63 Tech Startup & Software Business Ideas [2023]
Looking for a startup idea?
In this article I'll walk you through 64 tech startup and software business ideas that are working today.
With each idea, I'll show you examples of successful businesses and how much they are making.
Here's the list:
1. Start a CRM business
A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software keeps track of prospects, clients and their contacts and also helps you monitor your sales pipeline as well as to create reports for business intelligence.
The CRM market is a $50B and growing industry.
My name is Lars Helgeson and I am the founder of GreenRope, a CRM and marketing automation platform. Our company started in 2000 as an email marketing SaaS and in 2008 decided to focus on the challenges that businesses face in managing sales, marketing, customer service, and operations.
GreenRope has over 1,000 customers in over 20 countries, ranging from startups to universities and municipalities.
2. Create a landing page builder
Let’s face it: creating a product is easy; creating a product that sells is the real challenge. Many startups have great-looking websites but lack a highly converting landing page. A landing page builder does just that; it builds landing pages for you.
Unbounce, a popular landing page tool, makes nearly $26M per year.
My name is Lars Helgeson and I am the founder of GreenRope, a CRM and marketing automation platform. Our company started in 2000 as an email marketing SaaS and in 2008 decided to focus on the challenges that businesses face in managing sales, marketing, customer service, and operations.
GreenRope has over 1,000 customers in over 20 countries, ranging from startups to universities and municipalities.
3. Start a 3D Printing Business
3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, makes it possible to produce a physical item by assembling a material layer by layer.
If you love creating stuff, then a 3D printing business may be for you.
My name is Roy Kirchner, an entrepreneur from Odessa, Florida. After years spent in the automobile and marketing and advertising industries, I decided in 2014 to form a new company solely focused on emerging new technology, 3D printing.
I started my company with an initial, out-of-pocket investment of $65,000, and today we are averaging monthly gross sales of $330,000.
4. Start a fitness SaaS
Have you ever wondered what software gyms use to keep track of everything? Over 32,000 health clubs in the U.S. need software and tools to run their business!
Hello! My name is Jacob Montoya and I am the founder of FitSW and its sister site FindTrainGain. With FitSW, we provide software to personal trainers to help them grow their businesses and enable them to use our technology to effectively manage their clients’ fitness. With FindTrainGain, we enable people searching for fitness help from all over the world to join a wide variety of Live Online Fitness Classes led by fun, energetic Fitness Instructors.
We enable people to stay fit and stay connected with fun fitness classes in this time of social distancing. At the same time, we also provided a way for fitness professionals to continue to work. We have instructors leading classes on everything from Yoga to Cardio Boxing to our most popular Dance Cardio class. Classes are accessible to anyone and many are priced as low as $5 a class.
5. Create a social media scheduling tool
A social media scheduling tool is an online app that allows you to schedule your social media posts in advance, before publishing them on your social media channels.
Virtually all businesses use social media - this is a great market to build a startup in.
Hi, I’m Laura Roeder, the CEO and founder of MeetEdgar, a social media automation tool.
Here’s a recent team photo at one of our biannual company retreats. This was taken in Phoenix, Arizona.
6. Create a meal planner app
Meal planners are used by millions of people around the world to stay organized, create meals, and even lose weight.
The weight loss services industry is currently valued at $22B and growing.
7. Create an online course
Online course businesses are one of the fastest-growing online business models. Creating an online course is an awesome way to generate extra income because it allows you to monetize the knowledge you already have. More people are taking online courses every day, and the COVID pandemic has accelerated that, with some online learning platforms having seen 15-fold growth in the number of users.
Another advantage is that these new platforms are so easy to use for instructors that you don't have to worry at all about the tech side of the business. You just need to focus on creating exciting content that is informational & engaging at the same time.
Starting an online course allows you to eliminate some of the huge costs associated with setting up a physical training facility, and it's a great way to reach as many people as possible.
Hey! We are Kelan and Brittany Kline the founders and co-owners of the popular personal finance blog The Savvy Couple.
We are currently on pace to make over $250,000 this year alone with our personal finance blog!
8. Start a productized service
Productized services are created when a larger service is broken down into smaller services that can be sold separately.
This makes it easier to sell the same service to multiple clients and creates an easily-marketable product. For example, a marketing agency that usually charges by the hour, instead, charges a flat monthly fee.
This business strategy works well in B2B markets, as you can sell the same value proposition to multiple clients, and give them a great return on investment.
The reason why you should start a productized service business is simple: making recurring revenue from your expertise can be very useful if you want to build a business based on passive income.
Hi! My name's Dani, founder of Scribly.io - you can’t see me but I’m waving at you 👋
Last month Scribly.io topped $14K monthly revenue. That was a really big moment for me, and a bit of a turning point. What started out as a 'let's try and see' project has now become my full-time job with ambitious growth plans 🙌.
9. Become a shopify app developer
Have you thought about a career building Shopify apps?
Shopify is a Canadian e-commerce company that provides an online platform for entrepreneurs to set up their own online stores and sell products. Shopify is now valued at over $45B (as of 2022) with over 1.75M merchants using the platform worldwide.
To be able to build a plugin for Shopify, you need to know how to code. If not, then at least have some knowledge of HTML and CSS. You also need experience in the Shopify API and some basic knowledge about the Liquid template language for Shopify.
Hi, my name is Todd and I’m a serial entrepreneur. After a long history of building various businesses, I created ByteStand, a friendly software development company run by ecommerce nerds who get excited about weird things like “cross-platform integrations” and “fulfillment networks” and “coffee”.
We also created FreshCredit, Shopify's first true store credit app. Between all three apps, we generate about $17,000/month in revenue.
