Top 10 Investing Opportunities for Investors and Venture Capitalists in 2018
Top 10 Equity Crowdfunding Investment Opportunities for Investors and VCs in 2018
What technologies will represent the best equity investment opportunities for investors and venture capitalists in 2018?
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Go Mainstream
- Seeing Is Believing: VR and AR Become Critical Business Tools
- Obey the Sound of My Voice: Voice-Driven Apps Filter Out the Noise
- Apples and Oranges: Ag-Tech Disrupts the World’s Oldest Industry
- Industrial and Agricultural Drones Set to Take Off
- Is That a Doctor in Your Pocket? Digital Revolutionizes Healthcare
- Here, There, Everywhere: Blockchain Applications Finally Take Hold
- Boldly Going Where No Company Has Gone Before: Space-Tech
- Cyber Security for Critical Infrastructure Becomes Vital
- Autonomous Driving Picks Up Speed
1. Artificial Intel/Machine Learning Go Mainstream
Driven by exponentially faster computing power and cloud computing, “teaching machines” is becoming easier and more scalable, enabling AI to go mainstream across a wide range of industries: including consumer marketing and retail, entertainment, digital health, and newer areas like autonomous driving and advanced robotics.
More and more startups are building applications which will solve real world problems by applying AI in areas that can truly have an impact on the quality of our lives.
2. Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality Business Tools
Did you know that in operating rooms across the US, brain surgeons are already using Virtual Reality (VR) to rehearse and simulate surgery in order to be more effective? VR and Augmented Reality (AR) is not just about show business, entertainment, and 3D gaming, but also about saving lives, industrial solutions, and infrastructure.
VR and AR are about to go mainstream and will be used across a wide range of sectors from sports analytics to building airplane wings. These are definitely interesting technologies to keep an eye on!
3. Voice-Driven Apps Filter Out Background Noise
Have you ever tried using Siri in a car going over 50 Mph? Or talking to Alexa with the kids making noise in the background? Good Luck! As we all know it does not work.
However, the era of voice driven computing is coming. In the last 10 years, the world has moved from primarily using keyboards to swiping and using touch-screens. In the next five years users will move to talking to our devices as the primary mode of man to machine communication.
Core voice recognition software has become almost perfect at understanding the human voice and getting our words correct. The missing ingredient is its ability to enable our machines to get a clear signal and cancel background noise so that Siri really can HEAR what we are saying.
4. Ag-Tech Disrupts the World’s Oldest Industry – Farming
The world’s oldest industry of growing crops has not been known for its technological flexibility. However, these days Agriculture-related technologies are blooming for different reasons.
Traditionally farming is a family owned business and we now see how second generation of farmers are much more techie and open to adopt advanced farming technologies. In addition, the last two years have seen mass consolidation between leading players in AgTech creating deep pockets and a big appetite for acquisitions.
5. Industrial and Agricultural Drones Take Off
Over the past couple of years, more and more buzz is hitting the airwaves about Amazon and others using drones to deliver packages to your doorstep or bring you fast food on demand.
While this sounds pretty cool, more interesting and profitable uses of drone technologies probably lie within industrial and agricultural markets.
Drones are already playing critical roles in facility security, mining, oil and gas exploration, crop protection and surveying landmass. Building industrial scale drones with light-weight, long-lasting batteries, which are robust and reliable seems to be a temporary roadblock, but companies that can advance these technologies are worth watching closely.
6. Digital Healthcare Puts a Doctor in Your Pocket
As much as we try not to overuse this term, artificial intelligence is actually a powerful factor in the rapidly growing digital health sector. Enable regular people as well as healthcare personnel crunch historic data sets from electronic medical records from way back when — to the latest data that is now being collected from wearables in order to increase our quality of life and perhaps even prevent deaths.
The same will be true for computer vision and machine learning technologies that enable the bio-tech and life sciences industries to begin extracting new insights and diagnostics from images.
7. Blockchain Applications Finally Take Hold
Timing is everything! In the buzzword competition of 2017, blockchain was the hands-down winner. Since then, there have been missteps and pivots for this important financial technology. Many Venture Capitalists (VCs) have been disappointed with their investments in this sector; however, now is the time to begin taking a fresh look as this technology matures and evolves beyond Bitcoin across multiple applications such as: sharing economy, data security, logistics, and of course, banking and finance.
8. SpaceTech Goes Where No One has Gone Before
The Space Tech sector is usually dominated by governments and states , but is rapidly opening up to private ventures and prestigious VC funds are seeking to begin building space portfolios that will enable these ventures to take off.
In terms of funding needs, what used to be super-expensive is becoming much more affordable, with standardization of hardware protocols as well as general cost reductions of consumer electronics. Satellites can now be built and launched for less than half a million dollars, creating exciting opportunities to commercialize the technology.
9. Cyber Security for Infrastructure Becomes Critical
Are you worried about your car getting hacked? How about cyber criminals sneaking in through your air conditioner or refrigerator? Cybersecurity is not new; and in fact, the investing landscape is quite crowded, and the playing field is highly competitive.
The key shift in Cyber Security for investing in the next few years will be a move from protecting IT infrastructure to protecting all infrastructure. Companies are now designing full-proof solutions to protect everything such as automobiles, electric grids and everything in between.
10. Autonomous Driving Picks Up Speed
Everyone knows that autonomous driving is coming. The question is when? Thanks to the development of core technology and expertise of leading Autonomous Driving companies such as Waze and Mobileye, the world is sure to become a global hub of automotive innovation.
(Source: Jon Medved, OurCrowd’s CEO)
# # #
Robert Hoskins
(512) 627-6622
@Crowdfunding_PR
Crowdfunding PR, Social Media & Marketing Campaigns 
Leave a comment