The global pandemic has resulted in the rapid acceleration of the digital transformation of many aspects of our lives—how we work, where we buy, and what new services and products are offered to us. But it and also exposed the inadequacy, inefficiency, and the sheer primitive aspects of the many processes, practices and policies governing the way we live now. Which technologies promise at least some progress in the near future?
In an online broadcast to a global audience, leading VC firm OurCrowd released today a list of what it considers the top tech trends in mid-2021, when global venture capital funding reached an all-time high with more than $288 billion invested worldwide in the first half of this year. “There is no better time to analyze what the tech trends are for the smart investor, and where the technology market is moving,” said Jon Medved, OurCrowd’s founder and CEO, opening the broadcast. And the top 10 tech trends are…
Work. Pray. Love: Life Becomes Virtual
From e-Commerce to work-from-home to online gatherings, the world has moved on-screen and many tech startups have either adjusted to the new virtual reality or were born to be virtual. Event platform Bizzabo, for example, pivoted during the pandemic to provide new technologies to maximize participant engagement at virtual and hybrid events. “We are on a mission to redefine events,” Bizzabo CEO Eran Ben-Shushan said at the virtual event. “We believe that looking at the future of events… it is all about reinventing the hybrid experience.” Other startups driving this trend are Papaya Global, developer of an automated global payroll while re-inventing workplace onboarding and engagement worldwide; and JumpCloud, providing secure remote access without on-premises hardware.
Science Is for Dinner (Foodtech)
A $6 trillion industry is being re-engineered by plant-based and lab-produced food, meeting increasing demand for quantity, quality, and sustainability. “There is a consensus among experts that one of the biggest challenges in the food industry is finding alternative protein sources to feed the increasing world population,” said Dr. Tammy Meiron, CTO of the FreshStart food-tech incubator. But new alternatives are emerging: “There are several promising protein sources that are being intensively developed currently: plant-based, algae and micro algae, insect, fermentation, tissue culture, and others,” said Meiron. Startups driving this trend are Aleph Farms, developing cultured meat; BlueNalu, maker of fresh and frozen sea food products from lab cultivated cells; Ripple Foods, producer of dairy alternative products; and Plenty, an indoor vertical farming company.
Retailers Double Down on Digital
Personalization, localization, voice shopping and chatbots are the new tools of the trade, merging digital and commerce. Noam Levavi, CEO of ByondXR, provider of immersive virtual showrooms, explained: “Experiences that were originally built into the physical world are not translating well into 2-D and static images.” ByondXR lets consumers experience products in a virtual store. Other developments driving this trend include personalized advertising from Clinch; relationship commerce experiences from Ordergroove; and the checkout-free stores created by Zippin.
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