentations with films, quizzes, and other activities.

• City: Dania
• Founders: Emiliano Abramzon, Felipe Sommer, Guido Kovalskys
• Industries: E-Learning, EdTech, Education, Mobile Apps, Skill Assessment, Virtual Reality
• Funding: $30,700,000
• Number of investors: 20 (Reach Capital, Insight Partners, GSV Ventures, Emerson Collective, StartX (Stanford-StartX Fund))

81) Argo AI

Argo AI is a business that develops self-driving technology platforms.

• City: Pittsburgh
• Founders: Bryan Salesky, Peter Rander
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Vehicles, Robotics, Transportation
• Funding: $3,600,000,000
• Number of investors: 2 (Ford Motor, Volkswagen Group)

NYMBUS is a banking technology solutions provider that helps financial institutions innovate and prosper.

• City: Miami Beach
• Founders: Alex Lopatine, Scott W. Killoh
• Industries: Banking, FinTech, Information Technology, Software
• Funding: $118,421,264
• Number of investors: 5 (Insight Partners, Home Credit Group, Curql, Financial Services Capital Partners, Vensure Enterprises)

83) H.I.G. Capital

With $42 billion in equity money under management, H.I.G. Capital is a global private equity and alternative asset investing organization.

• Started in: 1993
• Founders: Sami Mnaymneh, Tony Tamer
• Industries: Credit, Finance, Financial Services, Insurance, Real Estate
• Funding: $37,496,196
• Number of investors: 1 (Dyal Capital Partners)

84) Recorded Future

Recorded Future is the world's leading provider of enterprise security intelligence.

• Founders: Christopher Ahlberg, Erik Wistrand, Jan Sparud, Staffan Truve
• Industries: Analytics, Cyber Security, Real Time, Software
• Funding: $57,900,000
• Number of investors: 8 (GV, Insight Partners, Balderton Capital, Accomplice, In-Q-Tel)

Immuta is a cloud-native data governance software that automates data access management, security, and privacy compliance for enterprises.

• Founders: Matthew Carroll, Michael Schiller, Sapan Shah, Steven Touw
• Industries: Analytics, Big Data, Cyber Security, Software
• Funding: $158,200,000
• Number of investors: 18 (Intel Capital, Citi Ventures, Greenspring Associates, Dell Technologies Capital, March Capital)

86) OfferUp

People may buy and sell electronics, furniture, and cars on OfferUp's online and mobile C2C marketplace app.

• Founders: Arean van Veelen, Nick Huzar
• Industries: Apps, Classifieds, E-Commerce, E-Commerce Platforms, Marketplace, Mobile, Mobile Payments
• Funding: $380,985,067
• Number of investors: 16 (GGV Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Tiger Global Management, T. Rowe Price, Coatue)

Mapbox is a platform for mobile and online applications that uses location data.

• Founders: Bonnie Bogle, Eric Gundersen
• Industries: Automotive, Business Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Data Visualization, Enterprise Software, Location Based Services, Mapping Services, Open Source
• Funding: $334,175,000
• Number of investors: 10 (SoftBank Vision Fund, Foundry Group, DFJ Growth, DBL Partners, Thrive Capital)

Briq is a building sector financial forecasting and data analytics tool.

• City: Santa Barbara
• Founders: Bassem Hamdy, Ron Goldshmidt
• Industries: Construction, Industrial Automation, Infrastructure, Productivity Tools, Software
• Funding: $46,000,000
• Number of investors: 5 (Tiger Global Management, MetaProp, Eniac Ventures, Blackhorn Ventures, Darling Ventures)

89) Workrise

Workrise is an energy industry marketplace for on-demand services and professional workers.

• Founders: Michael Witte, Sandeep Jain, Xuan Yong
• Industries: Energy, Human Resources, Marketplace, Online Portals
• Funding: $752,499,542
• Number of investors: 22 (Founders Fund, FJ Labs, Andreessen Horowitz, BoxGroup, Greenspring Associates)

90) Kabbage

Kabbage is a fintech company that helps small businesses manage their cash flow.

• Founders: Kathryn Petralia, Marc Gorlin, Rob Frohwein
• Industries: Consumer Lending, Financial Services, FinTech, Lending, Micro Lending
• Funding: $2,450,363,500
• Funding rounds: 16
• Number of investors: 26 (SoftBank, SoftBank Vision Fund, SV Angel, Credit Suisse, Santander Bank)

Sunbit is a local service provider and retailer's buy now, pay later technology.

• Founders: Arad Levertov, Ornit Dweck-Maizel, Tal Riesenfeld, Tamir Hazan
• Industries: E-Commerce, Finance, FinTech, Retail
• Funding: $209,970,000
• Number of investors: 17 (Alumni Ventures Group, AltaIR Capital, G Squared, Zeev Ventures, Group 11)

92) Plex Systems

Plex Systems manufactures goods using a smart manufacturing platform.

• Started in: 1995
• Founders: Jerry Foster
• Industries: Cloud Computing, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Manufacturing, Software
• Funding: $186,500,000
• Number of investors: 4 (Francisco Partners, T. Rowe Price, Accel, Apax Partners)

93) FiscalNote

FiscalNote delivers predictive analytics on government data using artificial intelligence and big data to estimate its impact.

• Founders: Chris Brummer, Gerald Yao, Jonathan Chen, Tim Hwang
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Government, GovTech, Predictive Analytics
• Funding: $210,231,500
• Funding rounds: 14
• Number of investors: 54 (New Enterprise Associates, Mark Cuban, Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, AME Cloud Ventures, 645 Ventures)

94) Greenlight

Greenlight is a fintech startup that offers a debit card that allows parents to keep track of their children's spending.

• Founders: Johnson Cook, Timothy Sheehan
• Industries: Debit Cards, Financial Services, FinTech, Payments
• Funding: $556,500,000
• Number of investors: 26 (DST Global, New Enterprise Associates, Andreessen Horowitz, Goodwater Capital, Relay Ventures)

95) Printful

Printful is a print-on-demand fulfillment and drop-shipping firm that lets people transform their ideas into brands and products.

• State: North Carolina
• City: Charlotte
• Founders: Davis Siksnans, Lauris Liberts
• Industries: Delivery, E-Commerce, Fashion, Printing, Shipping
• Funding: $130,000,000
• Number of investors: 1 (Bregal Sagemount)

96) Poparazzi

Users can establish social profiles for their friends on Poparazzi, a photo-sharing software.

• City: Marina Del Rey
• Founders: Alex Ma, Austen Ma, Zay Turner
• Industries: Mobile Apps, Photo Sharing, Social Media
• Funding: $20,000,000
• Number of investors: 1 (Benchmark)

Genies is an avatar technology firm that creates avatars for individuals and groups.

• City: Venice
• Founders: Akash Nigam, Evan Rosenbaum, Jake Adams, Matt Geiger
• Industries: Internet, Media and Entertainment, Mobile, Mobile Apps
• Funding: $116,964,358
• Number of investors: 57 (Dapper Labs, Polychain, New Enterprise Associates, Foundation Capital, NetEase)

98) Kin Insurance

Kin Insurance is an insurtech firm that specializes in providing customized house insurance policies.

• Founders: Lucas Ward, Sean Harper, Sebastian Villarreal, Stephen Wooten
• Industries: Financial Services, Insurance, InsurTech, Property Insurance
• Funding: $156,164,957
• Number of investors: 33 (QED Investors, 500 Startups, Flourish Ventures, Commerce Ventures, August Capital)

99) CareAcademy

In order to assist the elderly population to remain in their homes, CareAcademy creates online training for senior care workers.

• Founders: Helen Adeosun, Madhuri Reddy
• Industries: Education, Health Care, Home Health Care, Training
• Funding: $13,045,000
• Number of investors: 19 (Techstars, Backstage Capital, MassChallenge, Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, Impact America Fund)

Wheel is a healthcare technology business that powers Virtual Care and Telehealth by bringing together the technology infrastructure and clinicians.

• Founders: Griffin Mulcahey, Michelle Davey, Philip Johnson
• Industries: Health Care, Human Resources, Information Technology, Medical, Recruiting
• Funding: $65,600,000
• Number of investors: 6 (CRV, JP Morgan, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Tusk Venture Partners, Silverton Partners)

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101) Somatus

Somatus is a healthcare company that collaborates with health insurers, health systems, nephrology clinics, and primary care practices.

• City: Mclean
• Founders: Anthony Welters, Ikenna Okezie
• Industries: Health Care, Health Diagnostics, Medical
• Funding: $80,000,000
• Number of investors: 9 (Deerfield Management, Optum Ventures, Longitude Capital, Town Hall Ventures, Flare Capital Partners)

Avant is an online lending platform that provides secure financial products to its customers.

• Founders: Al Goldstein, John Sun, Paul Zhang
• Industries: Consumer Lending, Finance, Financial Services, FinTech, Lending, Marketplace
• Funding: $1,582,900,814
• Number of investors: 17 (Founders Fund, General Atlantic, QED Investors, Tiger Global Management, RRE Ventures)

103) ShipBob

ShipBob is a technology business that helps direct-to-consumer brands fulfill e-commerce purchases.

• Founders: Dhruv Saxena, Divey Gulati, George Wojciechowski, Jivko Bojinov
• Industries: E-Commerce, Logistics, Mobile, SaaS, Shipping, Software
• Funding: $130,500,000
• Number of investors: 29 (SoftBank Vision Fund, FundersClub, FJ Labs, Menlo Ventures, SV Angel)

104) ProducePay

ProducePay is an agriculture fintech startup that offers fresh produce growers funding, analytics, and marketplace capabilities.

• Founders: Ben Dusastre, Pablo Schwarzbeck
• Industries: Agriculture, Farming, Financial Services, FinTech, Payments
• Funding: $342,900,000
• Number of investors: 27 (FJ Labs, 500 Startups, Menlo Ventures, International Finance Corporation, CoVenture)

105) OneTrust

OneTrust assists businesses in meeting privacy, security, and governance needs in a continuously changing regulatory environment.

• Founders: Kabir Barday
• Industries: Compliance, Privacy, Risk Management, Software
• Funding: $920,000,000
• Number of investors: 5 (SoftBank Vision Fund, TCV, Insight Partners, Coatue, Franklin Templeton Investments)

106) Leafly

Leafly is the leading cannabis marketplace and resource in the world.

• Founders: Brian Wansolich, Cy Scott, Scott Vickers
• Industries: Cannabis, Marketing, Mobile
• Funding: $40,808,437
• Number of investors: 1 (Fireman Capital Partners)

Bakkt is a digital currency-focused financial services firm that specializes on concurrency, incentives, and loyalty points.

• Founders: Adam White, Kelly L. Loeffler, Mike Blandina
• Industries: Cryptocurrency, Financial Services, FinTech, Loyalty Programs
• Funding: $482,500,000
• Number of investors: 16 (Galaxy Digital, Pantera Capital, Horizons Ventures, Alan Howard, SGH CAPITAL)

Cyble is a cyber intelligence firm that provides darkweb and cybercrime monitoring and mitigation services to businesses.

• Founders: Beenu Arora, Manish Chachada
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Security, Cyber Security, Network Security, Risk Management
• Funding: $4,607,000
• Number of investors: 8 (Y Combinator, Blackbird Ventures, Picus Capital, Singtel Innov8, January Capital)

Dispo is a social network for digital disposable cameras.

• Founders: Daniel Liss, David Dobrik, Natalie Mariduena
• Industries: Internet, Mobile, Photo Sharing, Photography, Social Network
• Funding: $24,000,000
• Number of investors: 18 (Seven Seven Six, Kevin Durant, Shrug Capital, Unshackled Ventures, Weekend Fund)

110) Corvus Insurance

Corvus Insurance is a commercial insurance company that uses artificial intelligence to help brokers and clients predict and avoid risk.

• Founders: James McElhiney, Mike Lloyd, Philip Edmundson
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Insurance, InsurTech
• Funding: $160,800,033
• Number of investors: 9 (Bain Capital Ventures, Insight Partners, Obvious Ventures, .406 Ventures, Telstra Ventures)

Spiff is a revenue and sales compensation software that automates complex commission processes and motivates salespeople.

• State: Utah
• City: Sandy
• Founders: Albert Candari, Casey Crouch, Jean-Philippe Maitre, Jeron Paul, Matt Stapleton, Mike Ries, Tanner Lacey, Travis Ashby
• Industries: Financial Services, FinTech, Sales, Sales Automation, Software
• Funding: $62,000,000
• Number of investors: 18 (Salesforce Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Stripes, Peterson Ventures)

112) Cybereason

Cybereason is an endpoint detection and response technology that detects and responds to cyber threats.

• Founders: Lior Div, Yonatan Amit, Yossi Naar
• Industries: Cyber Security, Enterprise Software, Intrusion Detection, Real Time
• Funding: $388,600,000
• Number of investors: 5 (SoftBank, Spark Capital, CRV, Lockheed Martin, Vintage Investment Partners)

113) Huntress

Huntress is a cybersecurity firm that aids in the detection of concealed dangers that elude traditional security measures.

• City: Ellicott City
• Founders: Chris Bisnett, John Ferrell, Kyle Hanslovan
• Industries: Cyber Security, Information Technology, Software
• Funding: $59,760,000
• Number of investors: 9 (Highland Capital Partners, JMI Equity, SaaS Ventures, Blu Venture Investors, StoneMill Ventures)

Olive has created a workforce of artificial intelligence for the health-care industry.

• Founders: Bradley Mascho, Sean Lane
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Health Care, Information Technology, Machine Learning, Robotics, Software
• Funding: $456,322,171
• Number of investors: 16 (General Catalyst, Khosla Ventures, Tiger Global Management, GV, Oak HC/FT)

DISQO is a platform for audience insights where actual people exchange knowledge that improves the human experience.

• Founders: Armen Adjemian, Armen Petrosian, Drew Kucharian
• Industries: Analytics, Consumer Research, Information Technology, Market Research, SaaS
• Funding: $16,500,000
• Number of investors: 2 (Alpha Edison, Bonfire Ventures)

116) Salsify

Salsify helps businesses by providing solutions for tracking and analyzing inventory, product presentation, and sales on digital shelves.

• Founders: Jason Purcell, Jeremy Redburn, Rob Gonzalez
• Industries: Analytics, Cloud Computing, E-Commerce, Management Information Systems, Software
• Funding: $252,600,000
• Number of investors: 7 (Greenspring Associates, Matrix Partners, Warburg Pincus, Venrock, Underscore VC)

117) MachineMetrics

MachineMetrics is a real-time data analytics and machine monitoring platform for the Industrial Internet of Things.

• City: Northampton
• Founders: Bill Bither, Eric Fogg, Jacob Lauzier
• Industries: Analytics, Industrial Automation, Internet, Manufacturing, Predictive Analytics, SaaS, Software
• Funding: $37,654,263
• Number of investors: 11 (Bolt, MassVentures, Firebolt Ventures, Hyperplane Venture Capital, Tola Capital)

Minds is a cryptocurrency social network and private messaging software that pays members in cryptocurrency for their online services.

• State: Connecticut
• City: Wilton
• Founders: Bill Ottman, Ian Crossland, Jack Ottman, John B. Ottman, Mark Harding
• Industries: Blockchain, Blogging Platforms, Cryptocurrency, Ethereum, Peer to Peer, Photography, Social Network, Social News, Video, Video Chat
• Funding: $17,381,300
• Number of investors: 2 (Medici Ventures, Futo)

119) Oyster

Oyster is a human resources platform for enterprises with a global footprint.

• Founders: Jack Mardack, Tony Jamous
• Industries: Employment, Human Resources, Software
• Funding: $74,200,000
• Number of investors: 12 (Taavet Hinrikus, Emergence, Stripes, Kima Ventures, Slack Fund)

120) Curate

Curate offers full-service event, COGS, and rental management.

• State: Missouri
• City: Saint Louis
• Founders: Ben Glass, Bria Cavitt, Holly Dechelle Smith, Rachael O’Neil, Ryan O'Neil, Zach Errant
• Industries: Event Management, Events, Software
• Funding: $1,750,000
• Number of investors: 5 (Cultivation Capital, OCA Ventures, Stout Street Capital, Jim McKelvey, Cliff Holekamp)

121) Indigo

Indigo improves grower profitability, sustainability, and consumer health by combining natural microbiology with digital technologies.

• Founders: Geoffrey von Maltzahn, Ignacio Martinez, Noubar Afeyan
• Industries: Agriculture, AgTech, Farming, GreenTech
• Funding: $1,169,000,000
• Number of investors: 12 (G Squared, Flagship Pioneering, Baillie Gifford, FedEx, Olive Tree Capital)

122) Thrilling

Thrilling is an online marketplace that sells antique and secondhand things that have been carefully selected.

• Founders: Brad Mallow, Shilla Kim-Parker
• Industries: E-Commerce, Fashion
• Funding: $10,600,000
• Number of investors: 7 (Defy.vc, Prelude Ventures, Congruent Ventures, Closed Loop Partners, DLA Piper)

Esper is a DevOps platform for intelligent edge devices based on Android.

• Founders: Shiv Sundar, Yadhu Gopalan
• Industries: Application Performance Management, Enterprise Applications, Security, Software
• Funding: $41,724,998
• Number of investors: 10 (Gaingels, Madrona Venture Group, Tech Coast Angels, Haystack, Scale Venture Partners)

124) Kajabi

Kajabi is an online knowledge e-commerce platform that assists entrepreneurs in creating, marketing, and selling instructional content.