10. Start a travel rewards app
A travel rewards app is a special mobile app that helps you earn points and rewards while traveling. These apps are designed to be used by frequent travelers who are looking to benefit from their travels.
If you love to travel but have never been able to afford it then this might be the first step to turning your dream into a reality. By making a travel rewards app you can earn handsome money by monetizing that app.
Creating a travel rewards app sounds like a complicated task. But it can be much easier than you think. You don't need travel industry experience or an office in Silicon Valley to design something that gives people more ways to earn rewards on their everyday purchases.
Hi, my name is Alexi I am the co-founder and the owner of AwardWallet. AwardWallet started out as a website that helps individuals track all of their loyalty accounts in one place. It works by asking users for their credentials to their loyalty accounts, once the credentials are provided it retrieves things like account balance, elite level, expiration date, historical transactions, etc. and displays this information in a simple report.
AwardWallet also runs a travel blog that focuses on the loyalty space and a few Facebook groups such as Award Travel 101 and Award Travel 201. We educate our users on the subject of playing the “loyalty game” and make affiliate revenue from credit card offers that we have on our pages. If you don’t take into account the current COVID-19 situation in the world, which affected AwardWallet’s revenue, we are making about $150,000 per month on average.
11. Become a digital product designer
A digital product designer is a multidisciplinary professional who is involved in the creation of digital products. A digital product designer is responsible for the whole process from an initial concept to the launch of a product.
Many designers are looking for how to make a living with their designs. They want to build websites, sell products online, and be as productive as possible. It's hard these days because there are more designers than ever working on the same projects. But with some basic actionable techniques, you will easily succeed in creating a sustainable digital product design business.
Starting a digital product designer business is a great side hustle for graphic designers looking for an alternative to freelancing. The idea is simple: grow a portfolio of user interface design PSD templates and sell them to new businesses.
Hi, I’m Andrew 👋I like to joke that I’m a jack of all trades and master of pun…
- An attorney take her legal tech startup from $0 to $1M in Annual Run Rate.
- A 71-year-old financial consultant build his first tech company and close customers like Yale, Brown, NYU, and Dartmouth.
- A doctor in Texas launch the first HIPAA compliant text messaging service.
- A photo booth startup build tools that are used by Amazon, Uber, Red Bull, NBC, the NFL and more.
12. Start a payment app
A payment app lets you accept payments from anywhere, using your mobile phone or tablet. It’s best for business owners and professionals to get payments for products or services occasionally or irregularly.
Starting a payment app is an excellent way of making passive income online. It doesn’t require much initially, and the revenue can be significant.
Payment apps are quite popular nowadays, allowing people to pay for goods and services with the tap of a button on their phones. Creating a new payment app can help you capture a share of this growing industry and virtually endless niche for your business.
I’m Ryan Scherf, the founder of payment.co (@payment), an app built on top of the Stripe payment gateway for creating card-present charges. Payment is available on iOS and Android, and allows customers who have created online stores to easily collect payments in person, in the same account, with no barriers or card readers required.
The app launched in January 2015, and since has grown to process over $70M in volume annually. The app collects a 1% service fee on every single charge.
13. Start a SEO agency
An SEO agency is a company that provides search engine optimization services to businesses. The function of an SEO agency is to help businesses rank higher in search engines through organic or paid means.
SEO is a rapidly growing industry, with experts across all aspects of the field already making six-figure incomes and expecting to see these earnings grow dramatically over the next few years. Getting into SEO today, before it gets too saturated, will allow you to establish a strong base in a new career, with an excellent chance for success.
It’s easier than ever to start your SEO agency. The tools are there, and the competition isn’t as stiff as it used to be. If you’re considering starting an SEO or digital marketing agency, it might be a good idea to learn how other digital agencies succeed.
My name is Chris Dreyer and I’m the CEO/Founder of Rankings.io, LLC. My company is a hyper-focused SEO (search engine optimization) agency; we help elite personal injury law firms dominate first page rankings.
In 2018, we were #858 in the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in America. Our revenue is just under $300,000 per month and we’re on pace for another record-breaking year.
14. Develop a seo software
SEO software is a computer program that is designed to handle search engine optimization tasks by optimizing the website content, managing backlinks, and other SEO activities.
SEO is something that you need to do for your website or blog in order for it to get any traffic. Some of us are new to SEO, even if we are SEO experts. SEO isn't just a craft, but an art form as well.
Making your own SEO software is more than potentially profitable. It also lets you interact with the people who use your software and allows you to figure out best practices from the data you collect.
My name is Todd Hooper, and I’m a software engineer. I founded Prerender.io in 2014. Prerender.io allows search engines to crawl SEO-friendly versions of React, Angular, and Javascript websites.
As a solo founder and employee, I bootstrapped Prerender.io from zero to $2.5 million in ARR over 5 years!
15. Start a freelancer platform
Freelancer platform is a place where people come with skills and services to offer and people come who need those skills and services. So we can say freelancer platforms are a marketplace for sellers and buyers of services and skills.
The freelancing industry is growing rapidly and it's becoming a popular career option for people who are "non-traditional" employees. The global Freelance Platforms market size is expected to reach $6.7B by the year 2025. While working on a full-time job, freelancers simultaneously work on a freelance career. The platforms available online help them to increase their business by attracting new clients.
With all of the businesses looking for help on their websites, it would be a good idea to start a freelancer platform. Freelance platforms do well because people have jobs that need to be done and businesses have the resources to pay for the job at hand.
Hello! I’m one of the co-founders of CloudDevs. We started this company in 2019 with a mission to change things around in the tech talent-hiring industry. We launched for sales in March of 2020, right before the initial lockdown due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
We are proud to say that within our first year of sales, we reached 1 Million USD in GMV, and we are aiming higher this year.
