Startups of The Year 2023 ran from May 2023 to January 2024; more than 30,000 startups were nominated, and more than 470,000 votes were cast. It truly was incredible to see so many startups around the world be celebrated. To get a deeper insight into the data, we made it open-source. Click here to see the votes broken down by city, continent, or domain ending. But another interesting piece of data was seeing which industry was the most active and received the most votes. Let’s take a look at the top 50 industries that were a part of Startups of The Year 2023. Startups of The Year 2023 - Votes by Industry Rank by SUM of Votes

industry

SUM of votes

AVERAGE of Ranking



1

Discord Development

93025

1



2

MarketingTech

13474

134



3

Application Development Tools

10012

116



4

HRTech

3922

123



5

Blockchain Infrastructure

2054

141



6

Security-Surveillance Technology

1603

102



7

Logistics Tech

1457

91



8

Healthcare IT

1333

103



9

Cloud Infrastructure

1243

151



10

Cybersecurity

1177

121



11

Payments

984

115



12

Carbon Fiber

846

1



13

Sales Force Automation

783

109



14

Construction Tech

776

103



15

Finance-Accounting Tech

707

78



16

Health Tech

668

1



17

Content Management System (CMS)

666

129



18

Legal Tech

618

118



19

E-Commerce Enablers

602

125



20

Enterprise Collaboration

571

131



21

Business Intelligence

511

143



22

Cryptocurrencies

391

117



23

Enterprise Resource Planning

378

90



24

AI Infrastructure

366

94



25

Authentication

355

1



26

Big Data Analytics

355

41



27

Video Creation Tools

355

156



28

Food Tech

352

98



29

Events Tech

320

97



30

Gaming Tech

301

119



31

Software Development

292

1



32

GRC Software

291

133



33

Customer Success Management

287

141



34

Virtual Reality

282

115



35

Music Tech

267

104



36

Smart Contracts

245

144



37

Customer Service Software

241

124



38

Real Estate IT

231

109



39

Investment Tech

200

166



40

Enterprise Information Management

199

129



41

Manufacturing Tech

193

52



42

Sports Tech

193

107



43

Crop Tech

184

73



44

AdTech

181

125



45

Non Fungible Tokens

180

167



46

Property Management Tech

179

86



47

Religion Tech

175

96



48

Enterprise Storage

166

71



49

Insurance IT

165

128



50

Business Process Management Software

164

121 Some Interesting Facts Discord Development received 93,025 votes. That’s more than the 49 other industries combined.
Although NFTs are long past their heyday, they still managed to make it into the top 50 industries.
Industries related to business infrastructure such as HR, Cloud Infrastructure, and Payments all made it in the top 20.
Technology related to religion received 175 votes. With Startups of The Year 2024 right around the corner, it will be interesting to see whether the same industries will dominate once again or whether new giants will rise up. About HackerNoon’s Startups of The Year Startups of The Year 2024 is HackerNoon’s flagship community-driven event celebrating startups, technology, and the spirit of innovation. Currently in its third iteration, the prestigious Internet award recognizes and celebrates tech startups of all shapes and sizes. This year, over 150,000 entities across 4200+ cities, 6 continents, and 100+ industries will participate in a bid to be crowned the best startup of the year! Millions of votes have been cast over the past few years, and many stories have been written about these daring and rising startups. The winners will get a free interview on HackerNoon and an Evergreen Tech Company News page. Visit our FAQ page to learn more. Read more about this year’s design system here. HackerNoon’s Startups of The Year is a branding opportunity unlike any other. Whether your goal is brand awareness or lead generation, HackerNoon has curated startup-friendly packages to solve your marketing challenges. Meet our sponsors: Wellfound: Join the #1 global, startup-focused community. At Wellfound, we're not just a job board—we're the place where top startup talent and the world's most exciting companies connect to build the future. Notion: Notion is trusted and loved by thousands of startups as their connected workspace—from building product roadmaps to tracking fundraising. Try Notion with unlimited AI, FREE for up to 6 months, to build and scale your company with one powerful tool. Get your offer now! Hubspot: If you’re looking for a smart CRM platform that meets the needs of small businesses, look no further than HubSpot. Seamlessly connect your data, teams and customers in one easy-to-use scalable platform that grows with your business. Bright Data: Startups that leverage public web data can make faster, data-driven decisions, giving them a competitive edge. With Bright Data’s scalable web data collection, businesses can grow from a small operation to an enterprise by harnessing insights at every stage. Startups of The Year 2023 ran from May 2023 to January 2024; more than 30,000 startups were nominated, and more than 470,000 votes were cast. It truly was incredible to see so many startups around the world be celebrated. Startups of The Year To get a deeper insight into the data, we made it open-source. Click here to see the votes broken down by city, continent, or domain ending. But another interesting piece of data was seeing which industry was the most active and received the most votes. Let’s take a look at the top 50 industries that were a part of Startups of The Year 2023. here Startups of The Year 2023 - Votes by Industry Rank by SUM of Votes