• City: Irvine
• Founders: Kenny Rueter, Travis Rosser
• Industries: CRM, EdTech, Lead Generation, Marketing, Software
• Funding: $550,000,000
• Number of investors: 6 (Tiger Global Management, TPG, Owl Rock Capital, Meritech Capital Partners, Spectrum Equity)

125) FreightWaves

FreightWaves is a data and content forum that provides near-real-time statistics to market participants.

• State: Tennessee
• City: Chattanooga
• Founders: Craig Fuller
• Industries: Analytics, Freight Service, Logistics, SaaS, Transportation
• Funding: $92,400,000
• Number of investors: 19 (Apple, 8VC, Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, Hearst Ventures, Revolution)

126) Pindrop

To boost call center efficiency and prevent fraudulent transactions, Pindrop employs AI-based IVR Authentication and Anti-Fraud Solutions.

• Founders: Dr. Mustaque Ahamad, Paul Judge, Vijay Balasubramaniyan
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Fraud Detection, Security, Software
• Funding: $219,599,996
• Number of investors: 25 (Goldman Sachs, Andreessen Horowitz, Felicis Ventures, GV, Citi Ventures)

127) JumpCloud

JumpCloud is an open directory platform that enables secure, frictionless access to any resource, from any device, from any location.

• City: Louisville
• Founders: David Campbell, Larry Middle, Rajat Bhargava
• Industries: Computer, Enterprise Software, Information Technology, SaaS, Security, Software
• Funding: $191,717,501
• Number of investors: 14 (OurCrowd, General Atlantic, Techstars, Foundry Group, Ridge Ventures)

WHOOP is a performance optimization system that helps athletes improve their performance by tracking their recuperation, training, and sleeping hours.

• Founders: Aurelian Nicolae, John Capodilupo, Will Ahmed
• Industries: Fitness, Sports, Wearables, Wellness
• Funding: $204,751,000
• Number of investors: 33 (SoftBank Vision Fund, Collaborative Fund, LionTree, Institutional Venture Partners, NextView Ventures)

129) Apeel Sciences

Apeel Sciences creates fresh produce shelf life extension technology derived from plants, which enhances quality and decreases food waste.

• City: Goleta
• Founders: James Rogers
• Industries: Advanced Materials, Agriculture, AgTech, Biotechnology, Waste Management
• Funding: $390,100,564
• Number of investors: 21 (Temasek Holdings, Andreessen Horowitz, GIC, Invoca, International Finance Corporation)

130) Branch Insurance

Branch Insurance is the only business that can combine home and auto insurance in a single transaction.

• Founders: Joe Emison, Steve Lekas
• Industries: Auto Insurance, Insurance, InsurTech, Property Insurance
• Funding: $82,500,000
• Number of investors: 13 (Foundation Capital, SignalFire, Anthemis Group, Greycroft, Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund)

SES is a maker of electric car Hybrid Li-Metal Batteries.

• City: Woburn
• Founders: Qichao Hu
• Industries: Battery, Electric Vehicle, Electronics, Manufacturing
• Funding: $225,114,997
• Number of investors: 17 (Khosla Ventures, Temasek Holdings, Vertex Ventures, General Motors, MassVentures)

132) ServiceTitan

ServiceTitan is a service management software that assists home service organizations in generating more leads and closing more deals.

• Founders: Ara Mahdessian, Vahe Kuzoyan
• Industries: CRM, Home Services, Information Technology, Real Estate, SaaS, Software
• Funding: $899,777,129
• Number of investors: 15 (Index Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Battery Ventures, Tiger Global Management, T. Rowe Price)

133) Thoughtworks

Thoughtworks is a group of dedicated people who want to change the way software is designed, created, and delivered.

• Founders: Roy Singham
• Industries: Consulting, Information Technology, Open Source, Software
• Funding: $748,000,000
• Number of investors: 6 (Siemens, Fidelity Management and Research Company, GIC, Cowen Group, Mubadala)

Pendo is on a quest to improve the world's software experiences.

• City: Raleigh
• Founders: Eric Boduch, Erik Troan, Rahul Jain, Todd Olson
• Industries: Analytics, Enterprise Software, Guides, SaaS
• Funding: $209,500,000
• Number of investors: 14 (General Atlantic, Salesforce Ventures, Battery Ventures, Spark Capital, Tiger Global Management)

135) Icertis

Icertis is a contract management software driven by AI that verifies compliance and reduces risk.

• Founders: Monish Darda, Samir Bodas
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Data Services, CRM, Enterprise Software, Information Technology, Procurement, SaaS, Software
• Funding: $291,000,000
• Number of investors: 10 (B Capital Group, Greycroft, Eight Roads Ventures, PremjiInvest, Headline)

136) Flourish Software

Flourish Software is a cannabis and hemp supply chain management “seed to sale tracking” tool.

• Founders: Bennett Adams, Colton Griffin, Juan Carlos Garcia
• Industries: AgTech, Cannabis, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Software, Supply Chain Management
• Funding: $2,100,000
• Number of investors: 5 (Quixotic Ventures, Krillion Ventures, 7thirty Capital, Mark Kingdon, Mike Dowdle)

137) Ellucian

Ellucian provides your institution with the tools, services, and insights it needs to succeed.

• City: Fairfax
• Started in: 1968
• Founders: E. G. Kendrick
• Industries: Education, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Information Technology, Software
• Funding: $1,600,000,000
• Number of investors: 8 (Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Barclays, JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank)

138) Wasabi Technologies

Wasabi is a popular cloud storage provider that offers affordable and secure cloud storage options.

• Founders: David Friend, Jeff Flowers
• Industries: Cloud Computing, Cloud Data Services, Cloud Storage, Database, Information Technology
• Funding: $286,236,648
• Funding rounds: 15
• Number of investors: 21 (Alumni Ventures Group, Fidelity Management and Research Company, Blue Ivy Ventures, rocketship.vc, Almanack Family Office)

139) Fetch Rewards

Fetch Rewards is a mobile shopping app that rewards customers for purchasing their favorite items.

• State: Wisconsin
• City: Madison
• Founders: Daniel Litvak, Tyler Kennedy, Wes Schroll
• Industries: E-Commerce, Grocery, Loyalty Programs, Mobile Apps, Shopping
• Funding: $341,849,943
• Number of investors: 10 (SoftBank Vision Fund, DST Global, ICONIQ Capital, Greycroft, Great Oaks Venture Capital)

140) DispatchHealth

DispatchHealth provides mobile and virtual healthcare in the comfort of people's homes for people of all ages.

• City: Denver
• Founders: Kevin Riddleberger, Mark Prather
• Industries: Health Care, Home Health Care, Medical, mHealth
• Funding: $403,200,000
• Number of investors: 8 (Tiger Global Management, Oak HC/FT, Humana, Optum Ventures, US Acute Care Solutions)

AbSci is a synthetic biology firm that translates and unifies the processes of biologic drug discovery and development.

• City: Vancouver
• Founders: Sean McClain
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Biopharma, Biotechnology, Life Science, Machine Learning
• Funding: $237,859,989
• Number of investors: 22 (Fidelity Management and Research Company, Casdin Capital, Perceptive Advisors, Redmile Group, Oregon Venture Fund)

Perch is a technology-driven company that purchases and expands direct-to-consumer businesses that are selling on Amazon.

• Founders: Chris Bell
• Industries: Consumer Goods, E-Commerce, Retail
• Funding: $908,750,000
• Number of investors: 7 (Alumni Ventures Group, SoftBank Vision Fund, Spark Capital, Victory Park Capital, Boston Seed Capital)

143) Accept.inc

The first iLender to level the playing field in real estate by allowing homebuyers to make no-cost all-cash offers.

• Founders: Adam Pollack, Ian Perrex, Nate Gruendemann, Nick Friedman
• Industries: Financial Services, Lending, Real Estate
• Funding: $92,103,000
• Number of investors: 6 (SignalFire, Y Combinator, DN Capital, 1517 Fund, John Kobs)

144) Tempus

Tempus is a technology startup that uses artificial intelligence to advance precision medicine in the healthcare industry.

• Founders: Eric Lefkofsky
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Biotechnology, Health Care, Machine Learning, Medical
• Funding: $1,070,000,000
• Number of investors: 10 (Google, New Enterprise Associates, T. Rowe Price, Novo Holdings, Franklin Templeton Investments)

145) Nintex

Nintex makes it easier for enterprise IT workers to build and manage simple to complex business processes.

• Founders: Brett Campbell, Brian Cook
• Industries: Cloud Data Services, Information Technology, SaaS, Software
• Number of investors: 4 (TA Associates, Thoma Bravo, Updata Partners, Harcourts Paramount)

146) o9 Solutions

O9 Solutions is a cloud-based company management software that drives integrated planning and operational digital changes.

• City: Dallas
• Founders: Chakri Gottemukkala, Sanjiv S. Sidhu
• Industries: Analytics, Digital Media, Enterprise Software, SaaS, Software
• Funding: $122,000,000
• Number of investors: 1 (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts)

147) Community

Community is an app that addresses issues of communication and engagement.

• Founders: Charlie Buffin, Josh Rosenheck, Matthew Peltier, Max Levine
• Industries: Communities, Social Media, Telecommunications
• Funding: $40,220,000
• Number of investors: 13 (Techstars, Salesforce Ventures, Twilio, Live Nation Entertainment, Sound Ventures)

IONQ is a company that creates quantum information processors for a variety of applications.

• City: College Park
• Founders: Christopher Monroe, Jungsang Kim
• Industries: Computer, Information Services, Information Technology, Quantum Computing
• Funding: $82,000,000
• Number of investors: 15 (New Enterprise Associates, GV, Amazon, Correlation Ventures, Lockheed Martin)

149) Altruist

Altruist is a FinTech firm that creates a digital investment platform that is free of commissions.

• Founders: Jason Wenk
• Industries: Asset Management, Financial Services, FinTech
• Funding: $58,500,000
• Number of investors: 6 (Insight Partners, Endeavor Catalyst, Venrock, Vanguard, William McNabb)

150) Signal

Signal is a self-contained SaaS company that specializes in data onboarding and real-time identity resolution.

• Founders: Eric Lunt, Marc Kiven, Mike Sands
• Industries: Analytics, Cloud Computing, Data Integration, Enterprise Software, Marketing, Marketing Automation, Project Management, SaaS
• Funding: $60,100,000
• Number of investors: 10 (Silicon Valley Bank, Baird Capital, EPIC Ventures, TomorrowVentures, Yahoo! Japan)

151) Gig Wage

Gig Wage is a fintech payroll firm that caters to independent contractors and gig workers.

• Founders: Craig Jamal Lewis
• Industries: Employee Benefits, Financial Services, FinTech, Human Resources, Payments, SaaS
• Funding: $13,220,000
• Number of investors: 11 (Techstars, MassChallenge, Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, Revolution, Green Dot)

152) OutSystems

OutSystems is a low-code platform for developing, deploying, and managing enterprise-grade apps.

• Started in: 2001
• Founders: Paulo Rosado, Rui Pereira
• Industries: Data Integration, Developer Platform, Developer Tools, PaaS, SaaS, Software
• Funding: $572,081,804
• Number of investors: 12 (Goldman Sachs, General Atlantic, Tiger Global Management, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, GS Growth)

153) InMarket

InMarket provides a self-service location-based technology that captures accurate customer location data and helps campaigns perform better.

• Founders: Mark DiPaola, Todd Dipaola
• Industries: Advertising, Apps, Internet, Location Based Services, Loyalty Programs, Mobile, Retail, SaaS, Shopping
• Funding: $12,500,000
• Number of investors: 2 (Mark DiPaola, Todd Dipaola)

154) Sporttrade

Sporttrade is the most dynamic sports betting platform in the United States. Stock trading meets sports betting.

• State: New Jersey
• City: Camden
• Founders: Alexander (Alex) Kane, Henry Fuz
• Industries: Computer, FinTech, Marketplace
• Funding: $36,000,000
• Number of investors: 9 (Techstars, Jump Capital, Impression Ventures, Nasdaq Ventures, Tower Research Capital, LLC.)

155) Invoca

Invoca is a company that specializes in inbound call marketing, call monitoring, call intelligence, and pay-per-call marketing.

• Founders: Colin Kelley, Jason Spievak, Robert Duva
• Industries: Advertising, Analytics, Call Center, Digital Marketing, Enterprise Software, Marketing, Marketing Automation, Telecommunications
• Funding: $118,499,998
• Number of investors: 9 (Salesforce Ventures, Accel, Upfront Ventures, Bonfire Ventures, StepStone Group)

156) Thrive Market

Thrive Market is an online membership-based business that sells natural and organic goods.

• Founders: Gunnar Lovelace, Kate Mulling, Nicholas Green, Nick Green, Sasha Siddhartha
• Industries: Beauty, E-Commerce, Grocery, Health Care, Retail, Shopping
• Funding: $241,400,000
• Number of investors: 30 (Kapor Capital, Invus, Scott Belsky, Greycroft, Compound)

157) Tanium

Tanium is a security and systems management platform that allows for enterprise-wide real-time data collection.

• City: Kirkland
• Founders: David Hindawi, Orion Hindawi
• Industries: Cyber Security, Enterprise Software, Information Technology, SaaS, Security, Software
• Funding: $1,049,991,919
• Number of investors: 15 (Salesforce Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Fidelity Management and Research Company, Citi Ventures, T. Rowe Price)

158) Hydrosat

Hydrosat is a satellite data company that transforms satellite pictures into useful goods for agriculture and related industries.

• Founders: Jakob Van Zyl, Pieter Fossel, Royce Dalby, Yunjin Kim
• Industries: Aerospace, AgTech, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Geospatial, Information Services, Machine Learning
• Funding: $10,623,002
• Number of investors: 11 (Techstars, The Yield Lab, Cultivation Capital, U.S. Department of Defense, Industrious Ventures)

159) Valo Health

Valo Health transforms the drug discovery and development process by combining human-centric data with machine learning-anchored computing.

• Founders: David Berry
• Industries: Biotechnology, Health Care, Medical
• Funding: $400,000,000
• Number of investors: 8 (Invus, Flagship Pioneering, Koch Disruptive Technologies, Mirae Asset Capital, HBM Healthcare Investments AG)

160) SalesLoft

SalesLoft is a sales engagement platform that assists sales companies in providing a better customer experience.

• Founders: David Cummings, Kyle Porter, Rob Forman, Tim Dorr
• Industries: Email, SaaS, Sales, Sales Automation
• Funding: $245,700,000
• Number of investors: 13 (Techstars, Insight Partners, Endeavor Catalyst, Emergence, LinkedIn)

161) Podium

Podium is a customer communication tool for firms who deal with local customers.

• Founders: Dennis Steele, Eric Rea
• Industries: Consumer Reviews, Local Business, Messaging, Reputation, SaaS, Small and Medium Businesses, Software
• Funding: $218,120,000
• Number of investors: 10 (GV, Sapphire Ventures, Y Combinator, Accel, Institutional Venture Partners)

162) MK Decision

MK Decision's objective is to assist community financial institutions in becoming more successful by increasing deposits and lending.

• Founders: Guru Dharam Khalsa, Har Rai Khalsa
• Industries: Banking, Credit, Credit Bureau, Credit Cards, Financial Services, FinTech, Lending, Risk Management, Web Apps
• Funding: $1,079,000

Hudl is a software platform that provides sports teams with video analysis and coaching capabilities.

• State: Nebraska
• City: Lincoln
• Founders: Brian Kaiser, David Graff, John Wirtz
• Industries: Software, Sports, Video
• Funding: $228,850,000
• Number of investors: 5 (Accel, Bain Capital Tech Opportunities, Nelnet, Jeff Raikes, Tricia Raikes)

164) VideoAmp

Advertisers may use the VideoAmp Platform to optimize their complete linear TV, OTT, and digital video portfolios for results.

• Founders: Dave Gullo, Ross McCray
• Industries: Advertising, Advertising Platforms, Business Intelligence, Digital Media
• Funding: $181,600,000
• Number of investors: 18 (GoAhead Ventures, Third Wave Digital, The Raine Group, Wavemaker Partners, Anthem Venture Partners)

Lucid is a visual collaboration tool that allows teams to envision and design the future from concept to completion.

• City: South Jordan
• Founders: Ben Dilts, Darrell Swain, Karl Sun
• Industries: Collaboration, Enterprise Software, Information Technology, Internet, Mobile, Mobile Apps, SaaS, Software
• Funding: $670,462,414
• Number of investors: 19 (500 Startups, Tiger Global Management, GV, ICONIQ Capital, Alkeon Capital)

166) Serenity Kids

Serenity Kids is a baby food company that specializes on nutrient-dense foods that are both delicious for children and convenient for parents.

• Founders: Joe Carr, Serenity Heegel Carr
• Industries: Food and Beverage, Food Processing, Manufacturing
• Funding: $11,500,000
• Number of investors: 21 (CircleUp, Thrive Market, Wild Ventures, Gunnar Lovelace, Joe DeSena)

167) Savage X Fenty

Savage X Fenty is a women's accessories brand that sells lingerie and other fashion items.

• City: El Segundo
• Founders: Robyn Rihanna Fenty
• Industries: E-Commerce, Fashion, Lingerie, Retail, Women's
• Funding: $185,000,000
• Number of investors: 7 (TechStyle Fashion Group, L Catterton, Avenir Growth Capital, ACME Capital, Sunley House Capital Management)

168) Global Data Consortium

The Global Data Consortium is developing a method for corporations to verify their digital identities globally.

• Founders: Bill Spruill, Charles Gaddy
• Industries: Analytics, Information Services, Information Technology, Internet, iOS, Software
• Funding: $3,600,000
• Number of investors: 4 (Village Capital, Refinitiv, VilCap Investments, FinRise)

169) Notarize

Notarize is a remote electronic notary service that allows anyone to notarize a document lawfully online.

