Ceremonial Cacao

Ceremonial cacao, also known as ceremonial-grade cacao, is made from 100% pure Criollo cacao beans. (Which is often consumed in powdered form.) The product is trending largely due its potential mood-altering properties. Specifically, Criollo cacao beans are high in valeric acid. Which is thought to stimulate dopamine release.

What’s next

Ceremonial cacao is part of the Organic Superfood Powders meta trend. The global market for organic superfood powder is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 6.4% through 2027. And VC funding in superfood powder startups have increased by 3.5x over the last year.

Living Building Material

Searches for “living building material” are up 2.54x over the last 6 months. Living building material is construction material designed to mimic live organisms in some way (for example, by self-repairing). Often, actual living bacteria or fungi are added to the materials to achieve this effect. And there’s even early research looking into using bacteria to create building materials from scratch.

In addition to the practical benefits, like self-repair or self-replication, many of the organic processes in living building materials actually draw in CO2 from the atmosphere. By contrast, traditional concrete is responsible for up to 8% of global emissions.

But the technology is still largely at an experimental stage. One major hurdle is keeping microorganisms alive in inhospitable environments like concrete. Even the most successful projects only see a survival rate of about 9-14% of bacterial colonies after 30 days.

What’s next

Living building material is part of the construction innovation meta trend. The construction industry as a whole is forecast to be worth $10.5T by 2023. For example, Rebartek is looking to modernize the $160B rebar (steel reinforcement) market. It uses robotics to offer “rebar as a service”, capable of reducing labor cost and installation time by 90%. Other topics in the meta trend seeing growth include building information modeling, Plannerly and Touchplan.

Dune Analytics

Dune Analytics is a “community-driven” analytics database for querying and visualizing data on the Ethereum network. The platform currently hosts over 18,000 user-built dashboards for DeFi alone. And more than 11,000 NFT data dashboards. Dune Analytics has raised a total of $79.4M over three funding rounds.

What’s next

Dune Analytics is part of the Blockchain Analytics meta trend. Blockchain analytics is growing due to a fast-growing number of use cases, such as accessing public financial data, connecting IoT devices, authenticating data, and tracking supply chains.

Here are a few examples of trending blockchain analytics startups:

• Parsiq is a blockchain intelligence platform used to analyze, detect and prevent crypto fraud. The startup has raised a total of $3M in funding over two rounds.
• Elementus is a blockchain query engine. Elementus raised $12M led by Velvet Sea Ventures.
• AllianceBlock is an analytics platform that integrates DeFi with traditional finance. The company joined the Binance Labs accelerator in 2021.
• Hubx is a blockchain analytics platform that tracks critical transaction and investor data. Hubx has raised a total of $7.3M in funding.

Turmeric Gummies

Turmeric gummies are high-dose turmeric supplements in gummy form. Sales of turmeric are forecast to grow by a CAGR of 8.42% (reaching $223M by 2025.) Nutra Champs, Nature’s Nutrition and Horbaach are examples of trending turmeric gummies brands.

What’s next

Turmeric gummies are part of the Curcumin Supplements meta trend. Curcumin is the active chemical found in turmeric. The curcumin market is estimated to be worth $65.8M. Today, the curcumin supplement market only makes up around 30.9% of the market. However, this market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 12.7% through 2027.

Strawberry Collagen

Strawberry collagen is a flavored supplement made from collagen powder. Examples of trending brands selling strawberry collagen include Ancient Nutrition, Zint and Perfect Keto. And a popular strawberry collagen product generates an estimated $244K/month on Amazon (AMZscout).

What’s next

Strawberry collagen is part of the hydrolyzed collagen meta trend. The collagen market is estimated to be worth $8.36B. And the hydrolyzed collagen market currently only makes up around 12% of that. However, this market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 5.9% and reach $1.45B by 2026.

Instreamly

Instreamly is a platform that automates the process of negotiating micro-sponsorships between brands and streamers. Over 100,000 micro-sponsorship deals have been signed through the platform so far. Instreamly’s click-through rate for paid ads is around 4%, significantly larger than the industry average of 0.7%. The startup has raised $1.6M in funding over 2 rounds. Their last funding round valued the company at around $9M.

What’s next

Instreamly is part of the livestream sponsorship platforms meta trend. The livestreaming market is forecasted to reach $247B by 2027 (CAGR of 28.3%). And livestream sponsorships will play a significant role in this growth.

• Wehype is a marketplace designed to connect brands and gamers. It has raised a total of $1.82M in funding over 3 funding rounds.
• Game Influencer helps game publishers and influencers connect. The startup is currently angel-backed.

Convoso

Convoso is a cloud-based call center SaaS startup. Specifically, the software aims to cut downtime costs by automating day-to-day administrative tasks. The startup hit $5M annual revenue this year.

