Famous startups. What should be the idea for a startup? Interesting ideas for successful startups without investment. Startup ideas from scratch. The best startups in Russia include

When youth, creative thinking and the desire to earn money come together, it’s time to think about creating a new idea that would be useful modern society. The main criteria for this are novelty, social significance, usefulness. The chosen idea should arouse interest, only then will it find a place under the “sun of the modern business world.”

What is a startup?

The term “start-up” itself is of English origin and is translated as the beginning of the process. Today, this concept defines projects at the initial stage of development.

This term was first used in the USA in 1939 during the development and discovery innovative technologies. After that, this word migrated to other areas, the main thing is that the idea was new (regardless of the direction). For example, in Russia you cannot call it a startup. But Facebook, Google, Amazon are striking examples, as they contain innovation and creativity. By the way, many well-known corporations that were presented as startups began their existence as small businesses.

Main differences and characteristics of startups

A startup is:

1. A new project that has just begun its development. There are no specific time parameters during which a business ceases to be considered a startup. But each of them has its own destiny - one grows into a powerful business, the other simply closes due to irrelevance.
2. Innovation of ideas;
3. Working in a new market segment, an unusual algorithm for conducting business and business processes;
4. Constant search for capital. No profitable enterprise will exist without financial influence, so the essence of a startup is to find an idea that would attract investors in 2016. The introduction and development of new ideas requires a lot of capital, so financial issues always come first during the development period;
5. Quick implementation of the chosen idea is one of the main conditions for a modern startup. Investors who have invested in innovative project, they won’t wait forever, so they need the result in a short time. Either the selected startup will begin to progress, receiving new sources of funding, or it will close just as quickly.

Is it possible to create a successful startup?

Examples of successful startups

A successful startup is not just a business plan with a specific algorithm of actions. The creators of such projects claim that this is a whole philosophy into which the soul of its creators is invested. Let's look at examples of the brightest startups.

Inscription on the sand - kind, reasonable, romantic

“A business devoid of human feelings and emotions is a dead business,” say the creators of the Sand Sign project. The essence of the idea is to create an Internet service that allows anyone to order an inscription in the sand on the beaches of Costa Rica or Hawaii.

In order to use the service, you need to go to the website and specify the text that will be written on the coast (up to 30 characters), or make a sketch yourself, indicating all the design features. Within 10 days you will receive the desired inscription on the sand and its photo (or video). The cost of this service is 590 rubles per photo and 990 per video.

Those who are not interested in developing new ideas can start.

“Social alarm clock” – business in real time

Hrachik Adzhamyan (developer of this startup) once overslept due to workload and did not receive a visa to Germany. A few months later, he overslept again and didn’t get his dream interview with Yandex. This situation prompted him to create his new useful service - a social alarm clock. The bottom line is that instead of an annoying call, to which most of us may not respond at all, an unknown person will call you asking you to wake up. According to the creators, this is the only way to wake up the most inveterate sleepyheads. You can use this service today for free. But those who want to use a social alarm clock every day can purchase a paid package in 2016, in which they can wake up with the voices of the stars or read out horoscopes, news, etc.

Startup "To Each Other"

The developers of this idea were graduates of St. Petersburg state university. Initially, the idea was that people leave their desires, and they choose the ones they like and bring them to life, giving joy to others. But it was impossible to cope with such a flow of desires, so the project was transformed, and registered users of the project themselves embody each other’s desires.

The project “To Each Other” is innovative and meets the modern realities of Russia. The essence of the idea is that you can not only make your dreams come true, but also help in finding someone who will make them come true. Initial capital, which is necessary to implement such a business, is 50 thousand dollars.

“Life button” - helping loved ones

According to statistics, 30% of elderly people over 65 years of age fall at least once a year, some of them are not able to stand up on their own. The theme of supporting loved ones became the basis for the creation of the “Life Button” startup. This project combines a call center, website and software that helps monitor older people and help in difficult times.

How does this work:

• instant signal reception at the call center if a company client is in trouble;
• calling an ambulance to the place where the signal was received;
• informing relatives about what happened;
• storage of information about diseases, allergies, medical assistance call histories.