• Founders: Adam Pase, Pat Kinsel
• Industries: Legal, Legal Tech, Software
• Funding: $213,337,968
• Number of investors: 17 (Citi Ventures, Polaris Partners, Lennar Corporation, Fifth Wall, Second Century Ventures)

170) Flock Freight

Less-than-truckload (LTL) shippers can share trailer space in a full truckload with Flock Freight's algorithmic pooling system.

• City: Solana Beach
• Founders: Oren Zaslansky
• Industries: Freight Service, Logistics, Shipping, Software, Transportation
• Funding: $184,000,000
• Number of investors: 10 (SoftBank Vision Fund, Foundation Capital, GV, SignalFire, TenOneTen Ventures)

171) Strand Therapeutics

Strand Therapeutics is a biotechnology company that is developing a synthetic biology-based gene therapy platform.

• Founders: Darrell Irvine, Jacob Becraft, Jake Becraft, Ron Weiss, Tasuku Kitada
• Industries: Biotechnology, Therapeutics
• Funding: $58,000,000
• Number of investors: 8 (Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), MassChallenge, Redmile Group, Playground Global, Alexandria Real Estate Equities)

172) Offerpad

Offerpad is a technology-enabled real estate firm that offers a platform for buying and selling homes.

• State: Arizona
• City: Chandler
• Founders: Brian Bair, Jerry Coleman
• Industries: Commercial Real Estate, Real Estate, Real Estate Investment
• Funding: $155,000,000
• Number of investors: 1 (LL Funds)

173) SparkCognition

SparkCognition is a startup that specializes on artificial intelligence technologies for industrial applications.

• Founders: Amir Husain
• Industries: Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Machine Learning, Software
• Funding: $163,581,738
• Number of investors: 26 (Temasek Holdings, March Capital, The Boeing Company, US Department of Energy, Hearst Ventures)

174) Quantum Metric

Quantum Metric is a platform for continuous product creation that enables businesses to create better products faster.

• City: Colorado Springs
• Founders: Mario Ciabarra
• Industries: Analytics, Information Technology, Mobile Apps, SaaS, Software
• Funding: $251,000,000
• Number of investors: 6 (Bain Capital Ventures, Insight Partners, Endeavor Catalyst, Silicon Valley Bank, Uncorrelated Ventures)

175) DealHub.io

DealHub.io is a revenue augmentation technology that ensures continuous sales engagements throughout the sales cycle.

• Founders: Alon Lubin, Eyal Elbahary, Eyal Orgil
• Industries: CRM, E-Commerce Platforms, SaaS, Sales Automation, Software
• Funding: $24,500,000
• Number of investors: 4 (Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP), Israel Growth Partners, Cornerstone Venture Partners, Shaked Ventures)

176) Realtime Robotics

Realtime Robotics creates a technology that allows robots to work together smoothly across deployments with little programming.

• Founders: Dan Sorin, George Konidaris, Peter Howard, Sean Murray, Will Floyd-Jones
• Industries: Industrial Automation, Information Technology, Robotics
• Funding: $47,200,000
• Number of investors: 13 (Toyota Ventures, MassVentures, Scrum Ventures, Heroic Ventures, Omron Ventures)

177) REEF Technology

REEF Technology is a firm that aims to turn static parking lots into flourishing mobility and logistics hubs.

• Founders: Ari Ojalvo, Aziz Ihsanoglu, Philippe Saint Just, Umut Tekin
• Industries: Apps, E-Commerce Platforms, Food Delivery, Information Technology, Last Mile Transportation, Mobile, Real Estate, Virtualization
• Funding: $1,501,900,000
• Number of investors: 7 (SoftBank, SoftBank Vision Fund, Target Global, Oaktree Capital Management, Jon Soberg)

178) Misfits Market

Misfits Market offers an organically sourced produce subscription box service.

• City: Pennsauken
• Founders: Abhi Ramesh
• Industries: E-Commerce, Food and Beverage, Grocery, Organic Food, Subscription Service
• Funding: $301,500,000
• Number of investors: 9 (Greenoaks Capital, Sound Ventures, Accel, Valor Equity Partners, D1 Capital Partners)

179) Liteboxer

Liteboxer is a digital exercise application that offers a fun and effective full-body boxing workout.

• Founders: Jeffrey Morin, Todd Dagres
• Industries: Electronics, Fitness, Health Care, Wellness
• Funding: $26,000,000
• Number of investors: 5 (B. Riley Financial, Raptor Group, Will Ventures, Nimble Ventures, Timothy Mosley)

180) Hedera Hashgraph

Hedera Hashgraph is a decentralized application development platform based on a public distributed ledger.

• City: Richardson
• Founders: Leemon Baird, Mance Harmon
• Industries: Financial Services, Information Services, Quality Assurance, Software
• Funding: $125,000,000
• Number of investors: 19 (Digital Currency Group, IBM, BlockTower Capital, DHVC, Boeing HorizonX Ventures)

Goodr is a long-term surplus food management platform that uses technology to alleviate hunger and prevent food waste.

• Founders: Jasmine Crowe
• Industries: Cloud Data Services, Food Delivery, SaaS, Social Impact, Software, Sustainability, Waste Management
• Funding: $2,850,000
• Number of investors: 16 (Techstars, Backstage Capital, Precursor Ventures, Emerson Collective, Capital One Ventures)

182) The Mom Project

Mom Project is a platform that helps working mothers realize their full potential.

• Founders: Allison Robinson, Gregory Robinson
• Industries: Career Planning, Communities, Human Resources, Internet, Marketplace, Recruiting, Women's
• Funding: $35,600,000
• Number of investors: 17 (Citi Ventures, Initialized Capital, Silicon Valley Bank, Grotech Ventures, IrishAngels)

183) Biobot Analytics

Biobot Analytics is a wastewater epidemiology firm that is repurposing wastewater infrastructure to serve as public health observatories.

• Founders: Mariana Matus, Newsha Ghaeli
• Industries: Analytics, Biotechnology, Health Care
• Funding: $7,165,000
• Number of investors: 26 (Y Combinator, Soma Capital, Liquid 2 Ventures, DCVC, Pioneer Fund)

184) Uptycs

For security analysts, incident response teams, and IT professionals, Uptycs offers a cloud-native security analytics platform.

• Founders: Ganesh Pai, Mike Hluchyj, Milan Shah, Uma Reddy
• Industries: Analytics, Cloud Security, Cyber Security, Information Technology
• Funding: $93,000,000
• Number of investors: 7 (Norwest Venture Partners, Sapphire Ventures, Founder Collective, Comcast Ventures, ServiceNow Ventures)

185) FabFitFun

Subscription services from FabFitFun allow users to discover new brands and products.

• Founders: Daniel Broukhim, Katie Echevarria Rosen Kitchens, Michael Broukhim, Sam Teller
• Industries: E-Commerce, Fashion, Subscription Service, Wellness
• Funding: $83,500,000
• Number of investors: 22 (New Enterprise Associates, 500 Startups, LionTree, G Squared, M13)

186) Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi is an outdoor firm that creates outdoor products and experiences to help people get out of poverty.

• City: Salt Lake City
• Founders: Chad Whittaker, Davis Smith, Stephan Jacob
• Industries: Consumer Goods, E-Commerce, Outdoors, Product Design, Retail
• Funding: $32,149,904
• Number of investors: 20 (New Enterprise Associates, Forerunner Ventures, Lerer Hippeau, Correlation Ventures, Greycroft)

187) Archer

Archer is a company that provides investment managers with a cloud-based technology platform.

• City: Berwyn
• Founders: Robert Lage
• Industries: Cloud Computing, Information Technology, Software
• Number of investors: 2 (NewSpring, LLR Partners)

188) Zipwhip

Zipwhip is a text-enabled phone number service that enables people and organizations have more successful interactions.

• Founders: Anthony Riemma, John Larson, John Lauer, Michael Smyers
• Industries: Cloud Computing, Messaging, SaaS, Software, Telecommunications
• Funding: $91,100,000
• Number of investors: 8 (GS Growth, M12, Voyager Capital, OpenView, GCI Com)

189) Anaconda

Anaconda is a data science platform and modern machine learning's foundation.

• Founders: Hugo Shi, Peter Wang, Travis Oliphant
• Industries: Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Cloud Infrastructure, Enterprise Software, Machine Learning, Open Source
• Funding: $47,099,991
• Number of investors: 3 (General Catalyst, Citi Ventures, BuildGroup)

190) Amount

Amount is a digital technology business that helps financial institutions speed their digital transformation.

• Founders: Al Goldstein
• Industries: Banking, Finance, Financial Services, FinTech
• Funding: $243,000,000
• Number of investors: 9 (Goldman Sachs, QED Investors, Barclays, Invus, GS Growth)

191) Phenom People

Phenom is an AI-powered recruitment tool that assists businesses in attracting new talent.

• City: Ambler
• Founders: Brad Goldoor, Hari Bayireddy, Mahe Bayireddi
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Human Resources, Recruiting, Software
• Funding: $61,419,000
• Number of investors: 11 (B Capital Group, Dragoneer Investment Group, GoldenArc Capital, AXA Venture Partners, AllianceBernstein)

192) BookClub

BookClub is a virtual book club platform that connects readers and writers to discuss books in a new way.

• Founders: Christine Murphy, David Blake, Emily Campbell, Eric Sharp
• Industries: Collaboration, E-Learning, Education
• Number of investors: 8 (Backstage Capital, GSV Ventures, Maveron, Pelion Venture Partners, Signal Peak Ventures)

193) Axiom Space

Axiom Space is a business developing the first multinational commercial space station.

• City: Houston
• Founders: Kam Ghaffarian, Michael Suffredini
• Industries: Advanced Materials, Aerospace, Industrial Manufacturing, Space Travel
• Funding: $150,000,000
• Number of investors: 19 (Alumni Ventures Group, Prime Movers Lab, Washington University in St. Louis, SharesPost Investment Management, Jackson Moses)

Zwift is an online exercise platform that turns boring lonely indoor riding into exciting and social experiences.

• Founders: Alarik Myrin, Eric Min, Jon Mayfield, Scott Barger
• Industries: Cycling, Fitness, Wellness
• Funding: $619,500,000
• Number of investors: 16 (True., Shasta Ventures, Max Levchin, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Amazon Alexa Fund)

195) Firefly Aerospace

Firefly Aerospace provides tiny payloads with cost-effective and dependable launch vehicles, spacecraft, and in-space services.

• City: Cedar Park
• Founders: Eric Salwan, Maureen Gannon, Max Polyakov, Michael Blum, PJ King, Thomas Markusic
• Industries: Aerospace, Air Transportation, Satellite Communication, Space Travel
• Funding: $196,557,023
• Number of investors: 10 (SeedInvest, Dylan Taylor, SK Ventures, XBTO Group, Tank Stream Ventures)

196) Grindr

Grindr is a location-based social network for gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other LGBT persons.

• Founders: Joel Simkhai, Scott Lewallen
• Industries: Apps, iOS, LGBT, Location Based Services, Social Media, Social Network

197) FullStory

FullStory is a customer experience data software that collects data from customers in one simple and powerful platform.

• Founders: Bruce Johnson, Joel Webber, Scott Voigt
• Industries: Analytics, E-Commerce, Internet, Marketing, SaaS, Software
• Funding: $69,197,854
• Number of investors: 7 (Salesforce Ventures, GV, Dell Technologies Capital, Stripes, Kleiner Perkins)

198) Highspot

Highspot is an AI-powered sales enablement tool that helps firms all around the world increase their sales teams' effectiveness.

• Founders: David Wortendyke, Oliver Sharp, Robert Wahbe, Scot Gellock
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Enterprise Software, SaaS, Sales Automation, Software
• Funding: $396,850,000
• Number of investors: 10 (Salesforce Ventures, Tiger Global Management, Sapphire Ventures, ICONIQ Capital, Madrona Venture Group)

199) Qumulo

Qumulo is a file data platform for large-scale file data in multi-cloud environments.

• Founders: Aaron Passey, Neal Fachan, Peter Godman
• Industries: Big Data, Cloud Data Services, Cloud Storage, Data Storage, Enterprise Software, Software
• Funding: $347,300,000
• Number of investors: 13 (Goldman Sachs, Madrona Venture Group, DCVC, Western Digital, Highland Capital Partners)

200) Seismic

Seismic is a sales enablement and marketing orchestration software that helps sales teams close more deals and close them faster.

• Founders: Douglas Winter, Ed Calnan, Fred Xie, Marc Romano, Nasser Barghouti
• Industries: Analytics, Enterprise Software, Machine Learning, Marketing Automation, Sales Automation
• Funding: $446,500,000
• Number of investors: 8 (General Atlantic, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, EDBI, JMI Equity)

201) Sentera

Insights into analytics and machine learning for digital agriculture.

• Founders: Eric Taipale, John Hudson
• Industries: Agriculture, AgTech, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Farming, Machine Learning, Robotics, Software
• Funding: $53,000,000
• Number of investors: 8 (S2G Ventures, Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec, AgFunder, iSELECT FUND, Middleland Capital)

202) Miso Robotics

Miso Robotics is a company that develops and manufactures artificial intelligence-driven robots that assist cooks in the kitchen.

• City: Pasadena
• Founders: Buck Jordan, David D. Zito, Robert Anderson, Ryan Sinnet
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Consumer Electronics, Machine Learning, Robotics
• Funding: $43,757,553
• Number of investors: 8 (Crowdcube, SeedInvest, Adam Morley, Knockout Capital, Meyer Equity)

203) SparkPost

SparkPost is an email delivery and optimization tool that allows businesses to send and analyze emails.

• City: Columbia
• Founders: George Schlossnagle, Theo Schlossnagle
• Industries: Analytics, Business Information Systems, Email, Email Marketing, Messaging
• Funding: $273,499,998
• Number of investors: 6 (NewSpring, Hercules Capital, LLR Partners, PNC Bank, Square 1 Bank)

204) MX Technologies

MX Technologies is a fintech firm that promises to automate people's money experiences by connecting them with their financial data.

• Founders: Brandon Dewitt, Ryan Caldwell
• Funding: $450,000,000
• Number of investors: 28 (Battery Ventures, H.I.G. Capital, Point72 Ventures, TPG, Commerce Ventures)

205) Vox Media

Vox Media is an online media publishing organization that specializes in influencing editorial properties and premium advertising.

• Started in: 2003
• Founders: Jerome Armstrong, Markos Moulitsas, Tyler Bleszinski
• Industries: Advertising Platforms, Digital Media, Internet, Journalism, Lifestyle, Sports
• Funding: $307,632,220
• Number of investors: 11 (Khosla Ventures, General Atlantic, Accel, Next Play Ventures, Comcast Ventures)

206) Crediverso

Crediverso is an online marketplace for credit cards, credit checks, and foreign money transfers.

• Founders: Charlie Hernández
• Industries: Finance, Financial Services, FinTech, Marketplace
• Funding: $3,100,000
• Number of investors: 4 (Bessemer Venture Partners, Point72 Ventures, Clocktower Technology Ventures, Act One Ventures)

207) The Boring Company

The Boring Company's goal is to build tunnels quickly so that a subterranean transportation network can be built.

• Industries: Infrastructure, Logistics, Public Transportation, Transportation
• Funding: $233,000,000
• Number of investors: 5 (Craft Ventures, 8VC, DFJ Growth, Vy Capital, Gigafund)

208) Cabana

Cabana is a new travel company that converts vans into bookable mobile hotels.

• Founders: Scott Kubly
• Industries: Hospitality, Transportation, Travel
• Funding: $13,500,000
• Number of investors: 10 (Craft Ventures, Gaingels, Jason Calacanis, LAUNCH, Goldcrest Capital)

209) Sharpen Technologies

Sharpen is a voice and software-based omnichannel cloud contact center platform that prioritizes agents.

• Founders: Bracken Fields
• Industries: Cloud Data Services, Enterprise Software, SaaS, VoIP
• Funding: $46,700,000
• Number of investors: 11 (Cultivation Capital, Bridge Bank, Allos Ventures, Elevate Ventures, Multiplier Capital)

210) TrueMotion

TrueMotion is the premier smartphone-only driving data platform in the world.

• Founders: Brad Cordova, Joe Adelmann, Scott Griffith
• Industries: Apps, Automotive, Computer Vision, Information Technology, Mobile, Mobile Devices
• Funding: $10,000,000
• Number of investors: 3 (General Catalyst, Bain Capital Ventures, Lakestar)

211) Unchained Capital

Unchained Capital is a blockchain-based financial services firm that lends money to long-term cryptocurrency investors.

• Founders: Dhruv Bansal, Joseph Kelly
• Industries: Bitcoin, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Financial Services, FinTech
• Funding: $33,500,000
• Number of investors: 16 (NYDIG, Capital Factory, Starting Line, Visary Capital, Ecliptic Capital)

212) ElevateBio

ElevateBio is a biotechnology firm that focuses on cell and gene therapy.

• Founders: David Hallal, Mitchell Finer, Vikas Sinha
• Industries: Biotechnology
• Funding: $845,000,000
• Number of investors: 17 (SoftBank Vision Fund, Fidelity Management and Research Company, Emerson Collective, Vertex Ventures, Invus)

A technology business with a purpose to make the internet a safer place for everyone.

• City: Burlington
• Founders: Hari Ravichandran
• Industries: Cyber Security, Information Technology, Network Security, Security
• Funding: $300,000,000
• Number of investors: 4 (General Catalyst, Warburg Pincus, WndrCo, Green Bay Ventures)

214) Lexion

Lexion is a contract management firm powered by artificial intelligence.