16. Start an influencer reporting tool business
The influencer reporting tool is a great way to see which influencers are performing well right now. You can also look at the share of voice and performance over time. Find out what other people are saying about them on social media and get an overall view of the influencer's results.
Influencer reporting is an important part of any modern company's marketing strategy and it shouldn't be a struggle to find the information you want.
Starting an influencer reporting tool business might sound risky, but it doesn't have to be. When you're competing in a crowded market with billions of dollars at stake and high barriers to entry, having a formal business plan is a great way to start off on the right foot.
My name is Bruno Bornsztein - I’m a web developer and entrepreneur. I started InfluenceKit to help content creators prove their value and make more money. The tool makes it easy to generate accurate, always-updated reports so influencers can show brands the real value of the sponsored content they’re creating.
My co-founder, Chris Tuttle, showing some new users how InfluenceKit works
17. Start an email marketing tool
An email marketing tool, also known as an 'email tool', is a software application that helps you create, manage and automate email campaigns. Basically, it's a program that allows you to write and send bulk emails.
Email marketing is one of the most effective marketing channels around. It can be used to generate leads, increase sales, create subscribers, improve your SEO rankings and reach more customers than you would with a blog or website.
The email marketing industry is booming. The global email marketing tool market size is expected to reach $2.53B in 2028. Making an email marketing tool business is as easy as buying a domain and hosting account, but that is just the beginning. You will soon start to see the endless possibilities for creating tools that will be used by entrepreneurs, startups, and even real estate agents.
Hello, My name is Hasan, the founder of H-educate, H-supertools, and some other websites and services. I began working on H-supertools 2 years ago and launched it four months afterward.
Today, we have more than 80K Registered Users on the platform and more than 300K Visits each month, which, in a sense, is a high achievement for a new platform that took less than two years to build.
18. Become a Facebook ads consultant
Facebook ads are a great way to drive traffic to your website. If you run Facebook ads and promote the right products, it will bring you many customers. Knowing how to manage campaigns successfully to obtain the best results is essential.
Facebook ads consultant business is one of the favorite types of new businesses to start. Facebook ads consultant businesses are popping up all over the place. More and more consultants are finding success in this arena.
Starting a Facebook ads consultant business can make you earn an extra passive and predictable income. But the amount of money you can make depends on your niche, ad budget, and other factors.
I’m the Founder & CEO of MonetizeMore. I started MonetizeMore in 2010 with the goal to build a bootstrapped business that would dramatically increase ad revenues for publishers.
I am a pioneer in ad optimization covering areas like AdSense / Ad Exchange (AdX), Google Ad Manager (GAM), header bidding and ad network optimization. I have always believed in empowering publishers to increase their ad revenues more efficiently and effectively via articles, videos and technology.
19. Start a pdf conversion business
As pdf has become an essential format for about every industry it only makes sense that everyone would want the ability to convert their documents in both ways. This is great news for anyone looking to start a business centered around converting pdf.
Starting a pdf conversion business can help you earn extra income and take control of your career. Professional pdf conversion services are in great demand.
Many medium to large companies prefer to present their documents in pdf rather than Microsoft Word. Besides, various official and private organizations prefer PDF versions of documents for security. This creates an opportunity for anyone to start a profitable business by establishing a standalone pdf conversion company.
Hi! My name is Cyril Nicodème. I’ve always been passionate about computers and code. I’ve built and sold VoilaNorbert.com, Transferslot.com, and Selldom.io and I’m currently running Improvmx.com and PDFShift.io.
I’m currently sitting at 79 domains, with a future project coming in 2020 for the 80th. ;)
20. Start a bibliography and citation app
Bibliography and Citation tools create citations, reference lists, and bibliographies. Teachers, students and web content writers are some of the common users of the bibliography and citation apps.
The tools help users complete and improve bibliographic data by comparing it with curated online catalogues like Google Scholar, springer or MathSciNet. The citation tools are for users who value simplicity, privacy and speed when it comes to referencing.
With scholars and researchers wanting to do more within their usual working day, the demand for bibliography and citation apps will keep rising.
Therefore, if you are familiar with App development and are interested in starting an app based business idea, the citation and bibliography applications will be a great idea.
Hello! My name is Cenk Özbakır, and I’m the founder of Citationsy — in an online referencing generator for people who value simplicity, privacy, and speed. I founded Citationsy in 2017 after the reference manager I was using at the time, RefMe, was shut down.
With Citationsy you can create bibliographies, references, and footnotes for your essays, papers, or dissertations. Just paste the link or search for the book/paper you want to cite, and Citationsy does the rest. We have over eight thousand referencing styles (like APA, MLA, DIN, Harvard, etc.) built-in. Citationsy grew from nothing in late 2017 to over 200,000 users as of February 2020, all through word-of-mouth and SEO.
21. Create a screensharing software
I’m Jói Sigurdsson, an Icelandic entrepreneur and founder of CrankWheel. I spent 10 years at Google leading technical teams on projects such as Google Desktop and Chrome, and the rest of my 20-something year career has been spent “doing startups” as an early employee, CTO, or co-founder.
CrankWheel won the “best B2B SaaS startup” pitching competition at SaaStock last October
22. Start an influencer platform
My name is Brett Owens and I am the Founder and Chief Matchmaker at Afluencer. We match Brands with the best Influencers to promote their products. And likewise, we help Influencers (from Nano to Micro to Mega), Creators, and Ambassadors find “Collabs”, which are paid gigs being offered by Brands.