industry

SUM of votes

AVERAGE of Ranking



1

Discord Development

93025

1



2

MarketingTech

13474

134



3

Application Development Tools

10012

116



4

HRTech

3922

123



5

Blockchain Infrastructure

2054

141



6

Security-Surveillance Technology

1603

102



7

Logistics Tech

1457

91



8

Healthcare IT

1333

103



9

Cloud Infrastructure

1243

151



10

Cybersecurity

1177

121



11

Payments

984

115



12

Carbon Fiber

846

1



13

Sales Force Automation

783

109



14

Construction Tech

776

103



15

Finance-Accounting Tech

707

78



16

Health Tech

668

1



17

Content Management System (CMS)

666

129



18

Legal Tech

618

118



19

E-Commerce Enablers

602

125



20

Enterprise Collaboration

571

131



21

Business Intelligence

511

143



22

Cryptocurrencies

391

117



23

Enterprise Resource Planning

378

90



24

AI Infrastructure

366

94



25

Authentication

355

1



26

Big Data Analytics

355

41



27

Video Creation Tools

355

156



28

Food Tech

352

98



29

Events Tech

320

97



30

Gaming Tech

301

119



31

Software Development

292

1



32

GRC Software

291

133



33

Customer Success Management

287

141



34

Virtual Reality

282

115



35

Music Tech

267

104



36

Smart Contracts

245

144



37

Customer Service Software

241

124



38

Real Estate IT

231

109



39

Investment Tech

200

166



40

Enterprise Information Management

199

129



41

Manufacturing Tech

193

52



42

Sports Tech

193

107



43

Crop Tech

184

73



44

AdTech

181

125



45

Non Fungible Tokens

180

167



46

Property Management Tech

179

86



47

Religion Tech

175

96



48

Enterprise Storage

166

71



49

Insurance IT

165

128



50

Business Process Management Software

164

121 Rank by SUM of Votes

industry

SUM of votes

AVERAGE of Ranking 1

Discord Development

93025

1 2

MarketingTech

13474

134 3

Application Development Tools

10012

116 4

HRTech

3922

123 5

Blockchain Infrastructure

2054

141 6

Security-Surveillance Technology

1603

102 7

Logistics Tech

1457

91 8

Healthcare IT

1333

103 9

Cloud Infrastructure

1243

151 10

Cybersecurity

1177

121 11

Payments

984

115 12

Carbon Fiber

846

1 13

Sales Force Automation

783

109 14

Construction Tech

776

103 15

Finance-Accounting Tech

707

78 16

Health Tech

668

1 17

Content Management System (CMS)