• Founders: Emad Elwany, Guarav Oberoi
• Industries: Information Technology
• Funding: $15,200,000
• Number of investors: 3 (Khosla Ventures, Madrona Venture Group, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati)

215) Lightmatter

Lightmatter employs light to produce AI-specific photonic computation processors.

• Founders: Darius Bunandar, Nicholas Harris, Thomas Graham
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Hardware, Machine Learning, Software
• Funding: $113,000,000
• Number of investors: 7 (Spark Capital, GV, Viking Global Investors, Matrix Partners, Hewlett Packard Enterprise)

216) Happy Returns

Leading online and omni-channel businesses and their consumers benefit from Happy Returns' comprehensive return solutions.

• Founders: David Sobie, Mark Geller
• Industries: Customer Service, E-Commerce, Retail Technology
• Funding: $25,020,000
• Number of investors: 8 (PayPal Ventures, Maveron, U.S. Venture Partners, Upfront Ventures, R/GA Ventures)

217) Starburst Data

Starburst Data is a data access and analytics firm that is currently working on a SQL query engine.

• Founders: Anu Sudarsan, Dain Sundstrom, David Phillips, Grzegorz Kokosiński, Justin Borgman, Kamil Bajda-Pawlikowski, Karol Sobczak, Martin Traverso, Matt Fuller, Piotr Findeisen, Wojciech Biela
• Industries: Analytics, Big Data, Information Technology, Open Source
• Funding: $164,000,000
• Number of investors: 4 (Index Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Coatue)

218) Circle

Circle is a multinational internet finance corporation fueled by crypto assets and built on blockchain technology.

• Founders: Jeremy Allaire, Sean Neville
• Industries: Banking, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Finance, Financial Services, FinTech, Payments, Personal Finance
• Funding: $711,000,000
• Number of investors: 37 (General Catalyst, Blockchain Capital, Alumni Ventures Group, CICC, Pantera Capital)

NTWRK is the first and only live streaming video commerce platform designed for Generation Z and Millennials.

• Industries: E-Commerce, E-Commerce Platforms, Internet, Media and Entertainment, Shopping, Video, Video Streaming
• Number of investors: 6 (Live Nation Entertainment, Foot Locker, Aubrey Graham (Drake), UTA Ventures, Jimmy Iovine)

By delivering openness, predictability, and efficiency to B2B credit and finance, Nav bridges the gap between small businesses and financial institutions.

• City: Draper
• Founders: C. Vance Hanson, Caton Hanson, Levi King
• Industries: Finance, Financial Services, FinTech
• Funding: $99,024,727
• Number of investors: 22 (Tencent, Crosslink Capital, Point72 Ventures, Experian, Kleiner Perkins)

221) Arctic Wolf

By providing security operations as a concierge service, Arctic Wolf assists businesses in reducing cyber risk.

• City: Eden Prairie
• Founders: Brian NeSmith, Kim Tremblay
• Industries: Cyber Security, Information Technology, Network Security, Software
• Funding: $348,200,000
• Number of investors: 13 (Redpoint, Viking Global Investors, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Adams Street Partners, Blue Cloud Ventures)

222) Persefoni

Persefoni creates an artificial intelligence platform that allows businesses to plan, monitor, evaluate, minimize, and report their carbon footprint.

• City: Tempe
• Founders: Jason Offerman, Kentaro Kawamori, Kim Stroh
• Industries: Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, CleanTech, Enterprise Software, GreenTech, SaaS, Social Impact, Sustainability
• Funding: $13,200,000
• Number of investors: 4 (NGP Energy Technology Partners, Rice Investment Group, Carnrite Ventures, Sallyport Investments)

223) Biofourmis

Biofourmis is a biotechnology business that uses digital treatments to supplement tailored care and therapies.

• Founders: Kuldeep Singh Rajput, Wendou Niu
• Industries: Biotechnology, mHealth, Personal Health, Predictive Analytics, Therapeutics, Wearables
• Funding: $143,571,051
• Number of investors: 12 (SoftBank Vision Fund, Sequoia Capital India, Sequoia Capital, EDBI, Openspace Ventures)

224) Duolingo

Duolingo is a language-learning education portal with 98 courses available in approximately 40 languages.

• Founders: Luis von Ahn, Severin Hacker
• Industries: E-Learning, Education, Language Learning, Mobile Apps
• Funding: $183,300,000
• Number of investors: 12 (General Atlantic, New Enterprise Associates, Union Square Ventures, Ashton Kutcher, Drive Capital)

225) Happy Money

Tools and Services for Human Happiness in the Financial Sector

• City: Costa Mesa
• Founders: Eden Warner, Scott Saunders
• Industries: Finance, Financial Services, FinTech, Payments, Personal Finance
• Funding: $141,561,341
• Number of investors: 7 (Tencent, FirstMark, Anthemis Group, Great Oaks Venture Capital, CMFG Ventures)

Fuze is a cloud-based communications and collaboration service that links enterprises across devices. It was previously known as ThinkingPhones.

• Founders: Derek Yoo, Steve Kokinos
• Industries: Cloud Computing, Collaboration, Enterprise Software, SaaS, Video Conferencing
• Funding: $493,994,880
• Number of investors: 9 (Bessemer Venture Partners, TCV, Greenspring Associates, Wellington Management, Summit Partners)

227) Orca Security

For AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, Orca Protection provides instant-on, workload-level security.

• Founders: Avi Shua, Ety Spiegel Hubara, Gil Geron, Hadas Amitay, Liran Antebi, Matan Ben-Gur, Shay Filosof, Wagde Zabit
• Industries: Cloud Security, Cyber Security, Information Technology
• Funding: $292,000,000
• Number of investors: 8 (GGV Capital, ICONIQ Capital, Redpoint, ICONIQ Growth, CapitalG)

OneOf is a new green NFT platform created with the music community in mind.

• Started in: 2021
• Founders: Joshua James, Lin Dai
• Industries: Blockchain, Collectibles, Music
• Funding: $63,000,000
• Number of investors: 6 (Tezos Foundation, Bill Tai, Suna Said, Jack Herrick, Jaeson Ma)

229) Scythe Robotics

Scythe Robotics is a robotics firm that specializes in autonomous technologies for off-road environments.

• City: Longmont
• Founders: Davis Foster, Isaac Roberts, Jack Morrison
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology, Robotics, Software
• Funding: $28,398,994
• Number of investors: 4 (True Ventures, Zigg Capital, Lemnos VC, Inspired Capital Partners)

230) Relativity

During litigation, investigations, and compliance, Relativity's e-discovery software manages massive volumes of data and detects critical concerns.

• Founders: Andrew Sieja
• Industries: Ediscovery, Enterprise Software, Legal, Software
• Number of investors: 2 (Silver Lake, ICONIQ Capital)

231) Graylog

Graylog is a fully integrated log message collection, indexing, and analysis tool.

• Founders: Hass Chapman, Lennart Koopmann
• Industries: Analytics, Enterprise Software, Open Source, Software
• Funding: $27,400,000
• Number of investors: 10 (Crosslink Capital, High-Tech Grunderfonds, Headline, Mercury Fund, Harbert Growth Partners)

232) Betty Labs

Betty Labs is a company that makes a sports trivia app that aims to create life experiences.

• Founders: Howard Akumiah
• Industries: eSports, Internet, Sports
• Funding: $9,300,000
• Number of investors: 4 (Google, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Amazon Alexa Fund, Brendan O'Driscoll)

233) YourBase

For fast-growing development teams, YourBase accelerates software testing.

• Founders: John Ewart, Yves Junqueira
• Industries: Apps, Cloud Infrastructure, Developer Tools, Information Technology, Open Source, PaaS, Software
• Funding: $5,000,000
• Number of investors: 3 (Lightspeed Venture Partners, Fathom Capital, Unusual Ventures)

234) AvidXchange

AvidXchange is a mid-market software startup that specializes in automating invoicing and payment processes.

• Founders: Chris Tinsley, Michael Praeger
• Industries: FinTech, Payments, SaaS, Software, Transaction Processing
• Funding: $1,128,171,523
• Number of investors: 21 (Founders Fund, Temasek Holdings, Bain Capital Ventures, Mastercard, Sapphire Ventures)

235) Locus Robotics

Locus Robotics is a warehouse robotics business that creates self-driving mobile robots to assist with e-commerce.

• City: Wilmington
• Founders: Bruce E. Welty
• Industries: E-Commerce, Industrial Automation, Logistics, Robotics, Warehousing
• Funding: $249,000,000
• Number of investors: 5 (Tiger Global Management, Scale Venture Partners, Bond, Prologis Ventures, Zebra Ventures)

LifeQ's aim is to make the world a healthier and happier place for people from all walks of life.

• City: Alpharetta
• Founders: Franco du Preez, Kora Holm, Laurence Olivier, Riaan Conradie
• Industries: Health Care, Life Science
• Funding: $47,000,000
• Number of investors: 20 (Acequia Capital (AceCap), Convergence Partners, Virgin Group, Analog Devices, Allen & Company)

237) Aspiration

Aspiration provides retail banking and investing services that let clients to spend and save money in environmentally friendly ways.

• Founders: Andrei Cherny, Joseph N. Sanberg
• Industries: Banking, Financial Services, FinTech, Social Impact
• Funding: $250,000,000
• Number of investors: 42 (Flourish Ventures, 8VC, FootPrint Coalition, SuRo Capital, Alpha Edison)

238) Crayon

Crayon is a market intelligence platform that enables companies to track, analyze, and act on market trends.

• Founders: John Osborne, Jonah Lopin
• Industries: Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Business Intelligence, Marketing, Software
• Funding: $38,100,000
• Number of investors: 31 (BoxGroup, Gaingels, Founder Collective, Scott Belsky, Bantam Group)

239) Umoja Biopharma

Umoja Biopharma is a biopharmaceutical business based in Mumbai, India.

• Founders: Andrew Scharenberg, Ryan Crisman
• Industries: Biopharma, Biotechnology, Developer Platform, Information Technology
• Funding: $263,000,000
• Number of investors: 11 (SoftBank Vision Fund, Temasek Holdings, Casdin Capital, Cormorant Asset Management, Presight Capital)

240) SkillSoft

For worldwide corporations, SMEs, governments, and educational institutions, Skillsoft provides online learning and e-learning solutions.

• State: New Hampshire
• City: Nashua
• Started in: 1997
• Founders: Chuck Moran
• Industries: Internet, Software
• Funding: $75,000,000
• Number of investors: 2 (Threshold, CIT Group)

241) EquipmentShare

EquipmentShare is a construction industry equipment and digital solutions company that helps contractors increase efficiency.

• Founders: Brad Siegler, Jabbok Schlacks, Jeff Lowe, Matthew McDonald, Willy Schlacks
• Industries: Construction, Fleet Management, Rental, Service Industry
• Funding: $124,064,060
• Number of investors: 23 (FundersClub, Gaingels, Insight Partners, Y Combinator, Wefunder)

242) Overhaul

Overhaul is a technology solution for supply chain integrity that uses visibility to detect and fix non-compliance in supply chains.

• Founders: Barry Conlon, Robert Clarke
• Industries: Logistics, Risk Management, Supply Chain Management, Transportation
• Number of investors: 4 (Edison Partners, Macquarie Capital, Avanta Ventures, Abbey International Finance)

243) Devoted Health

Devoted Health is a healthcare organization that specializes in servicing elders and providing them with a health care plan that includes personal advisers and cutting-edge technologies.

• Founders: Ed Park, Jeremy Delinsky, Todd Park
• Industries: Elder Care, Elderly, Health Care, Hospital
• Funding: $812,000,000
• Number of investors: 15 (Andreessen Horowitz, Oak HC/FT, NextView Ventures, F-Prime Capital, Maverick Ventures)

VIA uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain to assist energy firms understand the value of their data.

• Founders: Colin Gounden, Jeremy Taylor, Kate Ravanis
• Industries: Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Machine Learning, Predictive Analytics
• Funding: $19,000,000
• Number of investors: 5 (Elemental Excelerator, The Westly Group, Prefix Capital, NXT Ventures, Tokyo Electric Power)

245) Beachbody

Beachbody has created and is selling at-home fitness and weight-loss programs.

• Started in: 1998
• Founders: Carl Daikeler, Jonathan Congdon
• Industries: Fitness, Health Care, Wellness

246) BluJay Solutions

LSPs, freight forwarders, and other businesses use BluJay Solutions' logistics and transportation software and services.

• City: Holland
• Started in: 1972
• Industries: Freight Service, Logistics, Software, Supply Chain Management, Transportation
• Funding: $500,000,000
• Number of investors: 3 (Temasek Holdings, TPG, BlueBay Asset Management)

247) Sideqik

Sideqik is an influencer marketing business intelligence platform.

• Founders: Jeremy Haile, Kurt Uhlir, Tree McGlown
• Industries: Brand Marketing, Marketing Automation, Social Media Advertising, Social Media Marketing
• Funding: $5,400,000
• Number of investors: 8 (Bee Partners, Jackson Square Ventures, Bonfire Ventures, Service Provider Capital, Lighter Capital)

248) Merlin Labs

Merlin Labs creates technology and software that enables aircraft to fly meaningful missions on their own.

• Founders: Matt George
• Industries: Information Technology, Software, Transportation
• Number of investors: 10 (First Round Capital, BoxGroup, GV, Bling Capital, Floodgate)

249) Upswing

Upswing is a student services platform that helps schools and universities boost student retention.

• Founders: Alex Pritchett, Chris Webb, Melvin Hines
• Industries: EdTech, Higher Education, Software
• Funding: $10,045,000
• Number of investors: 28 (Village Capital, JP Morgan Chase, Impact America Fund, Rethink Education, LuminaFoundation)

250) Jam City

Jam City is a mobile entertainment firm that uses technology, creativity, and play to connect people all over the world.

• Founders: Aber Whitcomb, Chris DeWolfe, Josh Yguado
• Industries: Digital Entertainment, Gaming, Mobile, Mobile Apps, Online Games, Social Media
• Funding: $302,000,000
• Number of investors: 7 (JP Morgan Chase, Silicon Valley Bank, Austin Ventures, Netmarble, Bank of America Merrill Lynch)

251) HighRadius

HighRadius is a SaaS firm that creates order-to-cash and treasury management software based on artificial intelligence.

• Founders: Sashi Narahari
• Industries: Accounting, Artificial Intelligence, FinTech, SaaS, Software
• Funding: $475,000,000
• Number of investors: 11 (Tiger Global Management, Citi Ventures, ICONIQ Capital, Susquehanna Growth Equity, D1 Capital Partners)

252) GreyOrange

GreyOrange is a warehousing technology business that develops artificial intelligence-driven software and AI-driven mobile robots.

• City: Roswell
• Founders: Akash Gupta, Samay Kohli, Wolfgang Hoeltgen
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Hardware, Robotics, Software, Warehousing
• Funding: $170,000,000
• Number of investors: 10 (Flipkart, Tiger Global Management, InnoVen Capital, Blume Ventures, Mithril Capital Management)

ESS is a prominent manufacturer of long-duration energy storage systems for C&I, utility, microgrid, and off-grid applications.

• State: Oregon
• City: Wilsonville
• Founders: Craig Evans, Julia Song
• Industries: Electronics, Energy, Energy Management, Energy Storage, Information Technology, Renewable Energy
• Funding: $47,005,727
• Number of investors: 16 (BASF Venture Capital, Sand Hill Angels, BASF, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Portland Seed Fund)

MAXEX is the first digital mortgage market with a single clearinghouse for buying and selling residential loans.

• Founders: Craig Hess, Daniel Baldwin, Stephen C. Wilhoit, Thomas D. Casey, Thomas Pearce, William Decker
• Industries: Finance, Financial Exchanges, Financial Services, Legal, Real Estate, Service Industry
• Funding: $80,400,000
• Number of investors: 7 (JP Morgan Chase, Fenway Summer Ventures, Bienville Capital, AGNC Ventures, Moore Asset Backed Fund)

255) Blockdaemon

Blockdaemon is a blockchain deployment facilitator that maintains blockchain network nodes and payment rails.

• Founders: Konstantin Richter
• Industries: Bitcoin, Blockchain, Cloud Infrastructure, Cloud Management, Computer, Cryptocurrency, Ethereum, FinTech
• Funding: $39,630,000
• Number of investors: 29 (Goldman Sachs, BlockFi, Comcast, Uphold, Voyager)

256) MomentFeed

MomentFeed is a technology that helps multi-location brands optimize for proximity search so that customers can engage with them.

• Founders: Rob Reed
• Industries: Advertising, Analytics, Digital Media, Local, Local Business, Mobile Advertising, SaaS, Social Media Marketing
• Funding: $27,537,305
• Number of investors: 17 (Draper Associates, Level Equity Management, DNX Ventures, Signia Venture Partners, Manatt Venture Fund)

257) Clearcover

Clearcover is a digital vehicle insurance company that offers coverage at a lower cost.

• Founders: Derek Brigham, Kyle Nakatsuji
• Industries: Auto Insurance, Financial Services, InsurTech
• Funding: $304,500,000
• Number of investors: 11 (500 Startups, OMERS Ventures, Cox Enterprises, Silicon Valley Bank, Greycroft)

Affordable, simple-to-use, private, and secure decentralized cloud object storage.

• Founders: James Prestwich, Jim Lowry, John Quinn, Shawn Wilkinson, Tome Boshevski
• Industries: Blockchain, Cloud Data Services, Cloud Infrastructure, Collaborative Consumption
• Funding: $35,400,000
• Number of investors: 9 (BnkToTheFuture, George Burke, TechSquare Labs, GVA Capital, Tank Stream Ventures)

GRIN is a marketing platform that helps direct-to-consumer brands cooperate and manage their influencer relationships.