Here’s an excerpt from our latest influencer newsletter where we talk about the latest pay-per-post opportunities being offered in our app:
23. Create a calendar sync tool
Hi, I’m Andrew Rogoff, one of the founders of Resource Guru, an online team calendar. Our software is used by around 20,000 people in 88 countries around the world to help them manage their team’s time.
Our customers include Apple, NASA, Uber, Saatchi & Saatchi, Cisco and AT&T (as well as a whole load of smaller ones). They use Resource Guru to keep track of who’s working on what and how busy their employees are. This means they can manage workloads efficiently and ensure that no-one is either overworked or getting bored because they don’t have enough to do.
24. Become a game developer
Are you passionate about video games and want to turn your hobby into a career? Have you always dreamed of creating your own game and seeing it come to life on the market? If so, then becoming a game developer may be the perfect business opportunity for you.
As a game developer, your job will involve creating, designing, and coding video games from start to finish. This includes coming up with ideas for new games, creating prototypes and mockups, coding the game using programming languages like C++ or Java, and testing and debugging the game to ensure it is functioning properly.
To start and run a successful game development business, you will need a few key things:
A strong foundation in programming and computer science. While you don't need to be an expert programmer, having a strong understanding of programming languages and computer systems will be essential to creating and coding your games.
Creativity and a knack for storytelling. Game development is about more than just coding - it's also about coming up with engaging and immersive storylines that will keep players coming back for more.
Marketing and business skills. Once your game is complete, you'll need to market it and get it in front of potential customers. This will require a strong understanding of social media, digital marketing, and business strategy.
A team of skilled professionals. Depending on the size of your business, you may need to hire a team of developers, artists, and other professionals to help bring your game to life.
With these skills and resources, you can start and run a successful game development business and turn your passion for gaming into a lucrative career.
Hello everyone! My name is Thomas Gullen and I’m the co-founder of Construct 3 along with my brother Ashley. Construct 3 is a game engine that allows anyone to make games without needing to know how to code - “Powerpoint for games”. We feel a lot of other low-code/no-code engines slip into cookie-cutter-style game engines, and a primary focus for Construct has always been not to fall into this trap and allow users to have complete control over every aspect of their games. We’ve recently celebrated our 10 years anniversary of starting the business, and it’s a little unnerving how quickly that time has flown by looking back!
We’re currently generating in the region of $100k per month in revenue - a number if you’d told me and Ashley 10 years ago we’d be generating I don’t think either of us would've believed it. We’ve gone through some major transitions in the business, not only the technology choices but also how we charge customers (moving from a pay-once model to subscription-based) and we’ve learned a huge amount along the way which I’m happy to share. I’ve always thought the most important thing when running a business is to minimize the mistakes you could make, and looking back I feel like this is a pretty large part of why we are where we are today.
25. Start a social network
A social network business is a company that operates a platform for users to connect and interact with each other online. This can include features such as messaging, sharing posts and photos, and joining groups and communities.
To start a social network business, you must develop a website or app that allows users to create profiles and connect with others. You will also need to consider how you will generate revenue, such as through advertising or offering premium features for a fee.
It is essential to focus on building a solid community of users and maintaining a positive online environment. This can involve moderating content and addressing any issues or concerns that arise. It would help if you also considered offering customer support and continually updating and improving your platform to meet the needs and interests of your users.
To run a successful social network business, it is also essential to market your platform and attract new users. This can involve utilizing social media and other online marketing techniques and offering incentives for users to invite their friends and connections to join.
Overall, a social network business offers a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs to connect with people and build a community online. The right strategy and focus on user experience can be a rewarding and lucrative business venture.
Hello folks, my name is Kervin Aucoin and I am the founder of Aucoin Analytics, LLC, a private intelligence company that focuses on security trends by using data and predictive analysis to protect customers. Aucoin Analytics delivers highly specialized risk assessments and intelligence reports specially tailored to our customer's needs.
26. Become a computer refurbisher
Computer refurbishing is the process of restoring used computers to working conditions. Refurbishers typically purchase used computers from individuals or businesses, and then they clean them up, install new parts, and test them to make sure they are in good working condition.
To start this business, you'll need skills in data recovery, hardware repair, and software troubleshooting. It is a perfect idea for those who have an interest in technology and a knack for repairing electronics.
With the ever-growing popularity of laptops, tablets, and smartphones, there is a great demand for refurbished computers. And with data science and data analytics, you can easily identify which computers are in high demand and how to best refurbish them.
Starting this type of business is a great idea for those with an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for technology. If you can navigate the regulations, this can be a lucrative business with a lot of growth potential.
My name is Lawrence O'Connor, aka 'OWC Larry.' I am the founder and CEO of OWC (Other World Computing, Inc.).
Our CAGR over the past 33yrs is 43.78% (average growth rate since inception). It was 18.4% in the most recently completed year 2019 vs 2020 with just over 148 million revenue in 2020.
27. Become a domain reseller
A domain reseller is an act of buying domain names from an accredited domain registrar to sell to customers as a service.
Thus, a domain reseller is a middleman between the registrar and the domain name customer. To become a domain reseller, learn the basics of domain reselling and choose the best domain reseller program based on your business objective.
Hi, I’m Laurids the founder of Indiebrands. I’m 25 years old and live in the beautiful city of Vienna, Austria.
28. Start a website hosting platform
Hello, My name is Michael Borgelt and I’m the Founder & Owner of 51Blocks (Est. 2009) and BionicWP (Est. 2020), two agencies focused on helping other agency owner’s offer quality digital marketing and hosting solutions to their clients and small businesses a quality marketing experience.
Since customer service is what we’re most passionate about, we currently have a customer LTV of 2.5+ years (in an industry where it’s 6-9 months) and make 2.6M in annual revenue (216k/mo.).
