2022's 10 Most Promising Startup Ideas

Are you considering launching a startup in 2022? We’ve put together the top 10 innovative startup ideas that will inspire you to get started on your new business! 2022 is just around the corner. So if your New Year’s Resolution is to put together a startup business plan, you’re in good company.

The New Year can be a great time to put together a startup idea. Not only are you at your most motivated, but you have 365 days to turn your startup ideas into reality!

Which startup idea is the best one for you?

The big question is… which startup company idea is the best one for you? You may have so many ideas that you don’t know which one is the right one to follow. Alternatively, you may want to start a business, but aren’t sure what industry is the best choice!'

A lot of it will depend on your knowledge and skillset. You’re more likely to succeed in an industry you already have a good awareness of.

You’ll also want to identify a gap in the market that your product and service can fill. After all, you don’t spend time researching and launching a product only to find that there are already ten similar ones currently on the market! This is where a solid business plan is essential. Although it may be tempting to dive right in and start working on your startup straight away, a little bit of preparation work will be beneficial in the long term.

Inspired to become a startup founder in the year ahead? That’s great news! If you’re looking for a bit of inspiration, we’ve put together ten of the best startup ideas that will motivate you to find a great business.

Top 10 best startup ideas to launch in 2022:

1. Food delivery and meal prep;
2. E-commerce;
3. The Internet of Things (IoT);
4. Software as a Service (SaaS);
5. Sustainable startups;
6. The ‘feeling economy’;
7. Cybersecurity;
8. Healthcare;
9. Fitness;
10. Subscription boxes.

1. Food delivery and meal preparations

So, getting into the first position in our top 10 best startup ideas list, let’s analyze previous years. 2020-2021 were years of the takeaway. People across the world turn to takeaways when their favorite restaurants closed due to the pandemic.

Even now restaurants and bars are starting to open up again, people still love their takeaway treats, with the average UK household spending £5 per person per week on takeaway meals. Vegan meals, sweet delivery services, and street food were particularly popular with the public during 2021.

This has led to food delivery becoming a lucrative industry to get into. You may decide to create a new local, sustainable alternative to Just Eat or Deliveroo. Someone may create a system that helps takeaway businesses manage their food stock and orders more efficiently. You could create an app that helps businesses find dark kitchens in their local area.

If you have experience as a chef or cook, you could even start a meal prep business to make busy people’s lives easier.

Yes, it would be difficult to compete with a list of delivery companies in each city, but you can think about digging between several niches. i.e. Social-based delivery app, or tinder for delivery guys, and so on. Crazy isn’t it? – But could you believe that we will have democracy in energy where everyone could trade/earn money from generated energy?

2. E-commerce

We’re now all buying more and moreover the internet, with 2.14 billion people worldwide buying at least one thing online during this year.

An eCommerce or marketplace system will not only expand the choice that buyers have but give sellers an opportunity to sell their wares to new customers. Use your business plan to discover a gap in the market for both buyers and sellers, and take it from there.

As an example, Etsy was created in 2005 by three friends who wanted an easy way to sell their handmade goods to more people. So they decided on the idea of an online marketplace, and the rest is history! Don’t you agree that e-commerce is still worthy of being in the top 10 startup ideas list?

3. The Internet of Things (IoT)

From smart lightbulbs and home security systems to self-driving cars, the Internet of Things is becoming more and more of an influence in all of our lives.

With Wi-Fi and 5G technology becoming more of a necessity than a need, we can access technology wherever we want and IoT-based startup ideas could really reap the benefits.

There is a lot of scopes as well with the IoT market. You don’t necessarily have to create a brand-new IoT device to get into this industry. Instead, you can improve an existing product, or create an app or SaaS service that supports IoT devices. This means you don’t necessarily need tech experience to do great things in this specific niche.

IoT startup funding is increasing by 15% year on year. This makes the year ahead an excellent time to get your idea noticed. Get your business plan created. And get investors on board with your plan.

4. Software as a Service (SaaS)

The growth of cloud technology and the increase of people working from home is making the SaaS market even more appealing.

The great thing about SaaS is that there are many target audiences you can appeal to, from social media scheduling software for influencers to accounting software for businesses. These types of startups are also easy to scale and can guarantee a good level of passive income.

If you want to make a move into the world of SaaS, the best thing to do is to talk to your target audience and identify their pain points. What can you do to help them save time, money and become more efficient?

This will help you create a software subscription service that prospective customers will want to buy.