• City: Sacramento
• Founders: Brandon Brown, Brian Mechem
• Industries: Analytics, E-Commerce, Logistics, Marketing, SaaS, Software
• Funding: $35,260,000
• Number of investors: 25 (FundersClub, Bullpen Capital, LAUNCH, Good Friends, Headline)

260) Puppet

Puppet is a firm that develops information technology automation tools for system administrators.

• City: Portland
• Founders: Andrew Shafer, Luke Kanies
• Industries: Application Performance Management, Data Center Automation, Information Services, Information Technology, IT Infrastructure, Software
• Funding: $189,500,000
• Number of investors: 13 (BlackRock, Cisco, True Ventures, GV, EDBI)

261) Opopop

Opopop is a food manufacturing and processing firm that specializes in popcorn.

• Founders: Alex McEvoy, Brad Roulier, Christopher Staley, Chuck Lepley, Jonas Tempel, Sarah McDowell
• Funding: $11,600,000
• Number of investors: 5 (Valor Siren Ventures, Peter Rahal, Batshit Crazy Ventures, Tiesto, Jimmy Chin)

262) Copado

Copado is a Salesforce-specific end-to-end native DevOps platform.

• Founders: Federico Larsen, Philipp Rackwitz
• Industries: Collaboration, Developer Platform, Developer Tools, IT Management, Software
• Funding: $130,832,372
• Number of investors: 6 (Salesforce Ventures, Insight Partners, Lead Edge Capital, Isai, Perpetual Investors)

263) Rockley Photonics

Photonics chips and bespoke integrated packaged devices are manufactured by Rockley Photonics.

• Founders: Andrew Rickman
• Industries: Consumer Electronics, Electronics, Manufacturing, Semiconductor
• Funding: $207,000,000
• Number of investors: 7 (Morningside Venture Investments, Ahren Innovation Capital, Kreos Capital, Applied Ventures, Perscitus LLP)

264) Logixboard

Logixboard is a customer interaction tool that assists businesses in managing and controlling their freight operations.

• Founders: Juan Alvarez, Julian Alvarez
• Industries: CRM, Freight Service, Logistics
• Funding: $18,750,000
• Number of investors: 10 (Techstars, Redpoint, Liquid 2 Ventures, F-Prime Capital, Social Leverage)

265) Workhuman

Workhuman® is the world's fastest-growing platform for integrated Social Recognition® and Continuous Performance Management.

• Founders: Eric Mosley
• Industries: Human Resources, SaaS, Software
• Funding: $131,476,645
• Number of investors: 5 (Balderton Capital, Benchmark, Intermediate Capital Group, Atlas Venture, Kepha Partners)

266) Fanatics

Fanatics is a sports merchandise company that produces fan attire and jerseys for a variety of retail outlets.

• City: Jacksonville
• Founders: Alan Trager, Michael Rubin, Mitch Trager
• Industries: Manufacturing, Retail, Sporting Goods, Sports
• Funding: $2,365,000,000
• Number of investors: 15 (Silver Lake, SoftBank Vision Fund, Alibaba Group, Temasek Holdings, Andreessen Horowitz)

267) Invaio Sciences

Invaio Sciences is a technology firm focused to addressing major agricultural, nutritional, and environmental issues.

• Founders: Dr. Iya Khalil, Dr. Pietro Antonio Tataranni, Ena Cratsenburg, Gerardo Ramos, Ignacio Martinez, Robert Berendes
• Industries: Agriculture, Biotechnology, Natural Resources
• Funding: $88,900,000
• Number of investors: 5 (Alexandria Venture Investments, Flagship Pioneering, SharesPost Investment Management, Stage 1 Ventures, Blue Wave Innovation Capital)

268) ShotTracker

ShotTracker develops sensor-based technology that gathers basketball stats in real time during workouts and games.

• State: Kansas
• City: Mission
• Founders: Bruce Ianni, Davyeon Ross
• Industries: Analytics, Basketball, Software, Sports
• Funding: $33,785,000
• Number of investors: 21 (Greycroft, Hearst Ventures, IrishAngels, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, Verizon Ventures)

269) Monogram Health

Monogram Health is a group of nephrologists dedicated to providing innovative renal treatment.

• City: Nashville
• Founders: Christopher A. Booker, Mike Uchrin
• Industries: Health Care, Hospital, Wellness
• Funding: $171,999,998
• Number of investors: 4 (Norwest Venture Partners, TPG, Humana, Frist Cressey Ventures)

270) NuvoAir

NuvoAir is a pioneer in the field of digital health for chronic disease management and decentralized clinical trials.

• Founders: Lorenzo Consoli
• Industries: Health Care, Medical
• Funding: $17,160,100
• Number of investors: 6 (Industrifonden, AlbionVC, Kaya, Amino Collective, dRx Capital)

271) Fractyl

Fractyl Laboratories is a biotechnology firm that specializes on metabolic disease cures.

• City: Lexington
• Founders: Harith Rajagopalan, Jay Caplan
• Industries: Biotechnology, Health Care, Medical Device, Wellness
• Funding: $290,112,449
• Number of investors: 16 (General Catalyst, Bessemer Venture Partners, True Ventures, GV, Deerfield)

Tala is a financial services-focused mobile technology and data science firm based in emerging markets.

• Founders: Shivani Siroya
• Industries: Analytics, Big Data, Credit, Financial Services, FinTech, Information Technology, Mobile, Software
• Funding: $204,439,706
• Number of investors: 30 (GGV Capital, Ribbit Capital, GV, Collaborative Fund, Institutional Venture Partners)

Moz is a software company that specializes in inbound marketing analytics.

• Started in: 2004
• Founders: Gillian Muessig, Rand Fishkin
• Industries: Advertising, Analytics, Big Data, Search Engine, SEO, Software
• Funding: $29,100,000
• Number of investors: 3 (Foundry Group, Ignition Partners, Curious Office Partners)

274) Camino Financial

Camino Financial is a data-driven fintech platform that provides Latinx entrepreneurs with inexpensive small business loans.

• Founders: Kenneth Salas, Sean Salas
• Industries: Artificial Intelligence, Commercial Lending, Credit, Financial Services, FinTech, Small and Medium Businesses
• Funding: $20,350,000
• Number of investors: 8 (Collaborative Fund, Impact America Fund, Comcast Ventures, DILA Capital, Community Investment Management)

275) A Cloud Guru

A Cloud Guru is a cloud computing social learning tool.

• Founders: Ant Stanley, Ryan Kroonenburg, Sam Kroonenburg
• Industries: Cloud Computing, E-Learning, Education, Social Media
• Funding: $40,000,000
• Number of investors: 4 (Summit Partners, AirTree Ventures, Elephant, Bain Capital Tech Opportunities)

276) Emile Learning

Creating a MasterClass for high school education that allows students to earn both high school and college credits.

• Founders: Felix Ruano, Jon Quiros, Michael Vilardo
• Industries: E-Learning, EdTech, Education, Secondary Education
• Number of investors: 36 (Bessemer Venture Partners, SB Opportunity Fund, Owl Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Supernode Ventures)

277) Magic Leap

Magic Leap is a wearable technology developed by Magic Leap that allows users to interact with digital gadgets in a purely visual cinematic manner.

• City: Plantation
• Founders: Brian Schowengerdt, Rony Abovitz
• Industries: Augmented Reality, Computer Vision, Consumer Electronics, Software, Video, Wearables
• Funding: $2,978,500,000
• Number of investors: 27 (Alibaba Group, Google, Temasek Holdings, Andreessen Horowitz, Fidelity Management and Research Company)

278) Prescient

Prescient is an architectural software and design firm that enables building by utilizing precision off-site manufacturing.

• Founders: John Vanker, Michael Lastowski, Satyen Patel
• Industries: Building Material, Construction, Manufacturing, Software
• Funding: $295,400,000
• Number of investors: 2 (Eldridge, JE Dunn Construction)

279) TetraScience

TetraScience is an R&D cloud data management company that helps life sciences and drug discovery companies transform.

• Founders: Alok Tayi, Salvatore Savo, Siping Wang
• Industries: Biotechnology, Data Integration, Internet of Things, Life Science, Pharmaceutical, Software
• Funding: $99,145,000
• Number of investors: 14 (First Round Capital, Insight Partners, Y Combinator, Founder Collective, Floodgate)

280) Aunt Bertha

Aunt Bertha is a social-care-connecting enterprise that helps organizations better assist people and communities.

• Founders: Erine Gray
• Industries: Charity, Employment, GovTech, Software
• Funding: $49,000,000
• Number of investors: 11 (Techstars, Warburg Pincus, Capital Factory, Digitalis Ventures, Noro-Moseley Partners)

281) WP Engine

WP Engine is a digital experience platform for WordPress.

• Founders: Ben Metcalfe, Cullen Wilson, Jason Cohen
• Industries: Blogging Platforms, Content, Enterprise Software, SaaS, Web Development, Web Hosting
• Funding: $290,715,694
• Number of investors: 10 (Silver Lake, Automattic, Capital Factory, Silverton Partners, Eric Ries)

282) SimpliSafe

SimpliSafe is a company that creates, engineers, and sells wireless security alarm systems, cameras, and services for homes.

• Founders: Chad Laurans, Eleanor Laurans
• Industries: Consumer Electronics, Security, Sensor, Smart Home
• Funding: $187,000,000
• Number of investors: 2 (Alumni Ventures Group, Sequoia Capital)

283) StarNews Mobile

StarNews Mobile is a mobile video network that allows celebrities and brands in Africa to monetize their fan communities.

• Founders: Guy Kamgaing
• Industries: Content Delivery Network, Mobile, Video
• Funding: $2,400,000
• Number of investors: 2 (EXPERT DOJO, Investisseurs & Partenaires)

284) Reclaim.ai

A clever calendar companion that automatically schedules the tasks you want to complete.

• Founders: Henry Shapiro, Patrick Lightbody
• Industries: Enterprise Software, Product Management, Productivity Tools, Software
• Funding: $6,300,000
• Number of investors: 5 (Calendly, Index Ventures, Gradient Ventures, Operator Partners, Flying Fish Partners)

285) Caribu

Caribu is a family interactive video-calling platform that integrates books and activities into an engaging communication experience.

• Founders: Alvaro Sabido, Maxeme Tuchman
• Industries: EdTech, Education, Software
• Funding: $5,050,000
• Number of investors: 13 (Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, AT&T, Miami Angels, Revolution, Halogen Ventures)

286) TerraClear

TerraClear is an agricultural technology startup that focuses on increasing farmer productivity by automating the entire process from start to finish.

• Founders: Brent Frei, Koos du Preez, Vivek Nayak
• Industries: Agriculture, Industrial Automation, Machine Learning, Robotics
• Funding: $38,118,140
• Number of investors: 1 (Madrona Venture Group)

287) Data.world

Data.world is a platform for cataloging data on the cloud.

• Founders: Brett Hurt, Bryon Jacob, Jon Loyens, Matt Laessig
• Industries: Analytics, Cloud Data Services, Collaboration, Database, SaaS
• Funding: $82,300,000
• Number of investors: 30 (Alumni Ventures Group, OurCrowd, Shasta Ventures, Breyer Capital, Lead Edge Capital)

288) Scopely

Scopely is a global pioneer in mobile games and interactive entertainment.

• Founders: Ankur Bulsara, Eric Futoran, Eytan Elbaz, Walter Driver
• Industries: Digital Entertainment, Mobile Apps, Online Games, Software, Video Games
• Funding: $998,500,000
• Number of investors: 68 (BlackRock, Battery Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, Felicis Ventures, BoxGroup)

289) Turbonomic

Turbonomic creates real-time technologies to improve application performance, compliance, and cost.

• Founders: Danillo Florissi, Shai Benjamin, Shmuel Kliger, Yechiam Yemini, Yuri Rabover
• Industries: Application Performance Management, Apps, Cloud Infrastructure, Enterprise Software, Information Technology, Productivity Tools, Software
• Funding: $149,500,000
• Number of investors: 6 (General Atlantic, Bain Capital Ventures, ICONIQ Capital, Bain Capital, Highland Capital Partners)

290) CivicPlus

CivicPlus is a software platform that provides municipal, local government, and other government website design solutions.

• City: Manhattan
• Founders: Tony Gagnon, Ward Morgan
• Industries: GovTech, Information Services, Information Technology, Software, Web Design, Web Development
• Funding: $290,000,000
• Number of investors: 1 (Insight Partners)

291) Salty.

Salty Dot, Inc. is a technological business that specializes in Embedded Insurance®.

• Founders: James Hall, Mona Eliassen
• Industries: Insurance, InsurTech, UX Design
• Funding: $34,661,854
• Number of investors: 3 (Human Capital, Elefund, Fremont Group)

292) Ciox Health

Ciox Health is a healthcare information management firm that assists healthcare businesses and organizations in securely connecting their data.

• Started in: 1976
• Industries: Electronic Health Record (EHR), Health Care, Hospital, Medical
• Funding: $30,000,000
• Number of investors: 3 (New Mountain Capital, HarbourVest Partners, Merck Global Health Innovation Fund)

293) XCLAIM

To remove risk, provide liquidity, and promote transparency, XCLAIM is digitizing the financial market for selling bad loan receivables.

• Founders: Matthew Sedigh
• Industries: B2B, Financial Exchanges, Financial Services, FinTech, Legal Tech
• Funding: $11,445,000
• Number of investors: 10 (General Catalyst, First Round Capital, Tribe Capital, Quiet Capital, Freestyle Capital)

294) MineralTree

MineralTree supplies finance professionals in developing companies with mobile and online accounts payable automation software.

• Founders: BC Krishna
• Industries: Accounting, Banking, Finance, Financial Services, FinTech, Payments, SaaS, Software
• Funding: $119,700,000
• Number of investors: 4 (First Data, .406 Ventures, Eight Roads Ventures, Great Hill Partners)

295) Ovia Health

Ovia Health provides a full range of maternity and family benefits.

• Founders: Adam Wolfberg, Alex Baron, Gina Nebesar, Paris Wallace, Rory O'Connor, Vasile Tofan
• Industries: Health Care, Information Technology, mHealth, Mobile
• Funding: $23,304,887
• Number of investors: 10 (Techstars, Right Side Capital Management, LionBird, LaunchCapital, Lightbank)

296) Terminus

Terminus is a marketing tool for identifying organizations, engaging decision-makers on their terms, and speeding up pipeline velocity.

• Founders: David Cummings, Eric Spett, Eric Vass, Sangram Vajre
• Industries: Advertising Platforms, B2B, Digital Marketing, Marketing Automation, SaaS
• Funding: $120,600,000
• Number of investors: 14 (HubSpot, Edison Partners, Hyde Park Venture Partners, Great Hill Partners, Arthur Ventures)

297) Galileo Financial Technologies

Galileo is a payment processing solutions platform that offers AI fraud detection to its customers.

• Founders: Clay Wilkes, Dave Wilkes
• Industries: Banking, Financial Services, FinTech, IT Management
• Funding: $85,300,000
• Number of investors: 3 (Accel, Mercato Partners, Ryan Smith)

298) FarmLogs

More than one-third of US row crop farmers have access to FarmLogs' platform, which provides essential operational data insights.

• City: Ann Arbor
• Founders: Brad Koch, Jesse Vollmar
• Industries: Agriculture, Big Data, Internet, Software
• Number of investors: 9 (SV Angel, Y Combinator, Drive Capital, Hyde Park Venture Partners, Detroit Venture Partners)

299) Spoonflower

Spoonflower is an online fabric and textile design community that offers custom fabric, wallpaper, gift wrap, and decal printing.

• City: Durham
• Founders: Gart Davis, Stephen Fraser
• Industries: Art, E-Commerce, Handmade, Internet
• Funding: $25,000,000
• Number of investors: 3 (North Bridge Venture Partners & Growth Equity, Guidepost Growth Equity, Bull City Venture Partners)

300) Fanatiz

Fanatiz is a sports streaming platform providing live and on-demand sports channels.

• Founders: Matias Rivera Larrain
• Industries: Media and Entertainment, Sports, Video Streaming
• Funding: $17,022,158
• Number of investors: 1 (777 Partners)

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36 Online Business Ideas You Can Start in 2024

It seems that there’s no shortage of good online business ideas. The truth is, the internet has made it easy to create a business. With just a website, you can reach anyone in any location in the world. Target the right people with the right offering, and you would be making your own money in no time. Other benefits of running an online business include cost savings, increased flexibility, and less paper waste.

So if you’re quietly contemplating the idea of starting something of your own , here’s a list of the best small online business ideas that are within the reach of almost anyone who’s willing to take the plunge. From social media manager, to public speaking coach, to interior design consultant, the options are endless.

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36 Best Online Business Ideas for 2024

Here is the list of the top online business ideas to get you started instantly. The best part is that all of these ideas have money-making potential, meaning you don’t need to validate them before you start. If you are looking for the best online business to start, this is the only list you will need.

Most Popular Online Business Ideas

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1. open a t-shirt online shop.

Platforms like Printful and Shopify have made it insanely simple to start an online t-shirt business for anyone with a speck of imagination and an eye for design. But it doesn’t need to be an online t-shirt shop; you can set up an ecommerce shop selling anything. The key here is to learn about print on demand, which forms the base for such businesses.

2. Dropshipping Business

Dropshipping is the easiest option to start an ecommerce business without having to buy any products in advance. Use dropshipping apps to find thousands of products from suppliers to sell online. Then sell to customers across the world while building and promoting your own brand, all without needing to invest in warehousing or manufacturing costs. You don’t need to pay for inventory until it’s sold to an actual customer. From online boutique to jewelry store to women’s clothing store to one-product store, dropshipping works for most online store ideas.Check out our guide to starting a dropshipping business to learn more about this great opportunity.