29. Become a computer manufacturer
A computer manufacturer business involves designing, producing, and selling computers and computer hardware. This can include desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and even servers and other specialized equipment.
To start a computer manufacturer business, you will need a strong understanding of computer hardware and technology. This may include a degree in computer science or a related field, as well as experience in computer hardware design and production. You will also need a well-defined business plan, including a marketing strategy, a budget, and a plan for sourcing components and materials.
In addition to these technical skills and business planning, you will need to have strong communication and customer service skills. As a computer manufacturer, you will be interacting with both retail and wholesale customers, and will need to be able to clearly explain the features and benefits of your products.
The computer manufacturing industry is a large and growing market, with global revenue expected to reach $485 billion by 2024. In the United States alone, the computer and electronic product manufacturing industry employs over 800,000 people and generates over $300 billion in annual revenue. With the increasing reliance on technology in personal and professional settings, the demand for high-quality computers and computer hardware is expected to grow in the coming years.
To run a successful computer manufacturing business, it is important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and technologies in the industry. This may involve attending conferences and trade shows, conducting market research, and continuously improving your products and processes.
By staying on the cutting edge of the industry and providing excellent customer service, you can build a successful and thriving computer manufacturer business.
My name is Lawrence O'Connor, aka 'OWC Larry.' I am the founder and CEO of OWC (Other World Computing, Inc.).
Our CAGR over the past 33yrs is 43.78% (average growth rate since inception). It was 18.4% in the most recently completed year 2019 vs 2020 with just over 148 million revenue in 2020.
30. Become a video game audio creator
The video game audio serves to immerse the player in the game through dialogue, thematic music, and sound effects. With the video game industry snowballing, becoming a video game audio creator can be a rewarding career.
To become a video game audio creator, you need a qualification in the related field and work under someone as an intern to acquire the necessary skills.
My name is Aaron Hsu. I started Blerp in my junior year of college after I made the viral Shia Lebouf soundboard app. In the first few weeks after launch, we had over 100K downloads. It was at that moment I realized there was an opportunity to make a full sound sharing platform instead of downloading one off soundboard apps at a time.
Blerp takes a small cut of soundpack sales. We’re excited about bringing more ways for creators to monetize their brand and their most iconic moments.
31. Start an ai platform
Hi, I’m Abhi, founder & CEO of a startup platform and business incubator where we incubate and scale new ventures regularly, and Rytr is one of our flagship products that has now become one of the leading AI writing assistants in the market serving 300,000+ customers across the world doing seven figures in ARR. It’s great to see the overwhelming response we’ve received from the market.
With 13+ yrs of combined experience across consulting, venture capital, and startups in the US, Europe & Asia, I have helped build and scale multiple products over the years that have touched millions of users and revenue. I've also led large product & growth teams, mentored 100s of founders on product, growth, BD, sales, hiring, and fundraising, and raised funding from investors like 500Startups, Entrepreneur First, and more.
32. Start a telehealth business
33. Start a cybersecurity startup
Hey there! My name is Taylor Hersom and I am the founder of Eden Data. Eden Data is a cybersecurity consulting firm focused on helping startups build better security as they grow.
Since starting the company in March of 2020, we have scaled to four team members and an MRR of $45k, all through remote services and nearly no startup costs.
34. Start a fintech startup
Hey guys! We are Laurits Just and Jan-Philipp Peters, the founders of BitsForDigits, an acquisition marketplace for internet startups and online businesses with $100K+ annual revenue. Our platform makes it anonymous and free for owners to exit their business fully or partially.
So far, we have completely bootstrapped the venture and currently make $6,000 / month with steady growth in the number of new signups. Our biggest initial driver of growth was our launch on Product Hunt, adding more than 300 users to our platform which we could later monetize.
35. Start a business incubator
The popularity of incubators is on the rise. Today, start-ups and small businesses have unique needs because they have limited resources and often need professional help to get started. You can design your business incubator by leveraging your experiences as an entrepreneur.
Listed are the steps to start an incubator business.
- Plan your business
- Secure all needed permits and licenses
- Hire needed staffs
- Promote your business
Hutch, founded by Fearless in 2019, is an intensive 24‑month program located in Baltimore, MD that provides minority and women entrepreneurs with a blueprint for building successful and impactful government digital services firms. The program equips businesses with the tools, mentorship, and peer-to-peer support they need to thrive in the world of government contracting.
To date, Hutch has 9 graduates, 11 company founders in our current 2 cohorts, and 20 companies total within our portfolio. Hutch is the only company of its kind led by industry experts with years of experience in digital transformation and government services.
36. Start a dating app
A mobile dating app is one of the most popular mobile-only businesses for creating an ecosystem and generating revenue. But, with the help of a robust development team, you can surpass all your competitors and create a sleeker end product than anyone else in this market.
Dating apps have made their way into an industry that was gaining enough traction. The online Dating Market size was valued at $7.35B in 2020 and is projected to reach $10.87B by 2028.
At age 22, Whitney Wolfe helped launch Tinder, one of the world's most popular dating apps. But a few years later, she left Tinder and filed a lawsuit against the company alleging sexual harassment. The ensuing attention from the media – and cyberbullying from strangers – prompted her to launch Bumble, a dating app where women make the first move. Today, the Bumble app has been downloaded close to 30 million times. PLUS in our postscript "How You Built That," we check back with Michael Dixon, whose business Mobile Vinyl Recorders uses portable record lathes to cut vinyl at parties, weddings, and music festivals. (Original broadcast date: October 16, 2017)
37. Start a job board
Starting a job board is the easiest way to make money online and have others work for you. This is one of the most underrated ways of creating an online business with no start-up costs. The global online job board market size was $28.68B in 2019 and is projected to reach $43.39B by 2027.