What’s next

Convoso is part of the predictive dialer software meta trend. Predictive dialer software can predict the exact moment a customer is free to take a call. The global predictive dialer software market is $1.03B. And is estimated to reach $12.19B by 2028 (a CAGR of 37%). On-premise software currently has the majority of the market share (55%). However, cloud-based predictive dialer software is expected to have the majority of the market by 2028. North America accounts for the largest share of this segment (36% of the global market share).

Acupressure Pillow

Acupressure pillows are made up of tiny spikes that apply pressure in an effort to simulate the effects of acupuncture. A popular acupressure pillow has over 700 5-star reviews on Amazon. Another acupressure pillow grosses around $4.5K/month on Amazon (AMZscout).

What’s next

Acupressure pillows are part of the acupuncture products meta trend. The global acupuncture market is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 14.6% and reach $24.5B by 2023. Acupuncture products are expected to account for around 12% of this market by 2025. ProsourceFit, Jade Stone and Nayoya are trending brands that make acupuncture products.

Decodable Readers

Decodable readers are books designed to help children practice letter-sound patterns. For example, First Little Readers is a popular series of decodable readers. First Little Readers’ most popular books package generates an estimated $11K/month on Amazon (AMZscout).

What’s next

Decodable readers are part of the digital phonics instruction meta trend. Examples of trending digital phonics programs include:

• MultiLit is a program developed by Macquarie University that aims to help children with reading difficulties.
• Sounds-Write is a synthetics phonics program aimed at children of ages 4 to 10.
• Little Learners Love Literacy provides various products (decodable readers, games, apps, etc.) dedicated to teaching phonics to young children.

Userlytics

Userlytics is a remote user testing platform. Specifically, it’s designed to help companies run user experience studies such as usability tests, diary studies, tree testing, and card sorting. The startup has hit $3M in annual revenue from over 1,000 customers, including Google, Microsoft and Philips.

What’s next

Userlytics is part of the UX research platforms meta trend. The software testing services industry is worth $6 billion. There are approximately 1,900 businesses in this space. Over the next 5 years the industry is expected to experience an annual growth rate of 5.2%, taking the industry to $7.8 billion. Respondent, Appquality and ObservePoint are examples of growing UX research platforms.

Ashwagandha Gummies

Searches for “ashwagandha gummies” have increased by 5500% over the past two years. Ashwagandha gummies are a type of dietary supplement designed to reduce stress and improve sleep. The current leader in the space (Goli Nutrition) is estimated to bring in $148K in monthly sales from their ashwagandha gummies on Amazon alone. 61% of US consumers report being very open to using products that include ashwagandha (right behind probiotics at 62%).

What’s next

Ashwagandha gummies are part of the Gummified Health meta trend. Examples of fast-growing brands across this space include:

• Highline Wellness: DTC CBD brand with 9 different types of gummies, including night gummies and energy gummies.
• HUM Nutrition: Beauty supplement brand with gummies for hair growth and skin health. Their ashwagandha gummies are formulated with L-Theanine. The LA-based startup has raised $20M in funding.
• Havasu Nutrition: The company is estimated to sell 20,700 units on Amazon per month of their best-selling supplement (elderberry gummies).

Cambivo

Cambivo is a DTC fitness gear startup. The startup sells 38 products including exercise (resistance bands and yoga mats) and rehab (knee braces, compression socks, etc.) SKUs. Cambivo’s flagship product, a knee brace, generates an estimated $166K/month on Amazon (AMZscout). Another popular Cambivo product, a wide yoga mat, generates around $29K/month on Amazon.

What’s next

Cambivo is part of the DTC sporting goods meta trend. The DTC segment of the sport and outdoor industry is projected to increase by more than 20% in the next 5 years. And the number of people that use ecommerce for their sporting goods purchases is forecast to increase to $1.3B by 2025. China will account for the largest share of this segment (approximately 53% of the global market share).

Banana Ketchup

Banana ketchup is a popular Filipino sauce made from banana, sugar, spices and vinegar. And the product is starting to gain popularity in the Western world. For example, Jufran is a popular banana ketchup brand. Jufran’s most popular banana ketchup package generates an estimated $2K/month on Amazon (AMZscout). On Amazon, the product has an average rating of 4.4/5 from over 700 reviews.

What’s next

Banana ketchup is part of the fruit ketchup meta trend. Fruit ketchup accounts for approximately 8% of the global ketchup market. This segment is forecasted to grow 1.5x faster than tomato ketchup through 2026. Peach ketchup, grape ketchup and cherry ketchup are examples of fruit ketchups that are seeing an uptick in popularity.

TestGorilla

TestGorilla is a job candidate screening platform. Specifically, the platform provides employers with a set of tools designed to gather candidate data via a series of testing exercises. The startup raised $11.2M in funding over 2 funding rounds.

What’s next

TestGorilla is part of the pre-employment testing software meta trend. The pre-employment testing market is estimated to be $130.2M. By 2027, this market will reach $263.6M (CAGR of 10.6%). Web-based solutions account for approximately 55% of the market.