3. Kickstarter/Indiegogo Advisor

Grabbing the attention of curious browsers on the most popular crowdsourcing platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo is a tough job. If you’re inventive and know how to tap into human emotion, then this is a niche worth exploring. Many aspiring entrepreneurs look for personalized advice to carry their campaigns to the finish line, so try offering action-oriented eBooks or online courses targeted at this particular audience.

4. SEO Expert

One of the online world’s hottest professions at the moment, this business is a gold mine for the tech-savvy entrepreneurs. While everyone’s slightly obsessed with getting their sites SEO optimized, not many people can actually wrap their heads around this topic. If you decide to go into this field, you can think about offering link building, content creation, ecommerce SEO optimization , and similar one-off packages.

5. Selling Online Courses

Derek Halpern has built a really strong personal brand. He’s the founder of a software and business training company called Social Triggers and makes a LOT of money teaching people how to sell what they know best. And what he knows best is how to sell. If you’ve got some serious expertise, start making money out of it by selling online courses or simply teaching online.

6. Bug Testing

Bug testing is a service that no software company can ignore. If you can build a platform to crowdsource expert skills and resources to tackle this area, then you have solid chances of turning a profit. One of the most unique online business ideas, providing bug testing resources can be a lucrative way to boost your income. To find relevant jobs, go through the listings on ZipRecruiter and Indeed .

7. Video Producer

YouTube is the second largest site in the world , so there’s no surprise that video is becoming one of the main communication mediums for businesses of all types and sizes. If you have video filming or editing knowledge, it won’t take you long to build your clientele. Everything from video production workshops and video editing services to soundtrack libraries and DIY tutorials can appeal to the business world. Producing a video might be one of the most attractive online business ideas with lots of creativity and challenges.

8. Graphic Designer

Graphic designers are always in demand from small businesses to large multinationals. Starting a graphic design business can allow you to tap into this great opportunity. Showcasing your experience with your past portfolio can help you gain customers without aggressive outreach.

9. Website Developer

In the same vein as graphic design, website development is in constant demand as businesses are always trying to upgrade and improve their websites to get more sales. This means that you can work on new and existing websites concurrently, and get to try new things all the time. If being constantly challenged is what you are looking for, website development could be the best online business for you.

10. App Development

Apps are an amazing lucrative market, so it is not surprising that more and more companies are investing in them. This means that there is a growing need for app developers to create their applications. Offering app development  is a great opportunity as you can work on vastly different applications on a daily basis.

11. Theme Designer

Just like a website developer, a theme designer is working with websites but in a different way. Choosing theme designer as your side hustle idea means building new website themes for business to use for their website. This could mean researching popular themes, identifying their shortcomings, and creating a theme that solves these pain points while remaining true to the popularity of the previous theme. If you are an expert in a certain industry, creating themes for this industry could see you reap much success.

12. Translator

If you are gifted with more than one language but have no interest in teaching others, try translating. Many companies need their website and collateral translated when they move into a different market. You can help them achieve it, while also keeping active in more than one language. Keep in mind the most common way of billing is cost per word, so price wisely to make smart money from this great online business idea.

13. Social Media Manager

Social media is an integral part of any business but it’s time-consuming and ever-changing – so really quite difficult to keep up with and, more importantly, capitalize on. Many business owners are willing to outsource this time-intensive task, so it’s a great opportunity for social media fanatics. Bundle together a few interesting offers, such as “Startup social media kit” or “Small Business Social Media Starter Kit” that encompass everything from social media graphics to analytics reports and the seamless experience will bring you more clients than you expect.

14. Remote Customer Service Agent

If you enjoy helping people but don’t want to be stuck in a call center or office all day, become a remote customer service agent and help people from the comfort of your own home. Choose between helping people via chat, email, phone, video, or other ways and save the day for people every day. This may not make you your first million, but it feels great to help people.

15. Virtual Assistant

This is one of the best online business ideas to pursue from home . As a virtual assistant, you would be answering emails, writing content, and doing other tasks on behalf of businesses   The role can mean anything from a data entry person to a researcher, so, be open to trying new things and uncover new skills while getting paid.

16.  Remote Sales Team

As more and more companies take on the lean, mean approach to business, outsourcing cold calling and telesales functions becomes a sort of standard in the startup and small business environment. Whether you want to sell highly-targeted sales pitches or customer data, such as phone numbers and email addresses, the potential is vast.

17. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is where a person promotes a product that another merchant sells. Using advertising, social media, blogging, and more, an affiliate marketer can attract customers to their landing page. When customers click a link to buy the product they will then be brought to the merchant’s store to buy the product. As an internet business idea, this is great for anyone no matter their previous experience. Check out our guide, Affiliate Marketing: Everything You Need to Know , to learn more about this business model. 

18. Lead Generation Service Provider

Most businesses are chasing customers and looking for ways to increase conversion rates . This means investing in activities like lead generation that could be time-consuming. Because of this, many companies outsource the task to a lead generation service provider. If you are good on the phone and enjoy researching and doing outreach to strangers, then this is your calling!

19. Become an Influencer

An influencer is someone with a large follower base on social media who is seen as an expert in a particular area, like makeup or fitness. These people keep busy by posting regularly about their lives and promote products which they feel are good to possess. What is great about this internet business idea is that you can get paid to promote a business to your following, similar to affiliate marketing. Influencer marketing is a huge online business trend right now that you can capitalize on. Try your hand at Vlogging and starting a Podcast , which are under-utilized channels of communication for influencers right now.

20. Handmade Goods Shop

It can take you less than a day to build a storefront to showcase your work and connect with customers on platforms like Amazon and Etsy . If you’re into crafts and DIY, it’s definitely a viable business option to consider. You can make the goods yourself or source them from suppliers in Hong Kong and China.  If you’re in a country that has ePacket shipping , sourcing products is likely to be a better and more cost-effective option.

21. Become a Private Chef

If cooking is one of your personal passions, there are dozens of opportunities to turn it into a decent business venture . You can start by setting up a catering website, experimenting with pop-up food stalls and local food markets, or joining platforms that encourage cooking enthusiasts to squeeze some money out of their passion. And if you’re not camera-shy, you can teach people how to cook special meals by selling online classes.

22. Nutritionist

The trend of healthy eating is here to say. Yet with so much contradictory advice online about what is good for us and what is not, more and more people turn to professional nutritionists for specialist tips and guidance. You can easily find free online courses to learn the fundamentals of this profession and start offering personalized nutrition plans online.

23. Get Baking!

From freshly baked butter croissants to colorful macaroons and pillow-soft morning bagels – the world of the great bake-off is a rich and ever-growing place. The beautiful thing about the online world is that a great passion can be turned into a great business almost overnight. You can start an online bakery or move your existing bakeshop online. Platforms like Shopify make it easy to sell baked goods online .

24. Natural & Organic Beauty Shop

Online shoppers are getting more and more conscientious about their choices, and especially so when it comes to beauty products. Running a beauty shop that’s built on strong ethos and values that resonate with nature and animal lovers is one of the hottest online business ideas right now. Tropic Skin Care seems to be doing a great job connecting with these shoppers.

25. Women’s Sportswear

With LuluLemon spearheading the way, online sportswear shops for women are quickly climbing to the top of the most popular idea amongst ecommerce entrepreneurs. Since yoga pants are clearly here to stay, it’s safe to say that the athleisure trend is one of the best and, perhaps, the least explored niches in ecommerce right now.

26. 3D-Printed Products

One of the biggest technological breakthroughs of this age, 3D printing is dictating a new strategy in the ecommerce world. Some of the best selling 3D-printed products include jewelry, home accessories, bicycle parts, tech accessories and more. For some beautiful examples check out 3DigitalCooks , and DanitPeleg .

27. Ethical Fashion Brand

One thing is clear – clothes and accessories will always be one of the super-profitable online business ideas for an ecommerce site. However, with so many boutiques and fashion online stores in existence, rising above the noise is extremely difficult. Yet, one promising idea that savvy entrepreneurs have probably already noticed is the booming trend of “ethical fashion”. Brands, such as Pachacuti , People Tree , Sea Salt, and Matt & Nat have successfully crafted their brands around the concept of organic, ethical production of fashion items and are riding the trend to the top of the strongest brands list.

28. Mystery Objects Shop

If you have an eye for quirky stuff, maybe running a mystery object shop could help you combine the desire for unusual business ideas with a steady source of income.

Muddy Creatures are nailing the concept of a surprise purchase that taps into the explorer instinct many of us possess. There’s no exact science or skill fueling this business idea – let your imagination go wild…

29. Online Researcher

Although it sounds like a too-good-to-be-true idea, some people are successfully earning a living off their skill to find information online. From data research for infographics to market research for budding startups, talented researchers know that you can put a price tag on knowledge.

30. Proofreader

If you love reading, becoming a proofreader could be your calling. Have other people send you their manuscripts for books, research papers, or whatever else you are interested in reading about, and give them honest feedback before they publish their works of art. This job requires attention to detail and expertise in the area to ensure that everything is ready to print.

31. CV Writing

Banging out a winning CV is a mission impossible for many. If you’re good with words and know how to highlight people’s best qualities, CV writing could be a pretty sweet place to start a business. Additionally, you can sell slick CV templates that will help job hunters to get noticed faster and yield better results.

32. Speechwriting

Giving speeches is a terrifying experience. Giving bad speeches… Well, no one wants to be in that situation. Wordsmiths have a hugely valuable skill to win people over using nothing else but the power of well-strung sentences. If you can write, cash in on this skill by crafting speeches that make birthdays, weddings, award ceremonies, or political debates a more memorable experience.

33. Self-Published Author

If you have the next Harry Potter manuscript sitting in your drawer and the publishing industry hasn’t been kind to you, try self-publishing. Using tools like Amazon’s direct publishing or working with dedicated consultants like I_Am . You not only get the satisfaction of pushing your work out there, but also an opportunity to earn residual income .Don’t think you can write a good novel? Then stick to what you know – self-help is a money-making genre!

34. Ghostwriter

If writing is your thing but you are lacking a topic to write about, become a ghostwriter for someone else. If normally requires you to write about someone or something in a lot of detail. It can take time and much research to finish this type of project so be sure to have a few months free to give to it.

35. Content Curation

The German Economist Schumpeter once said that there are “no original ideas”, only new combinations of old ones. Curation of curiosity-fueling content is an intriguing and little-known business model. One of the best success stories out there is Brainpickings – a platform that describes itself as “an inventory of cross-disciplinary interestingness, spanning art, science, design, history, philosophy, and more”. The subscription-based model and successful utilization of affiliate links have turned the blog into a self-sustaining business.

36. Foreign Language Teacher

Everyone knows that the quickest way to learn a new language is to mingle with native speakers. If you were lucky enough to be born in an English, French, Spanish (insert any of the world’s main languages) speaking country, then missing out on the opportunity to cash in on the skills you take for granted is exactly that – missing out! Use online communication tools, such as Skype or Google Hangouts, to connect with learners and leverage your privileges. Time is money, so package your hours into teaching sessions and you’re good to go.

How to Start an Online Business

Starting an online business, no matter how small you aim to have it can take time and money. It can also involve legal research and some accounting knowledge so you may find there is some upskilling involved in many different areas. Have no fear though because once you get the wheels moving on your adventure, starting an online venture will be fun and motivating. As a great source of income , side hustle opportunities are abundant as you don’t need to be located next to a customer in order to provide the goods or services to them.

The most important first step in how to start an online business is to:

1. Decide Your Business

This is the most important step as without it you don’t have a business. Check out our above list of the most popular online business ideas and choose which one suits you best.

2. Research Your Industry

Get to know what your industry is like. Maybe there is a pricing structure most of your competitor follow that will be good for you. Or maybe once you discover your competitors you will decide that your industry is over-saturated and you need to change your business idea slightly to compete.

3. Create Your Brand

With every good business comes a good brand and if you figure this out at the start you can become a more successful online business in the beginning. This includes having an amazing website, and social media (if your customers are there), killer logo creation , engaging in some PR, and some more outreach and marketing activities.

4. Begin Getting Customers

The final step to getting started is actually getting your first customer. Having great customers behind you means success for your business. To find these customers you should discover how to get in front of your audience, sending out the right message to entice customers, and devising a pricing structure that works for the majority of customers to effectively give customers what they need.

Online Business Ideas FAQs

• Where to search online for the best small business ideas?

You can search for the best small business ideas on entrepreneurial blogs like Oberlo, Shopify, or 99designs.com. Alternatively, you can use Google to provide insight by searching around topics that you are interested in.

• What to sell as your online business idea?

You can sell almost anything as your online business idea. If you want to sell clothing, you could consider dropshipping or print-on-demand. If you are an expert in a particular field you could sell your knowledge through consulting or courses. The sky's the limit when it comes to online business ideas.

Online business ideas are endless and all-inclusive. Most office-based jobs can now be done online through freelancing or remote working. The beauty of technology means that profitable online businesses will keep growing and growing, making the world a truly global marketplace. If you are considering moving away from the traditional career path and want to start your own business, read through our list of business ideas a few times and contemplate the many ways you can start a successful online business today.

Summary: Best Online Business Ideas for 2024

• Start an online t-shirt business
• Launch a dropshipping website
• Offer advice on Indiegogo/Kickstarter
• Start an SEO business
• Sell online courses
• Offer software bug testing resources  
• Launch a video production company
• Offer graphic design services
• Sell web development services
• Create apps for companies
• Build website themes
• Provide translation services
• Manage social media for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)
• Offer remote customer support services
• Provide virtual assistant services 
• Become a remote sales agent
• Launch an affiliate marketing business
• Provide lead generation services
• Do influencer marketing
• Build a handmade goods store
• Become a private chef
• Offer nutrition consultancy 
• Sell baked goods online
• Build a natural & organic beauty store
• Sell women’s sportswear online
• Offer 3D-printed products
• Create an ethical fashion brand
• Start a mystery objects shop
• Work as an online researcher
• Become a proofreader
• Offer CV writing services
• Become a speechwriter
• Self-publish books and e-books
• Ghostwrite content 
• Curate interesting content
• Teach foreign languages

Which of these online business ideas are you going to try first? Let us know in the comments below.

Want to Learn More?

• Free Business Name Generator
• Wondering How to Grow Your Business? 4 Ways Dropshipping Can Help
• Business Ideas That Will Make You Money
• What Should You Sell Online

Is there anything else you’d like to know more about and wish was included in this article? Let us know in the comments below!   

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After 23 years in corporate America, I took a career-change course to figure out what's next. Here are 9 tips that actually helped.

• After 23 years in corporate America, I decided I needed a career change and signed up for a course.
• Throughout the program, I learned how important it was to build a network and test out new things. 
• After eight months, I was finally able to confidently start doing more fulfilling work.

Career change, shift, pivot. Whatever you call it, after 23 years in corporate America , I wanted out.

I didn't know what I wanted to do next, but I was sure it wasn't what I was doing now.

Luckily, the US job market is more stable now than it's been since before 2020. But changing careers is more than finding a new boss or moving to a different company.

During one marathon search session, I stumbled upon Careershifters and paid $1,175 for its eight-week Career Change Launch Pad course.

Now that I've successfully pivoted, here are the best tips I took away from the course.

Step back and assess where you're at

We started the course by taking a quiz that was supposed to help us determine what stage of the pivoting process we were in (questioner, browser, explorer, pathfinder, and shifter).

These kinds of assessments can sometimes feel gimmicky, but it was helpful to zoom out a bit and reflect on where I was at.

The categories stretched from questioner (wondering whether you need to make a change) to shifter (successfully finding more fulfilling work), and the assessment told me I was an explorer (ready to change but not sure what to do).

Look for people, not jobs

Building my network was exponentially more helpful than skimming through endless job descriptions.

I recommend talking to everyone about your shift — family, friends, former colleagues, yoga teachers, LinkedIn connections . You never know what or who they know.

I met a McDonald's Happy Meal toy designer through a former boss, and my chiropractor connected me with a lifestyle magazine.

Don't try to do everything alone

Surrounding myself with a community of other people going through a career change made all the difference in my process.

My program included coaches who had changed careers and about 65 fellow participants from around the world — including a programmer in the UK, a writer in Greece, and an accountant in Brooklyn.

They all understood what it was like to feel stuck and overwhelmed, and we shared ideas, work experiences, and networks.

Related stories

Even if you don't want to do a course, there are career-change coaches , podcasts, books, and so many other resources out there to help.

Career shifts don't happen overnight

We're asked what we want to be when we grow up all the time as kids, but I hadn't had the opportunity to explore that question as an adult.

Deciding to pivot allowed me to take the time to discover more about myself, explore my options, and experiment with different possibilities.

Changing careers is a process — don't rush it. I was eight months into my career shift before I felt confident about what I wanted.

Don't start with updating your résumé

A résumé is all about where you've been. But a career shift is about what you want in the future.

Instead of rushing to update résumés or spruce up my portfolio, I tried to trust the process and focus on figuring out what I wanted.

My career experience up to that point had been something like, "You're perfect. You're hired. Now change."

But after a career-shift coach told me she gets paid to be herself, that became my new mission.

Physically try new things that get you out of your head

It's going to be really hard to find fulfilling work if you're just sitting behind your desk all day looking for opportunities online.

Instead of endlessly searching job boards , I did an informational interview with an author, ran promotions for a high-school musical, and went behind the scenes at a local bakery.

Even if I wasn't necessarily interested in those fields, physically getting myself out there and trying new things helped me along in my process.

Expand your reality bubble

Everyone has what I like to call a "reality bubble," and they're full of different ideas, perspectives, people, and experiences.