666

129 18

Legal Tech

618

118 19

E-Commerce Enablers

602

125 20

Enterprise Collaboration

571

131 21

Business Intelligence

511

143 22

Cryptocurrencies

391

117 23

Enterprise Resource Planning

378

90 24

AI Infrastructure

366

94 25

Authentication

355

1 26

Big Data Analytics

355

41 27

Video Creation Tools

355

156 28

Food Tech

352

98 29

Events Tech

320

97 30

Gaming Tech

301

119 31

Software Development

292

1 32

GRC Software

291

133 33

Customer Success Management

287

141 34

Virtual Reality

282

115 35

Music Tech

267

104 36

Smart Contracts

245

144 37

Customer Service Software

241

124 38

Real Estate IT

231

109 39

Investment Tech

200

166 40

Enterprise Information Management

199

129 41

Manufacturing Tech

193

52 42

Sports Tech

193

107 43

Crop Tech

184

73 44

AdTech

181

125 45

Non Fungible Tokens

180

167 46

Property Management Tech

179

86 47

Religion Tech

175

96 48

Enterprise Storage

166

71 49

Insurance IT

165

128 50

Business Process Management Software

164

121 Rank by SUM of Votes industry SUM of votes AVERAGE of Ranking Rank by SUM of Votes Rank by SUM of Votes industry industry SUM of votes SUM of votes AVERAGE of Ranking AVERAGE of Ranking 1 Discord Development 93025 1 1 1 Discord Development Discord Development 93025 93025 1 1 2 MarketingTech 13474 134 2 2 MarketingTech MarketingTech 13474 13474 134 134 3 Application Development Tools 10012 116 3 3 Application Development Tools Application Development Tools 10012 10012 116 116 4 HRTech 3922 123 4 4 HRTech HRTech 3922 3922 123 123 5 Blockchain Infrastructure 2054 141 5 5 Blockchain Infrastructure Blockchain Infrastructure 2054 2054 141 141 6 Security-Surveillance Technology 1603 102 6 6 Security-Surveillance Technology Security-Surveillance Technology 1603 1603 102 102 7 Logistics Tech 1457 91 7 7 Logistics Tech Logistics Tech 1457 1457 91 91 8 Healthcare IT 1333 103 8 8 Healthcare IT Healthcare IT 1333 1333 103 103 9 Cloud Infrastructure 1243 151 9 9 Cloud Infrastructure Cloud Infrastructure 1243 1243 151 151 10 Cybersecurity 1177 121 10 10 Cybersecurity Cybersecurity 1177 1177 121 121 11 Payments 984 115 11 11 Payments Payments 984 984 115 115 12 Carbon Fiber 846 1 12 12 Carbon Fiber Carbon Fiber 846 846 1 1 13 Sales Force Automation 783 109 13 13 Sales Force Automation Sales Force Automation 783 783 109 109 14 Construction Tech 776 103 14 14 Construction Tech Construction Tech 776 776 103 103 15 Finance-Accounting Tech 707 78 15 15 Finance-Accounting Tech Finance-Accounting Tech 707 707 78 78 16 Health Tech 668 1 16 16 Health Tech Health Tech 668 668 1 1 17 Content Management System (CMS) 666 129 17 17 Content Management System (CMS) Content Management System (CMS) 666 666 129 129 18 Legal Tech 618 118 18 18 Legal Tech Legal Tech 618 618 118 118 19 E-Commerce Enablers 602 125 19 19 E-Commerce Enablers E-Commerce Enablers 602 602 125 125 20 Enterprise Collaboration 571 131 20 20 Enterprise Collaboration Enterprise Collaboration 571 571 131 131 21 Business Intelligence 511 143 21 21 Business Intelligence Business Intelligence 511 511 143 143 22 Cryptocurrencies 391 117 22 22 Cryptocurrencies Cryptocurrencies 391 391 117 117 23 Enterprise Resource Planning 378 90 23 23 Enterprise Resource Planning Enterprise Resource Planning 378 378 90 90 24 AI Infrastructure 366 94 24 24 AI Infrastructure AI Infrastructure 366 366 94 94 25 Authentication 355 1 25 25 Authentication Authentication 355 355 1 1 26 Big Data Analytics 355 41 26 26 Big Data Analytics Big Data Analytics 355 355 41 41 27 Video Creation Tools 355 156 27 27 Video Creation Tools Video Creation Tools 355 355 156 156 28 Food Tech 352 98 28 28 Food Tech Food Tech 352 352 98 98 29 Events Tech 320 97 29 29 Events Tech Events Tech 320 320 97 97 30 Gaming Tech 301 119 30 30 Gaming Tech Gaming Tech 301 301 119 119 31 Software Development 292 1 31 31 Software Development Software Development 292 292 1 1 32 GRC Software 291 133 32 32 GRC Software GRC Software 291 291 133 133 33 Customer Success Management 287 141 33 33 Customer Success Management Customer Success Management 287 287 141 141 34 Virtual Reality 282 115 34 34 Virtual Reality Virtual Reality 282 282 115 115 35 Music Tech 267 104 35 35 Music Tech Music Tech 267 267 104 104 36 Smart Contracts 245 144 36 36 Smart Contracts Smart Contracts 245 245 144 144 37 Customer Service Software 241 124 37 37 Customer Service Software Customer Service Software 