Currently, the three biggest players in this sector have a cumulative market share of 35%. Examples of trending pre-employment testing software include Byrq, eSkill and Vervoe.

Kaiyo

Kaiyo is a two-sided used furniture marketplace. Specifically, sellers post the item they want to sell. Then, Kaiyo picks up the furniture, cleans it and sells it through the platform. The original seller is paid when the item is sold. According to the startup, Kaiyo has prevented almost 3M pounds of furniture from going to landfills. To date, Kaiyo has raised $7.1M in funding. Their last funding round valued the company at $64M (Pitchbook).

What’s next

Kaiyo is part of the Secondhand Ecommerce meta trend. In the US, the used goods market is estimated to be over $16.8B and to have increased by 7.1% in 2021. Ecommerce is forecast to account for around 46% of the entire global market by 2026. Growing interest in the circular economy and waste reduction are the main drivers behind this growth.

Tudca

Tudca, also known as Tauroursodeoxycholic acid, is a bile acid derivative that is mainly used for liver support. A popular Tudca supplement brand generates an estimated $113.74K/month on Amazon (AMZscout). Trending Tudca supplement brands include Nutricost, Double Wood Supplements, Aggressive Labz and Ancestral Supplements.

What’s next

Tudca is part of the bile acid liver treatment meta trend. Ursodeoxycholic acid, also known as ursodiol, is a secondary bile acid used to treat certain types of liver disease. The global ursodiol market is $764M. It is projected to grow at a CAGR of 12.5% and reach $1.5B by 2026. Cholic acid is a primary bile acid for a variety of hereditary metabolic disorders. The global cholic acid market is estimated to be worth $67M. The market is forecasted to reach $92M by 2024 (a CAGR of 7.9%).

Dog Probiotics

Searches for “dog probiotics” have increased 84% over the last year. And +145% over the last 3 months. As the name suggests, dog probiotics are supplements that contain healthy gut bacteria. 55% of Americans state that they’re actively aware of their gut microbiome. And 40% of consumers seek out probiotics in their snacks. And by extension, pet owners are now seeking dog probiotics to look after Fido’s gut microbiome too.

What’s next

Dog probiotics are part of the supplements for pets meta trend. 26% of Americans report that their pet is currently taking medication or a supplement — most of which mirror what their owners take on a regular basis. In fact, 72% of search growth for probiotic-related keywords have come from searches specifically about dog probiotics. Examples of startups riding this growing trend include:

Pet Honesty: DTC pet supplement brand that went from zero to $1M in annual revenue in their first year.

Naturvet: Sells a “vet grade” probiotic designed for dogs with digestive issues. Searches for the brand are up 115% since 2017.

Zesty Paws: Their “5-in-1 Bites” are a top-selling dog vitamin product on Amazon. And the company has teamed up with CBDistillery to launch a CBD dog supplement.

Bakuchiol

Bakuchiol is a chemical compound derived from the Psoralea corylifolia plant. Bakuchiol is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which is why it’s increasingly used in anti-aging skincare products. Bakuchiol accounts for only 1.3% of the global personal care ingredient market (estimated to be $10.3B). A number that’s set to grow rapidly over the next 12-24 months. North America is the main consumer of Bakuchiol products, with around 43.5% of global market share.

What’s next

Bakuchiol is part of the antioxidant skincare meta trend. The anti-aging ingredient market is estimated to be over $1.14B. By 2027, this market will reach $1.5B (CAGR of 7.5%). And antioxidant ingredients account for the largest share of the market (around 34%). Whereas the cosmetic antioxidants market is projected to reach $158M by 2025 (5.9% CAGR). Growth in North America will be supported by the rising demand for grooming products for men.

SiteDocs

SiteDocs is workplace safety management software. Besides offering digital safety forms, the software also provides analytics and audit tools to understand if safety compliance is being followed. According to SiteDocs, their software collects over 80,000 signatures daily.

What’s next

SiteDocs is part of the safety compliance software meta trend. The safety compliance software market is worth $957M. This market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 12.1% and reach $1.7B by 2025. Implementation of safety compliance software by SMEs is expected to largely drive the market’s growth. Trending startups operating in this space include Awardco, iAuditor and Donesafe.

Ka’Chava

Ka’Chava is a “plant-based superfood meal shake”. The formula, which contains 70+ ingredients, is marketed as a meal replacement for athletes. Ka’Chava generates an estimated $16.8K/month on Amazon (AMZscout).

What’s next

Ka’Chava is part of the organic meal replacement shake meta trend. The global meal replacement market as a whole is forecast to cross $24.8B by 2025 (CAGR of 6.9%). Increasing interest in organic meal replacement shakes specifically has accelerated the growth of this segment. In fact, replacement shakes are expected to grow at a faster pace than the general meal replacement market (a CAGR of 7.7% until 2027). Kos protein, Garden of Life and Rawnice are trending organic meal replacement shakes.