Simply expanding that bubble a little bit opened my mind to new possibilities for my career shift.

When I pushed myself to have new and different conversations, I met a gift concierge who helped me identify small businesses that needed marketing help and a Disney travel planner who ended up being my first client when I started working as a career-change consultant.

Take your ideas for a low-risk test drive

Attending workshops and testing things out with friends are great, low-risk ways to experiment with different career possibilities.

I did pro-bono marketing for a doggie day care , took an hourlong course on book publishing, and designed a line of 1980s-themed scented markers — along with 25 other short-lived experiments.

Through all these different experiences, I figured out what gives me energy, what I could get good at, and what I might actually be able to get paid for.

Holding one salaried job isn't the only way to work

When I started this process, I knew I didn't want to do one thing in one place with one company anymore.

Just because having a single source of income is the norm doesn't mean that's where you have to wind up. Eventually, I was able to create a hodgepodged career that met my goal of feeling like I was getting paid to be myself.

Now I work with a variety of people and companies as a freelance writer, career-change consultant, and small-business marketing strategist.

Watch: Marketing leaders from Amazon, LinkedIn, Lego Group and more tell Insider what pandemic-fueled business changes are likely to stick around

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Ohio State President’s Buckeye Accelerator to launch student ventures

Startups receive $50,000, coaching and mentoring.

The third annual President’s Buckeye Accelerator has awarded $50,000 each to six teams of student entrepreneurs at The Ohio State University to further their startup business ventures. The winners were among 11 teams that pitched their business ideas to a panel of Ohio State representatives and business professionals on May 1 at the Student Entrepreneur Center on the Columbus campus.  

The President’s Buckeye Accelerator supports students in bringing their entrepreneurial ideas to life, said Cheryl Turnbull, senior director of Ohio State’s Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship . The center, which administers the accelerator program, is a campus-wide hub for the development of startup ventures.

“The President’s Buckeye Accelerator is a year-long program. It will start in August of ’24,” she said. “These students have worked really hard to get to this point.”

“At the end of that program, there’s a competition and the winner of that receives a golden ticket to tonight’s finale,” Turnbull said.

The other 10 teams that pitched business ideas during the May 1 finale were selected from the Boost Camp program that was held this spring. During Boost Camp, professionals in a variety of industries mentored the students and offered advice on starting and running a successful business. 

“That’s our pre-Accelerator program in which 85 teams this year, representing close to 400, participated,” Turnbull said of Boost Camp. “It takes students through a very rigorous program. The students have put in so much time and so much effort and so much grit.”

A panel of five business professionals chose the six ventures that received funding: Shereen Agrawal, executive director of Ohio State’s Center for Software Innovation; Anita Nti, a data scientist and president of Ohio State’s Smart Campus organization; Lindsay Karas Stencel, a senior partner with Thompson Hine law firm; and technology executives Kumi Walker and Grant Schneider.  

The student founders of the six winning teams represent The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, the College of Engineering, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Fisher College of Business.

Services in development at the student ventures range from custom exercise programs for individuals whose limbs have been amputated to programming to provide greater access to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education for underserved communities.

Andy Hundley, who is earning a Master of Business Administration degree from the Fisher College of Business, said the idea to start Forged Amputee Wellness came from interacting with patients in his role as a physical therapist with the Wexner Medical Center. 

“What Forged Amputee Wellness aims to do is … provide them with personalized exercise programming that will allow them to continue to make progress well beyond discharge from physical therapy,” he said.

Sneha Prabu, who is majoring in neuroscience, said she and her business partners’ Youth for STEM Equity nonprofit organization will create “escape rooms” where students will use STEM skills to find their way out.

“Youth for STEM Equity provides direct, in-person exposure, along with reinvesting money into underserved communities,” she said. “We believe the key to growing as students and teachers is through extended content retention, sustainable student-teacher development, industry exposure and interpersonal engagement and belonging.”

In addition to $50,000, each team will receive a year’s worth of coaching and mentoring. The complete list of winning ventures and students in this year’s cohort is as follows:

Almara , which will provide a platform to connect cancer patients with potentially life-saving clinical trials. Team members: Harikrishnan Kasi, Adhav Parameswaran, Adam Roberts, Sid Singaram and Kuppan Subramaniyan.

Apiary Systems , which will assist military units in streamlining data collection to enhance strategic operations. Team members: Tom Cooney, Tyler Fenstermaker, Ritvik Rao and Daniel Domingo Tcheurekdjian.

BioBuddy , an e-learning platform to increase access to STEM education. Team members: Chris Egasti and Malak Askar.

CorrSuite , which is developing automated scheduling software to increase production efficiency in the corrugated box industry. Team members: Sean Schnautz and Kush Dalal.

Forged Amputee Wellness . Founder: Hundley.

Youth for STEM Equity . Team members: Prabu, Varshini Chennupati, Laksh Dhir, Kavya Jayanthi, Anurag Kejriwal and Natalie Stover.

The other five ventures that were featured at the President’s Buckeye Accelerator finale were:

Pulse , a mobile solution to streamline data collection and communication between health care professionals. Team members: Kevin Ravakhah and Hower Chen.

Roots: Farming Made Easy , which is developing software to streamline logistics management for organic farmers. Team members: Varsha Venkateshwaran, Shreya Sree Morishetty and Dipanjali Nandy.

Expenz , a banking solution for fraternities and sororities. Team members: Pranav Chati and Eshwar Pamula.

Mindful Diagnosis , which aims to decrease disparities and in health care through implicit bias and diversity training. Team member: Vraj Shah.

Pryva , a technological monitoring solution to increase safety for older adults in their homes and health care facilities. Team members: Nicolas Landis-Ashbaugh, Donovan Liao, Isaac Nolan and Om Patil.

For more information about the President’s Buckeye Accelerator, visit the program’s website .

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Ohio state academic year culminates with student fashion show.

Students at The Ohio State University who are preparing to enter a variety of career fields showcased their creativity with a recent fashion show at the Ohio Union.

Putting sourdough under the microscope

Since sourdough starters are created from wild yeast and bacteria in the flour, it creates a favorable environment for many types of microbes to flourish. There can be more than 20 different species of yeast and 50 different species of bacteria in a sourdough starter. The most robust become the dominant species.

New machine learning algorithm promises advances in computing

Systems controlled by next-generation computing algorithms could give rise to better and more efficient machine learning products, a new study suggests. 

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Nasa nurtures promising tech ideas from small businesses.

Tiernan P. Doyle

Nasa headquarters.

New space technology ideas emerge every day from innovators across the country, and NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program on Monday selected more than 100 projects for funding. This program offers small businesses in the United States early-stage funding and support to advance the agency’s goals of exploring the unknown in air and space while returning benefits to Earth.

Specifically, NASA’s SBIR program awarded $93.5 million in Phase II contracts to bring 107 new ideas to life from 95 selected small businesses. Of these businesses, nearly 80% have less than 50 employees, and 21% are receiving their first Phase II award, valued at up to $850,000 each. Each small business was also eligible to apply for up to $50,000 in Technical and Business Assistance program funding to help find new market opportunities and shape their commercialization roadmap.

“We are thrilled to support this diverse set of companies as they work diligently to bring their technologies to market,” said Jenn Gustetic, director of Early Stage Innovation and Partnerships with NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. “Inclusive innovation is integral to mission success at NASA, and we’re excited to see that 29% of the awardees are from underrepresented groups, including 11% women-owned businesses.”

In Phase II, awardees will build on their success from the program’s first phase to bring their technologies closer to real-world use. The companies have 24 months to execute their plans, which focus on their technologies’ path to commercialization.

For example, NASA selected women-owned and first-time NASA Phase II awardee nou Systems, Inc. in Huntsville, Alabama, for its genetic testing instrument. While portable genetic sequencing already exists, field sequencing – that would allow DNA analysis anywhere on Earth or off planet – remains unfeasible as the preparation of the DNA Library remains an intensely manual process, needing a trained wet lab technician and several pieces of laboratory equipment. The Phase II technology takes advantage of several cross-enabling technologies, creating an instrument to automate the genetic sequencing process.

“Our program works directly with small businesses to forge innovative concepts and technologies that drive impact for NASA projects as well as a myriad of commercial endeavors,” said Jason L. Kessler, program executive for NASA’s SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program at NASA Headquarters. “This collaboration results in realized opportunities not only for NASA but all of humanity.”

This includes technologies aiming to reduce astronaut workload and improve robotic scientific endeavors on the Moon and Mars. PickNik Inc. based in Boulder, Colorado, will use its Phase II award to continue developing a hardware-agnostic platform for supervised autonomy that empowers humans to command a remote robot to complete complex tasks with minimal input, which could support the Artemis program. Outside of NASA, PickNik’s software product may be of interest to commercial space customers working on low Earth orbit destinations, in-space servicing, and more, as well as on Earth in areas like warehouse management, oil rig maintenance, and deep-sea exploration. 

The NASA SBIR program is open to U.S. small businesses to develop an innovation or technology. The program is part of STMD and managed by NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.

To learn more about the NASA SBIR program, visit:

https://sbir.nasa.gov

Jimi Russell Headquarters, Washington [email protected] 202-358-1600

Related Terms

• Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business
• Space Technology Mission Directorate

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145 New Service Business Ideas for 2022

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If you’re thinking about starting a business, more specifically a service business, you’re part of a growing workforce demographic. Experts disagree on the exact size of today’s gig economy, but research from Intuit suggests that the population of independent, service-based business owners made up as much as 34% of the total U.S. workforce in 2017. That’s a huge volume of individuals looking for new, independent ways of earning an income.

Service business ideas: The top 15

Personal fitness trainer

Grocery shopping and delivery

Makeup artist

Doula and birth coaching services

Private school application consultant

Elder companion and care provider

Pet sitting

Handyman service

Mobile car wash and detailing

Virtual assistant

Graphic designer

IT systems consultant

Mobile notary public

Rental property management

Corporate event planner

Whether you’ve been pushed into business ownership by a lack of steady employment, or you’re on a proactive search for a more flexible and self-directed way of earning a living, this wide-ranging list of 145 unique ideas for service businesses is a great resource to get you started.

How much do you need?

with Fundera by NerdWallet

We’ll start with a brief questionnaire to better understand the unique needs of your business.

Once we uncover your personalized matches, our team will consult you on the process moving forward.

Personal services

In a world full of people who are busier than ever before, convenience has become an utmost priority to US consumers. As a result, there is no shortage of ways that individuals can start businesses providing services for others. Whether you’re a staunch academic, love working with animals or children, or have a knack for fixing things, the realm of personal service business ideas has an option for nearly everyone.

Best of all? Most of these personal service businesses require little to no formal training or certification, and they can be offered on-site in people’s homes to avoid the high overhead of maintaining an office or retail shop.

You may need to acquire some basic supplies, but otherwise, the only barrier to getting started is finding clients who are willing to pay for your work.

Personal health and wellness services

Many of us set goals to become a bit healthier in some way, whether through our mental health, agility, or simple physical wellness—but without some form of assistance, guidance, or accountability, many people struggle to reach those goals. If you’re an avid runner, love cooking, or have training in alternative healing, one of these health and wellness service business ideas may be a perfect fit for you:

Meditation instructor

Private yoga instructor

In-home masseuse

Acupuncturist

Chiropractor

Nutrition consultant

Meal delivery service

Personal chef

Personal concierge services

From buying groceries to doing laundry and keeping our spaces tidy, who among us has time to get all of our chores done without becoming overwhelmed in the process? If you’re not bothered by running errands and cleaning up, friends and neighbors may your ideal clientele for these personal concierge business ideas.

Errand-runner

Dry-cleaning delivery and pick-up

Seamstress or tailor services

Window washing

Home cleaning service

Private car service

Beauty and lifestyle service business ideas

If you love all things beauty and personal style, your career options are no longer limited to traditional cosmetology school and hourly work in a salon. Consider whether these emerging lifestyle service business options—almost all of which you could provide in-home, or even virtually—might make a great gig for your interests.

In-home hair stylist

Personal wardrobe stylist

Online dating consultant / profile editor

Serving parents, babies, and small children

There is growing opportunity for service business ideas that meet the needs of new parents, particularly in major cities, where children are more likely to be born to older and more career-minded couples.

If you love the idea of working with small children and their parents, consider whether one of these unique service business ideas would be a good option for you.

Birth photographer

Overnight doula service

Lactation consultant

On-demand babysitter

Home baby proofing consultant

Nanny and au pair placement service

Private music teacher

Children’s party planner

Birthday party character appearances

Children’s entertainment services

Academic consulting services

As those babies and toddlers grow into young students, research has shown that their parents’ dollars are transitioning to an increased amount of spending on academic support services.

Consider yourself academically inclined? Perhaps your perfect idea for a service business is among these listed here:

Homeschool teacher

Academic tutoring

Online English tutor

SAT tutoring and preparation

GED test preparation

College application consultant

College essay editor

Cover letter and resume writer

Elder care services

Population shifts are trending toward dramatic growth in our nation’s number of older adults, so you can expect demand for elder care services to skyrocket in the coming years.

Could the growing need for home health aides, drivers, and other care providers direct your new career?

In-home physical therapist

Private nursing service

Animal care services

If you’ve always had a love of animals, consider channeling that passion into a full-time business in one of these popular specialties.

Pet Sitting

Dog walking

Mobile veterinary services

Mobile pet grooming

Home maintenance and repair services

Although you may be inclined to look to new, trendy, or virtual service business ideas for your next opportunity, don’t forget about traditional home maintenance and repair services, which are consistent needs among U.S. populations.

Are you naturally talented at fixing things? Do you enjoy collecting tools and home maintenance equipment? One of these ideas for service businesses may be your perfect choice.

Pool servicing and maintenance

Locksmith services

Home entertainment installation

Home-inspection services

Interior painting service

Wallpaper installation service

Power washing service

Carpet installation service

Air conditioning installation and maintenance

Plumbing service

Appliance repair

Porcelain repair

Home maintenance equipment rental

Automobile maintenance and repair

For much of America, owning a car is considered a necessary convenience for getting around from day to day. Even so, vehicle ownership can quickly become inconvenient when a need arises for cleaning, maintenance, or repair.

With just a bit of skills training, you can choose one of these lucrative, new service business ideas to help your fellow drivers get back on the road.

Mobile car wash and car detailing

Mobile car mechanic

Vehicle inspection service

Windshield repair service

Business services

As more and more Americans become independent business owners, it should come as no surprise that demand for business-to-business services is also growing. Generally, modern businesses have taken a leaner approach to growth, relying on outside consultants or contractors to provide services and expertise to avoid the high overhead of having many employees.

Instead of working directly for another business as an employee, your future career could fall within one of these B2B service business ideas.

B2B administrative services

Though the range of “business services” can span almost every industry and niche, let’s start with some of the most traditional, purely administrative services that you can provide to fellow business clients. These services can be conducted in person at a client’s office or retail location, but in many cases they can also be offered remotely from anywhere with a reliable internet connection.

Executive headhunting

Language translation

Project manager

Certified professional accountant

Payroll processing service

Financial auditor

Business plan consultant

Office support services

Data analysis

Messenger service

Online course consultant

Freelance researcher

Online business coach

Customer service phone operator

Live chat customer support service

Sales and marketing

For any business to succeed, it needs two basic things: a product or service to sell, and customers willing to pay for it. The good news for small business owners is that the internet has made connecting with and attracting those customers a more accessible process than ever before.

The good news for you , however? The world of online marketing—and content marketing in particular—requires a huge amount of human capital to be done effectively. Could providing one of these marketing services be the right opportunity for you?

Website designer

Marketing copywriter

Content writer

Editing and proofreading service

E-book ghostwriter

Facebook ads strategist

Instagram marketing strategist

Social media manager

Content marketing strategist

SEO strategist

Email marketing manager

Affiliate sales and marketing consultant

Brand photographer

Marketing video producer

Podcast producer

Presentation and proposal designer

Public relations consultant

Brand ambassador

Technology maintenance and repair services

As businesses across every industry rely more and more heavily on technology for their daily operations, the need for knowledgeable service providers has grown steadily. Within larger corporations, these roles are often filled by in-house employees. Small businesses, however, very often cannot afford to maintain full-time IT managers, meaning they must rely on third-party services to address technology needs.

If you have previous training or a natural affinity for computer programming and information technology, your service business idea might be on this list.

Computer repair service

Printer and copy machine maintenance

Software installation service

Mobile IT support service

App developer

Online network installation and maintenance

Online security consultant

Data management consultant

B2B legal services

From notarizing documents to reviewing contracts and investigating wrongdoing, a wide array of opportunities exist to create a service business in the law enforcement sector—even without a law degree. Here are a few examples worth considering.

Legal process server

Paralegal services

Private investigator

Contract drafting and review service

Travel and tourism service business ideas

Have you recently traveled to a resort destination, only to discover that you never want to leave—or do you simply want to share with visitors the unique charms of your own hometown?

Though major airlines and hotel chains dominate much of the $370 billion U.S. travel market , opportunities abound for the creation of unique cultural and adventurous experiences by small business service providers. Here are just a few of the many ways you can turn your passion for travel into a new opportunity.

Local tour guide

Adventure tours

Travel agent

Corporate retreat coordinator

Cruise booking agent

Travel concierge services

Ski or snowboarding instructor

SCUBA diving instructor

Beach equipment rentals

Event service business ideas

From family celebrations to corporate conferences and everything in between, hosting an event almost always requires many hands on deck. And with business-to-business events alone representing a multi-billion-dollar industry, it should come as no surprise that so many opportunities exist for new service businesses in this sector.

Do you thrive on the adrenaline and social interaction of live events? If so, you could find your calling in one of these ideas for service businesses.