It's no secret that finding a job can be tough. In a time when we have to work harder for less money and resources, it's tempting to give up looking for work altogether. Thankfully, there is another option: starting your own job board.
Hey! I’m Gino Ferrand and I’m the founder of TECLA. I’m originally from Lima, Peru, and I’m currently living in Seattle, Washington. My business makes it easy for startups to interview and directly hire software developers from an invite-only network of the top talent in South America (same time zones as the U.S.).
I started TECLA in 2013 with $15k in total investment from my own savings. The business has always been 100% bootstrapped. Today, we are a team of 12 full-time (core) team members, 5 part-time contributors, and a network of 9,000 tech professionals, working remotely (from home) from countries like Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Colombia, and Uruguay.
38. Start an email newsletter business
My name is Matt Paulson and I’m the founder of MarketBeat, a financial media company that empowers individual stock investors to make better trading decisions by providing objective financial information and real-time market data.
MarketBeat is expected to generate approximately $8 million in revenue in 2019 and end the year at about 1.3 million unique email subscribers.
39. Start a NFT startup
I’m Sean Kelly, the 25-year-old co-founder of Chibi Dinos NFT. Chibi Dinos is a one-of-a-kind play-to-earn NFT community. Our community is made up of basketball fans, collectors, gamers, and NFT lovers that are excited to take on the web-3 space.
The initial sale of the project brought in $2.4M in revenue 40% of this went to the graphic designer/developer. The remaining 60% was reinvested back into the company to hire staff and run marketing campaigns.
40. Start a food startup
Starting a food business can involve opening your own restaurant, bakery, food truck, cake shop, or even starting a business or blog online.
Other kinds of food businesses include manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers. Food businesses prepare a wide range of foods such as snacks, sweets, and meals to sell directly to consumers and also include cafeterias at workplaces and similar facilities.
If you have a passion for food, starting a food business can be an extremely fun, challenging, and rewarding business venture.
Hello! My name is Mustafa Mannan, co-founder and co-owner of Trini Pepper Sauce by Findlay Food Group llc. Undergrad friends and I started producing two varieties of sauce, mild [also known as “Original”] and hot, five years ago.
Today, the sauce is sold in specialty stores in Raleigh and Washington DC, with the majority of sales coming from our online store front. All in all we are averaging $3000/month in revenue.
41. Start an idea management software
Idea management software is designed to help businesses and teams collaborate and track their ideas. The act of managing ideas can heavily influence the outcome of teams and projects, which can mean the difference between success and failure for a company.
You'll need to ensure that you have a solid foundation of coding and prototyping to build this kind of software. On top of that, you'll want to have good sales and marketing skills to sell this software to companies and executives.
Hello, my name is Charlie de Rusett and I’m the CEO and Founder of Idea Drop. We are a software-as-a-service (SAAS) that helps businesses identify, refine and execute their most innovative ideas. Our company was founded on the premise that the best ideas already exist, they just need to be discovered!
Companies across multiple global industries have seen success with Idea Drop. Examples range from multinational enterprises such as Ericsson and MTV to public sector organizations such as the NHS and Kent Police Force. We have an established track record of delivering long-term value for our clients. For instance, Covea Insurance found that an idea implemented as a result of Idea Drop would save them £2.5m over the next 5 years.
42. Start an ux testing software
Hi everyone! I’m Lindsey Allard, originally from Boston and currently living in New Hampshire. I started PlaybookUX just over 3 years ago. Our goal was (and still is!) to help businesses quickly get feedback on their digital assets.
We achieved profitability within the first year of business. As of early 2022, our revenue was $150k/month, and currently, we have 1,100 customers.
43. Start a payment app
A payment app lets you accept payments from anywhere, using your mobile phone or tablet. It’s best for business owners and professionals to get payments for products or services occasionally or irregularly.
Starting a payment app is an excellent way of making passive income online. It doesn’t require much initially, and the revenue can be significant.
Payment apps are quite popular nowadays, allowing people to pay for goods and services with the tap of a button on their phones. Creating a new payment app can help you capture a share of this growing industry and virtually endless niche for your business.
I’m Ryan Scherf, the founder of payment.co (@payment), an app built on top of the Stripe payment gateway for creating card-present charges. Payment is available on iOS and Android, and allows customers who have created online stores to easily collect payments in person, in the same account, with no barriers or card readers required.
The app launched in January 2015, and since has grown to process over $70M in volume annually. The app collects a 1% service fee on every single charge.
44. Create a digital wallet app
A digital wallet is a financial transaction application that runs on mobile devices. In today’s digital era, people demand the freedom to purchase anything and be able to pay from their digital wallets.
With technological advancement, making digital payments has become easier than ever before. Anyone can use mobile payment platforms to pay and accept payments online. Therefore, creating a digital payments wallet can be a great business opportunity.
To create a digital wallet, conduct extensive market research and create a business plan. It would help if you could hire competent programmers to create a secure payment gateway.
My name is Yavor Petrov and I’m the CEO of iCard - a unique and 100% digital bank account alternative.
Since the launch in late 2017 , the iCard app got around 500,000 downloads. An increasing number of our users opt to use our accounts for getting salaries paid in because of the security tools we have embedded. Everyone has their own particular favourite feature, but spending money in a way that provides better than expected funds protection is the main conversion point and we seek any opportunity to emphasize it.
45. Start a background check software
Background check software enables organizations to check and verify the information provided by potential employees or customers. The background software verifies various data sets, including the subject's education history, past employment, criminal records, and financial and other records.
Organizations would want to thoroughly scrutinize the persons they transact with and those they entrust with their daily operations. Therefore, the demand for background check software presents a potential business opportunity for programmers.
