Happy New Years entrepreneurs, startup founders, and innovators. You're the change agents who will make things happen in business and technology over the next 12 months. Forecasters are telling us that by this time next year, India will have grown bigger, cars will fly, and Bitcoin will crash—before it rebounds to new highs.¹
Tech trend forecasts that will influence startups in 2018
As is always the case when forecasters predict what's ahead in a new year, enthusiasm in the startup industry is high as we enter 2018. Below are certain key trends that capture the attention of analysts and are expected to be significant in shaping business models in the coming year.²
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligenc
AI has jettisoned from theory to implementation with serious applications and implications for businesses. AI is continuously pushing the limits of science and technology. 2018 will see the majority of startups utilizing AI technologies to create revolutionary solutions that are going to solve the real and complex business issues.
Enterprise mobility
Enterprise mobility
Enterprise mobility and business applications are no longer an option. In 2018, they will develop into indispensable tools to provide enhanced productivity and security. These tools will drive wide-scale adoption of critical business applications that accommodate more than just communication and collaboration, creating new opportunities for startups to develop innovative enterprise mobile solutions.
Internet ioT solutions
ioT technology
Internet of Things (IoT) technology will expand with the development of smarter solutions that are programmatically to synchronize with human behavior. AI and machines will facilitate IIoT technology to operate autonomously or semi-autonomously for efficiency and convenience. As businesses adapt to the digitalization, demand for more innovative ways for companies to deliver their products and services will increase. As businesses increasingly recognize the value of ioT technology to grow and compete effectively in most markets, technology will transcend products and services markets.
Mixed Reality (MR) technology
Immersive experience technology
2018 will usher in more advanced technologies that place users in digitally-rendered environments(virtual reality/VR) and superimposes digital information on the real world (augmented reality/AR), further blurring the line between real and virtual worlds. Mixed Reality (MR), which incorporates and broadens both AR and VR will spearhead the next generation of the experience technology for the masses
Blockchain technology
Blockchain technology
Deployment and usage of the much-ballyhooed blockchain technology will increase in 2018, as more and more businesses discover the value in its ability to share, distribute, de-centralize, and tokenize ledger data independent of individual applications or participants. Fintech startups are expected to begin leveraging the platform of blockchain technologies that create disruptive and innovative business solutions.
As you enter into the 2018 entrepreneurial landscape, massive shifts in the mindset of the business world should be considered extraordinary opportunities for pragmatic entrepreneurs who recognize the associated dynamics and technological disruptions and can accommodate the challenges with new innovative solutions.
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¹ Fortune, “The 2018 Fortune Crystal Ball: 59 Predictions for the Year Ahead”, Nov. 20, 2017
² ETRise, “5 tech startup trends to watch out for in 2018,” Dec. 12, 2017
technology trends