Fundraising event coordinator

Trade show producer

Wedding planner

Conference marketing manager

Event photographer

Event videographer

Audio visual technician

Lighting designer

Live video producer

Bartending services

Event catering services

Custom baking

Photo booth rental service

Reunion coordinator

Valet parking service

Event furniture and equipment rental

You might assume that we’ve covered every option for a service business in 2022 with this list of 145 ideas. In reality though, this list only scratches the surface of possibilities. If you’re eager to start your own business, thinking about your individual passions, strengths, and skills is the first step to what could be a satisfying new career.

Start Your Dream Business

Frequently asked questions

1. what is a service business.

A service business is one that provides an intangible product, performed by a team or an individual. Examples would be accounting, plumbing, landscaping, and banking.

2. How do you start a service business?

The basic first step to start a service business is to find a gap in services that exist in your area and create a business that fills the gap. Beyond that, it will depend entirely on the industry you choose. A good place to start is by writing a business plan. During that process, you will start to focus on many of the elements of starting a business, like your target audience and marketing strategy. You'll also need to think about how to fund your business idea .

3. How do you calculate the break-even point for service businesses?

Simply put, your break-even point is found by dividing your fixed costs by your selling price per unit minus the variable cost per unit. For a service business, you first need to figure out what your "unit" is. For example, accountants may charge by the hour, so one hour would be one unit. You could also charge by treatment, course (if you're a tutor or educator), or individual service (for example, a landscaper would charge different prices for just a lawn cut vs. cut and plant trim). Once you figure out your unit, the formula is pretty standard.

4. Do service businesses charge sales tax?

It is ultimately up to each individual state to decide which businesses are subject to sales tax. Be sure to check with your state and city agencies when establishing your service business to ensure that you're complying with the law.

This article originally appeared on JustBusiness, a subsidiary of NerdWallet.

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More From Forbes

The 5 biggest business trends in 2023 everyone must get ready for now.

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Businesses have faced huge challenges and have undergone an incredible amount of change over the past few years, and this won’t slow down in 2023. Businesses will have to deal with the aftereffects of the global pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, economic challenges, as well as an ever-faster development of technologies.

Here are the trends I believe will have the greatest day-to-day impact on the way we work and do business in 2023.

The 5 Biggest Business Trends For 2023

1. Accelerated digital transformation

In 2023, we see the continuation of innovations and developments in transformative technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), cloud computing, blockchain, and super-fast network protocols like 5G. What’s more, these transformational digital technologies do not exist in isolation from each other, and we will see the boundaries between them blurring. New solutions for augmented working, hybrid and remote working , business decision-making, and automation of manual, routine, and creative workloads combine these technologies in ways that enable them to enhance each other. This brings us closer than ever to the point where we are able to create “intelligent enterprises” where systems and processes support each other to complete menial and mundane tasks in the most efficient way possible.

To prepare for this, businesses must ensure they embed the right technology throughout their processes and in every area of operations. At this point, there is really very little excuse for being in business and not having an understanding of how AI and the other technologies mentioned above will impact your business and industry. More effective sales and marketing, better customer service, more efficient supply chains, products and services that are more aligned with customer needs, and streamlined manufacturing processes are all on the table, and in 2023, the barriers to accessing them will be lower than ever. Many of these technologies, such as AI and blockchain, are now available in 'as-a-service' models via the cloud, and new interfaces and apps give businesses access to them via no-code environments.

2. Inflation and supply chain security

The economic outlook for most of the world doesn’t look great in 2023. We are told by experts to expect ongoing inflation and subdued economic growth. Many industries are still plagued by supply chain issues that emerged during the global shutdowns caused by Covid-19 and have only got worse due to the war in Ukraine. To combat this and stay afloat, companies need to improve their resilience in any way that they can. This means reducing exposure to volatile market pricing of commodities, as well as building protective measures into supply chains to deal with shortages and rising logistical costs.

It is important that companies map out their entire supply chains and identify any exposure to supply and inflation risks. That way, they can explore ways to mitigate that risk, such as alternative suppliers and becoming more self-reliant. I have recently worked with a number of companies that decided to in-source parts of their manufacturing after they identified a risk of relying on Chinese manufacturing that is still plagued by a zero-Covid policy and subsequent shutdowns.

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024.

3. Sustainability

The world is increasingly waking up to the fact that the climate disaster will pose a much bigger challenge than anything we have experienced in recent decades and will dwarf the challenges faced by the Covid pandemic. That means investors and consumers prefer businesses with the right environmental and social credentials, and buying trends are increasingly being driven by conscious consumers – those among us who prioritize factors such as ecological impact and sustainability when choosing who to buy from or do business with.

In 2023, companies need to make sure that their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) processes are moved to the center of their strategy. This should start with measuring the impact any business is having on society and the environment and then move to increasing transparency, reporting, and accountability. Every business needs a plan with clear goals and timeframes of how to reduce any negative impacts, and then the plan needs to be underpinned by solid action plans. The assessment and plans should also go beyond the company walls and cover the entire supply chain and the ESG credentials of suppliers. For example, it is easy to forget the environmental impact of cloud service providers and the impact of data centers on the environment.

4. Immersive customer experience

In 2023, customers crave experience above all else. That doesn't necessarily mean that price point and quality take a back seat, though. Both play a part, to some extent, in the way we experience the process of choosing, purchasing, and enjoying the goods and services we spend our money on.

The role that technology plays here, traditionally, has been to streamline processes and remove hassle from the life of the consumer. Think recommendation engines that help us choose what to buy or online customer service portals that deal with problems and after-sales support. These will still play a key role in 2023, but the game has evolved, with this year’s keywords being immersion and interactivity.

The metaverse – something of a catch-all term used by futurists to describe the “next level” of the internet, where we interact with brands and fellow consumers through immersive technology, including 3D environments and VR – is the stage where this will play out. Think of online shops where we can browse and "try on" virtual representations of clothes, jewelry, and accessories. We might use virtual dressing rooms to dress up avatars of ourselves – as pioneered already by the likes of Hugo Boss – or it could involve AR, as used by Walmart , to see how clothes will fit on our actual bodies. These trends will impact both online and offline retail.

The trend towards experience is so strong that brands like Adobe and Adweek are appointing chief experience officers (CXO) to ensure that it is made a foundational element of business strategy. As well as customer experience, businesses increasingly need to think about employee experience as competition for the most talented and skilled workers grows more intense.

5. The talent challenge

Over the past year, we have seen huge movements of talented people, referred to as the great resignation and quiet quitting , as workers reassessed the impact of work and what they want to get out of their lives. This has put pressure on employers to ensure they are providing attractive careers, the flexibility of hybrid work, and an enticing work environment and company culture. Offering people fulfilling work, ongoing opportunities to grow and learn, flexibility and diverse, value-oriented workplaces will all be essential in 2023.

On top of that, the accelerated digital transformation (trend one above) leads to more workplace automation that will augment pretty much every single job in the world. Humans will increasingly share their work with intelligent machines and smart robots, and that has huge implications for the skills and talent companies require in the future. This will mean reskilling and up-skilling huge sways of people in our businesses as well as recruiting new people that have the skills needed for the future.

On the one hand side, businesses must deal with the vast skills gap that exists in areas such as data science, AI, and other technology areas, ensuring they are creating the data and tech-savvy workforce needed to succeed in the future. And on the other side, as human jobs get augmented by technology, businesses must re-train staff with skills needed to work alongside smart machines and to grow their uniquely human skills that currently can’t be automated. In 2023, it will include skills such as creativity, critical thinking, interpersonal communication, leadership, and applying “humane” qualities like caring and compassion.

To stay on top of the latest on the latest business and tech trends, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter , follow me on Twitter , LinkedIn , and YouTube , and check out my books ‘ Business Trends in Practice ’ and ‘Future Skills’.

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Who has the lowest car insurance rates in New Jersey? See new MarketWatch Guides list

It's no secret that car insurance rates have been on the rise.

In New Jersey, according to MarketWatch Guides, more than 20 companies raised rates by double-digits since January of 2023.

Nationwide, the company says that the consumer price index for  motor vehicle insurance increased 38.7%  from the beginning of 2020 to the start of 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

And everyone is feeling the squeeze.

More: Here's how to save on airfare, according to Expedia

MarketWatch Guides set out to find the cheapest car insurance rates across the country, from companies that still provide what they deem quality coverage and service. They dived into 130 providers and ranked them on 8,500 data points.

Here's what they found.

Cheapest car insurance in New Jersey

Overall, MarketWatch Guides says Geico takes the crown in New Jersey.

It shows up with the cheapest rate of $1,472 for full coverage and $633 for minimum liability coverage. The rate was determined by ascertaining the cost for a 2022 Toyota Camry driven by a single 35-year-old with a good credit history and clean driving record.

More: State aid plunges, tax hikes capped: Big layoffs might be forced on Jersey Shore schools

MarketWatch Guides also points out that USAA offers the cheapest rates in many states, but they did not include it in rankings since it is only available to members of the military community.

How to get the lowest car insurance rate

MarketWatch Guides also provided some ways to ensure that you are getting the lowest rate for your car insurance. Laws by state may vary and limit the availability of some options.

Those include:

• Using a  car insurance calculator
• Comparing local providers
• Getting a quote after improving your driving record and credit
• Including pay-per-mile insurance as an option (if you’re not driving your vehicle a lot,  mileage-based auto insurance  can be an option)
• Considering telematics car insurance, which determine your rate by your driving
• Looking for companies with discounts you qualify for

Common discounts include military, homeowner, good student, safe car, good driver, defensive driving courses, multi-policy or multi-vehicle, paperless and pay-in-full.

How to lower car insurance rate

If available from your provider, MarketWatch Guides says you also can work to lower your car insurance rate by:

• Paying your premium annually or biannually
• Improving your driver profile by taking a safe driver course
• Improving your credit score
• Driving a vehicle that costs less to insure
• Increasing your deductible
• Opting for less coverage

Lowest car insurance rates

MarketWatch guides also ranked car insurance providers by cheapest medium and large companies, cheapest insurance for young drivers, senior citizens and high-risk drivers, like those who have a DUI, accident or multiple speeding tickets, the cheapest liability-only coverage, the cheapest coverage for those with poor credit, and other categories. You can read the full report at marketwatch.com/guides/insurance-services/cheap-car-insurance.

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Uncover America's Best Beaches for Shell Collectors

Posted: May 10, 2024 | Last updated: May 10, 2024

Shell collecting is a popular beach activity that’s fun and easy to do. For some, it’s a way to take home a pretty souvenir, and for others, it’s a dedicated hobby. Some even build a business around it, collecting perfect specimens of beautiful and exotic shells and cleaning and preparing them for sale. While you can find shells at any beach, some are particularly known for their high-quality “shelling.” Here are the best U.S. beaches for collecting shells.

1. Shelter Island, New York

Shelter Island is between the North and South Forks of Long Island, and it has 25 miles of coastline that includes 6 beaches. Of them, Crescent Beach is considered to be one of the best in the region for shell collecting.

2. Calvert Cliffs State Park, Maryland

As the Calvert Cliffs crumble, they reveal the fossilized remains of prehistoric marine species. When you comb the beaches of this Chesapeake Bay site, look especially for fossilized shark teeth, sea glass, and even arrowheads.

3. Ocracoke Island, North Carolina

Ocracoke Island isn’t easy to get to, which is why it’s less crowded than other beaches in its region. From the north, you have to drive the full length of the Outer Banks and then take a fairly short ferry ride across, and from the south, it’s a ferry trip of several hours. Because the Gulf Stream is close, the ocean is warmer here than it is in the rest of the Outer Banks. Point Beach, on the northern end of the island, has exceptionally good shelling.

4. Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina

A ferry is also the only way to get to the beaches here, which keeps it from ever getting too crowded. Strolling the shores at sunrise, looking for what washed up overnight, is a great experience.

5. Folly Beach, South Carolina

More than 700 different types of shells have been found at this beach, one of the state’s best. Starfish, sand dollars, and urchins sometimes wash up here as well, but one of the most prized finds is fossilized shark teeth.

6. Sanibel Island, Florida

The Gulf Coast beaches are generally considered to have the best shells in the U.S., and Sanibel Island is the most acclaimed of them all. Early morning, the day after a storm, and as the high tide is going back out are the best times to find shells. Why is the Sanibel area so great? Experts attribute it to a wide continental shelf offshore that supports larger populations of shellfish, crustaceans, and the like.

7. Captiva Island, Florida

Captiva Island lies just north of Sanibel Island and has similar shelling opportunities. Because Sanibel commands so much attention, Captiva can provide some respite from the crowds.

8. Galveston Beach, Texas

Storied Galveston Island is less than an hour’s drive from Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city, so don’t expect to have the sands to yourself here. However, don’t let that stop you from searching for shells here. Early morning and following a storm are the best times.

9. Padre Island National Seashore, Texas

Padre Island , a 70-mile seashore, is the longest undeveloped barrier island in the world, and you can drive most of it. You can look for shells anywhere out here, but the best spots are the aptly named Little Shell and Big Shell Beaches.

10. Point Reyes National Seashore, California

With their backdrop of tall cliffs, the beaches here are among the most spectacular in the country. Up close, a nice variety of shells await discovery. Bonus: check out the many tide pools for starfish, urchins, and other denizens of the tidal world.

11. Cannon Beach, Oregon

You’ve probably seen pictures of this beach with its rocky shores dominated by Haystack Rock . Low tide often leaves dozens of sand dollars all about, and from late fall into early winter, you can also see migrating gray whales off in deeper water.

12. Shipwreck Beach, Hawaii

The waters at this beach on Lanai are too turbulent and dangerous for swimming, but that same turbulence washes all kinds of things up, including beautiful shells. You can only access this scenic beach on foot or with a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

13. Waikiki Beach, Hawaii

This world-famous beach on Oahu has two miles of white sand shores where visitors like to search for seashells. Because of the exotic location, shells here are different from those usually found along beaches in the Lower 48.

14. Marco Island, Florida

Marco Island is the largest barrier island in southwestern Florida. White sands and calm waters make it an excellent place to look for beautiful shells.

15. San Jose Island, Texas

Twenty-one miles of pristine shoreline grace this Gulf island. You have to take a ferry to get to the island, and there are no amenities there.

16. Stinson Beach, California

Part of the Golden Gate Recreation area, Stinson Beach is one of the best shelling beaches on the West Coast. At low tide, look for sand dollars, and at the south end, you can find urchins, sea anemones, and starfish.

17. Silver Strand State Beach, California

Silver Strand is on Coronado Island in the waters off San Diego. It’s known and named for silvery oyster shells covering the dunes, but you can find many other shell varieties here, too.

18. Point Roberts, Washington

Located not far south of Vancouver, this beach has crystal-clear waters and beautiful landscapes. The setting is also perfect for abundant marine life that you can discover during low tide.

19. Point No Point Beach, Washington

As you shell at this beach, you can see passing whales and also, on clear days, Mount Rainier. It’s home to geoducks, the largest burrowing clams in the world, but those aren’t the only shells you’ll find here.

20. Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida

You’ll find this spot near Pensacola, and among the top finds is a “hurricane ball,” an egg-shaped combination of straw, palmetto grass, and seaweed wrapped tightly around a shell or small stone. Wave action during powerful storms creates them..

21. Cumberland Island, Georgia

A ferry ride gets you to this roadless island famous for its abundant sand dollars. Bike rentals are available, though, and that will help you get to Dungeness Beach, the best spot for shelling.

22. Shell Island – St. Andrews State Park, Florida

This barrier island near Panama City is only accessible by ferry, and its powdery sands and clear waters are perfect for swimming, kayaking, and snorkeling. Shelling is excellent as well, especially early in the day, and there’s the added bonus of getting to see dolphins leaping from the waters.

23. Dauphin Island, Alabama

There’s a lot to love about this island. The beaches are littered with shells, with the best bounties found just after a storm. Dolphins chase schools of fish off the shore, sea glass mixes among the shells, pelicans and ospreys soar above for meals, and sunsets are spectacular.

24. Anna Maria Island, Florida

Palmetto Beach is the place to go to find rare shells on this island, and fine quartz crystals keep the sands from getting too hot under the Florida sun. There’s also a back-to-nature feel since the shores aren’t lined with high-rise condos and hotels.

25. Fort Myers Beach, Florida

Fort Myers Beach is on Estero Island just east of world-famous Sanibel Island. In addition to great shelling, you can also enjoy archeological exhibits and hiking trails. There’s also a science center showcasing local marine life.

26. Fernandina Beach, Florida

Most of Florida’s great shelling beaches are on the Gulf Coast, but this one is on the Atlantic Coast near Jacksonville. Small shells such as whelks are most common, but a special draw here is all the shark’s teeth you’ll find, especially after a storm.

27. Navarre Beach, Florida

The county commission of Santa Rosa County runs Navarre Beach Marine Park, a Panhandle sanctuary in the far western corner of the state. Considered a hidden gem, this park offers great shelling without all the competition you’ll find at places like Sanibel, Captiva, and other well-known beaches.

Best Beach Vacations For Families, Couples, and Solo Travelers

Whether you’re traveling solo, as a couple, or as a family with kids, there are beach locations in the United States that will fit your agenda perfectly. Pack your beach bags and get ready to go!

12 Mexico Beaches Perfect for a Fall Getaway

Cooler weather is coming, making it the perfect time to start planning a relaxing getaway to someplace warmer. Mexico is a popular and affordable getaway location if you’re ready to get away, kick back, and relax someplace sunny and warm.

Pack your bags and book your plane ticket because you’ll be ready for some fun in the sun after reading about these amazing beaches just south of the border.

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