Mike McCarty, Founder & CEO of Safe Hiring Solutions & SafeVisitor Solutions. We are a security technology company that provides comprehensive background checks for schools, ministries, volunteer organizations and corporations. Our company is constantly adapting and developing new solutions for the market. We launched SafeVisitor Solutions seven years ago and is one of the fastest growing visitor management systems in the U.S. because it incorporates background checks, volunteer and vendor management, biometrics, real-time arrest alerts and remote validation so you know who is entering your facilities.
We have more than 7,000 clients which has placed us on the Inc 5000 list the past five years as well as being awarded as the 16th fastest growing private company in Indianapolis region by the Indianapolis Business Journal.
46. Create a website builder
My name is Lars Helgeson and I am the founder of GreenRope, a CRM and marketing automation platform. Our company started in 2000 as an email marketing SaaS and in 2008 decided to focus on the challenges that businesses face in managing sales, marketing, customer service, and operations.
GreenRope has over 1,000 customers in over 20 countries, ranging from startups to universities and municipalities.
47. Start an ecommerce platform
Over the past decade, eCommerce has become an indispensable part of the global retail framework. According to statistics, over 2 billion people prefer shopping online.
While brick-and-mortar stores are still making more sales compared to online sales, the adoption of eCommerce is still rising, mainly because of the increased speed and convenience of online shopping.
Therefore, starting an eCommerce platform could set you on the right path to building a futuristic business.
I am Jean-Loup Karst, the co-founder of Secret. Secret is the first platform of exclusive deals on services and software for startups. Entrepreneurs can sign up and save up to $50,000 on 70+ SaaS deals (Airtable, Pipedrive, Mailjet, etc.). It’s 100% free! It's a no-brainer.
When we launched our beta in April, our 100+ first users paid an annual subscription of $50 per year (roughly 1% conversion rate on our website). We generated $5K+ in revenue and decided to switch to a free model to grow user acquisition faster through network effects and monetize the database later through premium deals and affiliation with our partners.
48. Start a social media automation business
Hi, I’m Laura Roeder, the CEO and founder of MeetEdgar, a social media automation tool.
Here’s a recent team photo at one of our biannual company retreats. This was taken in Phoenix, Arizona.
49. Build an API
API is the acronym for “application programming interface” and is a software intermediary connecting applications.
More and more companies are adopting a digital business strategy to streamline their operations and provide better customer service.
Many benefits come with using an API, and we’ve compiled a list of the best API businesses today.
Launched in 2016, it has grown to thousands of daily users, over a hundred millions in monthly API calls and revenues of over $15k per month. That’s over 1,000% up from a year ago, and still growing fast - the current month is always higher than the previous one.
50. Start a productivity tool
Hi, my name is Alex and I'm the founder of Bloomy Lab. Our company focuses on health and fitness, productivity and life quality improvement. We mostly develop our own products, by now the most popular of them are Restly, 2 Minute Habits, Jiju, Poof, and City Property. Some of our apps even became Product of the day on Product Hunt. Our team is not so big: 2 UI/UX designers, 1 motion designer, 5 developers, 2 product managers and me as both a strategist and a product owner. Oh, we've also found a UA manager not long ago. Despite that, we've created 20 apps in half a year and nothing's gonna stop us!
We've launched our products without any ads (working on it now), that’s why we've only reached 40,000 downloads. Our apps were totally free and without in-app purchases, as our main goal was idea verification. By now we only get around $1,000 per month as money-making wasn't our main focus earlier. I hope we'll update that info really soon though.
51. Start a writing tool
Hi, I’m Abhi, founder & CEO of a startup platform and business incubator where we incubate and scale new ventures regularly, and Rytr is one of our flagship products that has now become one of the leading AI writing assistants in the market serving 300,000+ customers across the world doing seven figures in ARR. It’s great to see the overwhelming response we’ve received from the market.
With 13+ yrs of combined experience across consulting, venture capital, and startups in the US, Europe & Asia, I have helped build and scale multiple products over the years that have touched millions of users and revenue. I've also led large product & growth teams, mentored 100s of founders on product, growth, BD, sales, hiring, and fundraising, and raised funding from investors like 500Startups, Entrepreneur First, and more.
52. Start an online video editing business
Video editors manage camera footage, dialogue, sound effects, graphics, and special effects to produce the final film or video product. To become an online video editor, you must have media production and communication knowledge and the ability to work with others.
To start a video editing business, you can outsource video editing skills from an experienced professional. Your role will be to pick video footage from the customers and upload them for the video editor to do the magic.
Hey, I am Sabba and I am the co-founder of VEED.IO along with my partner in crime Tim. We are a London-based bootstrapped startup. Our web app, VEED, is a simple online video editing platform that allows users to do a bunch of cool stuff like auto subtitle videos, add video effects, add music, trim, rotate videos and much more all in the browser.
We launched just over a year ago, started charging 4 months ago and as of this interview, we are at $5,300 MRR and are just about profitable (Ramen profitable).
53. Start a training software
Online learning software makes it easy for institutions to deliver course content to learners. The learners can be students, employees, or even business people who want to learn a new skill.
Starting an eLearning software can be a profitable investment. Industry experts project that the e-learning market will double in the next few years.
Your business can provide content, create supporting technology, and administer e-learning courses.
In April I had 13 sales and made $390. As of now, in the month of May I’ve made 134 sales with revenue of $2,291.
54. Start a time tracking app
A time tracking app is a tool used allows its user to clock in/out via an internet-connected device or to use a stopwatch to record the start and end of tasks. The time tracker apps also have analytics and reporting features that consolidate the data so that users can gain insights into time spent on different tasks, projects, and clients.