5. Sustainable startups

From plant-based eating to electric vehicles, we’re all trying to become a little greener to help the planet become a better place to live. One in two Americans is willing to change the way they consume food, fossil fuels, and packaging in order to help the environment.

With a sustainability startup, you are providing a product or service that helps people and businesses reduce their carbon footprint. This could be anything from an app to help families create delicious meat-free meals to startup ideas for electric scooters in your local city center. As it is likely that you are already passionate about the environment, this will help your startup idea to succeed.

With this type of startup, you need to make sure your idea is not a gimmicky one – we’ve mentioned Juicero several times already on our blog!

For a great startup that thinks outside the box when it comes to sustainable practices, take Power Ledger. This Australian startup was founded in 2016 and helps people share their surplus energy. So, for example, if someone has excess energy from solar panels or wind turbines, they can find someone to sell or trade their surplus energy with.

A year after launching, the startup received $6.4 million worth of funding and is still going strong.

6. The ‘feeling economy’

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is a positive and opens up a host of opportunities for startup founders. However, with the rise of AI, it does mean that some careers will no longer be an option in the years ahead.

The ‘feeling economy’ consists of jobs and industries that will not be displaced by AI. This makes them profitable industries for potential startups to get into. For example, human resources (HR), teaching, writing, occupational therapy, and event management.

Basically, the ‘feeling economy’ relates to anything that needs human skills rather than automation.

7. Cybersecurity

As we all become more reliant on the internet to shop, work and communicate with others, the risk of cybercrime rises.

It is estimated that one in three businesses were the victim of cyberattacks like phishing, ransomware, and malware last year. While cybercrime used to exclusively be the remit of large corporations, smaller businesses and the voluntary sector are now being targeted. Government departments, charities, and even schools are now falling victims to cybercrime, spending a lot of time and money to put things right.

In the UK, a local council fell victim to a ransomware attack at the start of 2020, leaving the council without a website and computer systems. The attack cost £10.4 million to put right and left 135,000 people without online services.

This makes a cybersecurity startup a good option. Not only will a lot of people and businesses use your services, but you are also helping to make the internet a better (and safer) place. You can also focus on either proactive (penetration testing) or reactive services, depending on where your skillset lies.

8. Healthcare

As average life expectancy increases, we’re all taking steps to improve our health and make sure we are still active in our older years.

There is a lot of scope in the healthcare market to move forward with own startup ideas. Not only are there personal health products such as fitness trackers and DNA analysis, but products that benefit the healthcare industry, such as smart medical training equipment for medical staff. Especially in the Covid world, healthcare startups are worthy of being in the top ten startup ideas list.

A great example of a startup working in the healthcare industry is Careviz. This mobile app helps cancer patients find support and assistance at a frustrating and scary time in their lives. Users can track their symptoms, connect with people with similar conditions and share their experiences with friends and family. Originally, it describes a fail story, but that’s a great sample for you.

The number of people 100 years old or above in Japan hit a new record – 86.5k+. The rest of the world is far from this. So, there are plenty of healthcare places to work on. That’s why healthcare takes a place in our top 10 startup ideas to launch.

9. Fitness

Similar to healthcare, we’re now all looking to do more exercise in order to sleep better, live longer and fit into our pre-pandemic clothes!

One of the main issues adults have with getting fit is not having the time to exercise. This means time-saving fitness startup ideas could be of benefit to many people.

You could offer online classes, a food-tracking app, or even virtual reality gym experiences.

10. Subscription boxes

Subscription boxes are certainly not a new trend, but one that is growing in popularity. One in four people in the UK is signed up to at least one subscription box service. Thus the market is expected to grow by 72% next year.

Why do people like subscription boxes so much? It’s the nice surprise of getting something in the post and the possibility of discovering something new that you may not have been aware of before. Plus, you can often save money on expensive products.

The advantage from a startup’s perspective is that any product can be used in a subscription box, from sweets and makeup to cheese and underwear! You can improve on an existing subscription box idea or make a move into a brand new market.

In summary: get thinking of the top 10 fantastic startup ideas

2020 and 2021 have seen record numbers of new businesses created, as people used the pandemic as a reason to leave their current office job: otherwise known as ‘the great resignation’.

According to the Census Bureau in the US, over 4.4 million new businesses were created between 2020 and 2021. While this may make the market a little tougher to crack, creating a solid business plan will help the odds of your new business succeeding.

If you’re considering launching your startup in 2022, whether it is related to food or fitness, we wish you the very best of luck for the year ahead.