241 241 124 124 38 Real Estate IT 231 109 38 38 Real Estate IT Real Estate IT 231 231 109 109 39 Investment Tech 200 166 39 39 Investment Tech Investment Tech 200 200 166 166 40 Enterprise Information Management 199 129 40 40 Enterprise Information Management Enterprise Information Management 199 199 129 129 41 Manufacturing Tech 193 52 41 41 Manufacturing Tech Manufacturing Tech 193 193 52 52 42 Sports Tech 193 107 42 42 Sports Tech Sports Tech 193 193 107 107 43 Crop Tech 184 73 43 43 Crop Tech Crop Tech 184 184 73 73 44 AdTech 181 125 44 44 AdTech AdTech 181 181 125 125 45 Non Fungible Tokens 180 167 45 45 Non Fungible Tokens Non Fungible Tokens 180 180 167 167 46 Property Management Tech 179 86 46 46 Property Management Tech Property Management Tech 179 179 86 86 47 Religion Tech 175 96 47 47 Religion Tech Religion Tech 175 175 96 96 48 Enterprise Storage 166 71 48 48 Enterprise Storage Enterprise Storage 166 166 71 71 49 Insurance IT 165 128 49 49 Insurance IT Insurance IT 165 165 128 128 50 Business Process Management Software 164 121 50 50 Business Process Management Software Business Process Management Software 164 164 121 121 Some Interesting Facts Discord Development received 93,025 votes. That’s more than the 49 other industries combined. Although NFTs are long past their heyday, they still managed to make it into the top 50 industries. Industries related to business infrastructure such as HR, Cloud Infrastructure, and Payments all made it in the top 20. Technology related to religion received 175 votes. Discord Development received 93,025 votes. That’s more than the 49 other industries combined. Although NFTs are long past their heyday, they still managed to make it into the top 50 industries. Industries related to business infrastructure such as HR, Cloud Infrastructure, and Payments all made it in the top 20. Technology related to religion received 175 votes. With Startups of The Year 2024 right around the corner, it will be interesting to see whether the same industries will dominate once again or whether new giants will rise up. About HackerNoon’s Startups of The Year Startups of The Year 2024 is HackerNoon’s flagship community-driven event celebrating startups, technology, and the spirit of innovation. Currently in its third iteration, the prestigious Internet award recognizes and celebrates tech startups of all shapes and sizes. This year, over 150,000 entities across 4200+ cities, 6 continents, and 100+ industries will participate in a bid to be crowned the best startup of the year! Millions of votes have been cast over the past few years, and many stories have been written about these daring and rising startups. Startups of The Year 2024 many stories The winners will get a free interview on HackerNoon and an Evergreen Tech Company News page. Evergreen Tech Company News Visit our FAQ page to learn more. Read more about this year’s design system here . FAQ here here HackerNoon’s Startups of The Year is a branding opportunity unlike any other. Whether your goal is brand awareness or lead generation, HackerNoon has curated startup-friendly packages to solve your marketing challenges. startup-friendly packages Meet our sponsors: Wellfound: Join the #1 global, startup-focused community . At Wellfound, we're not just a job board—we're the place where top startup talent and the world's most exciting companies connect to build the future. Wellfound: Join the #1 global, startup-focused community Notion: Notion is trusted and loved by thousands of startups as their connected workspace—from building product roadmaps to tracking fundraising. Try Notion with unlimited AI, FREE for up to 6 months , to build and scale your company with one powerful tool. Get your offer now ! Notion: Try Notion with unlimited AI, FREE for up to 6 months Get your offer now ! Hubspot: If you’re looking for a smart CRM platform that meets the needs of small businesses, look no further than HubSpot. Seamlessly connect your data, teams and customers in one easy-to-use scalable platform that grows with your business. Hubspot: Bright Data: Startups that leverage public web data can make faster, data-driven decisions, giving them a competitive edge. With Bright Data’s scalable web data collection , businesses can grow from a small operation to an enterprise by harnessing insights at every stage. Bright Data: Bright Data’s scalable web data collection

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