The growing need among managers and enterprises to improve employee productivity and adopt a remote work culture contribute to the high demand for time-tracking apps.
Therefore, if you are looking for the best App-based business, you may consider developing a time tracker application. Here is a high-level overview of some steps to get you started working on your business idea of the time tracker App
- Define the project scope
- Choose a software development methodology
- Formulate the approach for your development project
- Create a project team
- Develop the project plan with timelines
- Test the prototypes
- Find suitable API solutions
- Publish the Apps
My name is Dean Logan, the co-founder, and CEO of Labor Sync. Labor Sync was founded in 2009 along with my father and CFO Al Logan and CTO Joe Burger.
The amazing thing about Labor Sync is our expansive global presence for such a small company, only 12 employees! Our product is available in over 17 languages and used in over 100 countries.
55. Start a saas company
SaaS (Software as a Service) is software that allows users to access and use it over the internet. It is a subscription-based service that provides users with access to software that they can use for their business. It offers a variety of features, including a project management tool, an automation engine, and a workflow designer.
To start a SaaS company you should be familiar with the SaaS business model and have a good understanding of how to build and market a SaaS product. You should also have strong technical skills and be able to develop a high-quality software product.
Salesforce is one of the best SaaS companies in the world. Salesforce provides an integrated CRM platform that brings companies and customers together. The company is one of the most innovative cloud software solutions providers on the market, generating nearly all its annual recurring revenue from SaaS tools. According to Salesforce's latest financial reports, the company's current revenue (TTM) is $26.49 B.
Starting a SaaS company is a great way to enter the tech industry. This type of company is growing in popularity as more businesses are looking for ways to save money and reduce their IT costs. SaaS companies typically have high margins and offer a lot of flexibility for entrepreneurs.
James Bates the CEO and Founder of AdviNOW Medical has been inventing cutting-edge technology for 20 years. AdviNOW Medical has become a leader in the health technology sector, pioneering a system that synergizes artificial intelligence and augmented reality to support existing healthcare infrastructure and services while enabling the future of low-touch no-touch medical visits. It’s a technology that seems obvious in hindsight, amending a serious problem with an elegant solution.
Healthcare automation has bigger benefits, including—but not limited to—labor savings, improved quality and consistency of care, reduced waste, lower physician burnout, and increased predictability of outcomes. In fact, practices that adopt AdviNOW see nearly a doubling of the patient throughput per provider. This obviously leads to lower wait times for patients and more profitability for the practice and enables future models within the value-based care vision.
56. Start a logo designing business
Creative logo design plays a critical role in getting brand recognition. Thus, startup owners ensure they have an outstanding logo that defines their professional assurance amongst customers. Do you have excellent art and design skills? Starting a logo design company can be a rewarding business idea. You can outsource a logo design service or do it yourself.
My goal is to help as many entrepreneurs launch their business and make Logobly the #1 place for logo design.
57. Start a video hosting service
Hey guys! My Name is Ankur Singh and I am the co-founder and CEO of Vadootv.
We’ve made $300k in revenue with one-time license sales and our monthly recurring revenue is $15,000+.
58. Build an analytics tool
Analytics tools are software or apps that help people to make data-driven decisions. They do this by providing users with the ability to access, visualize, and analyze the data.
If you have strong technical skills, then this could be a profitable business idea for you.
QlikView is one of the best Self-Service Business Intelligence, Data Visualization, and Data Analytics tool. In 2022, QlikView generates $750M in revenue.
With the rise of big data, more companies are realizing the importance of data and are looking for ways to make use of it.
Building an analytics tool is a great business idea because it's a tool that can be used by businesses of all sizes. Small businesses can use it to make better decisions about their operations, while larger businesses can use it to track and improve their performance.
Hello! I’m Marko Saric and I’m the co-founder of Plausible Analytics. Plausible Analytics is a simple, open-source, lightweight (< 1 KB) and privacy-friendly web analytics alternative to Google Analytics.
At the time of writing (September 1st), we are at $4,557 MRR and 743 paying subscribers. We’ve grown a lot over the last few months considering that we announced $415 MRR at the start of April this year (about a year after we launched our paid subscriptions).
59. Create a remote work tool
60. Start an edtech startup
61. Start a gaming startup
Markos Aristides Kern is the founder of LYMB.iO, a company that builds interactive digital games that require physical activity.
LYMB.iO aims to make fitness more enjoyable while also allowing social interaction & stimulating education.
Since getting into entrepreneurship, Markos has always tried to push the limits of what is conceivable.
The founder spent more than 15 years designing exceptional experiences for clubs, brands, and music festivals worldwide.
LYMB.iO has been designed to combine gaming and sports to gamify the world and increase physical activity.
To date, the company has sold over 1000 gaming units globally.
Listen to the full podcast on podcasts.apple.com ➜
62. Start a robotics company
The robotics industry is on the rise, a trend that, according to experts, is owing to its potential to increase economic growth and productivity. The high demand is owing to the strong need to automate labor need for more efficiency in product manufacturing, construction, and other sectors.
Besides, robots work in hazardous environments where human life is likely in danger, increasing productivity since they are wired to perform repetitive tasks for longer hours.
In that regard, the robotics businesses stand to benefit. Some sectors where we see robotics today include:
- Healthcare
- Homelife
- Manufacturing
- Logistics
- Space exploration
- Military
- Entertainment
- Travel
To start your robotics company, choose a niche and focus on building an interdisciplinary team with robotics engineers and software engineers from various specialties. You can use VC funding so you can finance your business.
Remember, robotics is still a tough business, so you should not expect everything to work from day 1.
63. Start an esports startup
Hey! 👋 I'm Pat Walls, the founder of Starter Story.
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