“Life Button” is also a powerful monitoring system that helps determine a person’s location. Elderly people are the most vulnerable; they often get lost, may forget their address or be subject to robbery.

Now everyone can help their elderly relative if it is not possible to be with him constantly. The cost of such a service depends on the selected package and ranges from 200-1100 rubles per month.

“Super pot” - everyone is welcome to the table

The idea of ​​the “Super Cauldron” is simple and clear. Any person who has the potential and passion for cooking can cook their favorite dish, photograph it and post it on the company’s website super-marmite.com, describe the “culinary masterpiece.” After this, the cost and address where it can be purchased are indicated. All that remains is to wait for brave and hungry clients who are not against culinary experiments.

Stages of startup development

Each business project in Russia has its own path to development. If you don't know, you'll probably go with the standard methods.

Since a startup involves an innovative idea, the algorithm for implementing and developing a small business can be different and not always logical. But it is worth highlighting the general development strategy, which consists of the following stages:

1. Creating an idea. At the first stage, the idea of ​​the product or service provided is formed, hypotheses are built about the significance for people, and ways of promotion.
2. Testing. The chosen direction is checked, potential customer base, a presentation is created and a business plan is drawn up.
3. Search for an investor. A person who looks for profitable startups and directly provides capital to such new companies at an early stage of development is called a business angel. Your task is to present the project in such a way as to find interested people who will agree to finance the startup, for example, by providing new look.

After launching the project, the main task is to interest a potential buyer and promote your services or product. The main problem at the start is the lack of demand for the products. Therefore, at the very beginning it is recommended to analyze beneficial properties selected material, assess its availability and relevance.

Who can support a startup in Russia?

In 2016, all developed countries are allocating funds to support and develop startups, since each of them can create economic growth in the future. The most advanced country in this direction is the USA. It operates large number business schools, technology parks, universities, venture funds, which are constantly “hunting” for new ideas and developing small businesses. Russia is a little behind in this direction. But in 2016, a number of companies and associations can be identified that are interested in financing profitable projects:

• National Association of Business Angels. On their official website you can find a list of business angels (private investors) who are involved in the development of startups.
• National Community of Business Angels. Visit their website and read the recommendations of experts, apply for financing, and also become a participant in a business incubator (specialized programs for the development of small businesses).
• Skolkovo Investors Club;
• SOBA (National Commonwealth of Business Angels of St. Petersburg).

There are well-known private investors who are considering offers of cooperation with creative young people. These include Alexander Aivazov, Alexander Vashchenko, Andrei Golovin, Dmitry Maslenikov, Vadim Kulikov, Leonid Volkov, Mikhail Paulkin, Sergei Gribov and Sergei Zhukov.

When you contact one of the investors, be prepared to have 1 to 5 minutes to present your idea. As a rule, business angels are not interested in diagrams and graphs at the first meeting. Their task is to find out the essence of the project and evaluate its profitability. Therefore, they prepare a small presentation of 10 slides, a teaser (1 page description) and a financial plan.

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A startup is an innovative idea that becomes a great prospect for enterprising and resourceful people who do not have financial opportunities. The dynamic business sphere of Russia, like other countries, is oversaturated, it is subject to the laws of fierce competition and constantly changing demand. This is why innovation and creativity are valued in 2016. A startup generates new directions, becomes socially significant for society, and most importantly, opens up horizons for ambitious businessmen. The key advantage is accessibility. You can find investors both in Russia and abroad. The main thing is to really find profitable idea and build a competent plan for its promotion.

The term Unicorn applies to startup companies valued at $1 billion or more. We present to you a list of the most successful startups, some of which are valued at tens of billions of dollars.

Square ($6 billion).

The company was founded by the creator of Twitter, Jack Dorsey. Square is a platform for accepting credit cards on mobile devices.

Meituan ($7 billion).

The company, better known as China's Groupo, raised $700 million in early 2015. Today investors value it at 7 billion. Don't think that the company became successful right away. It's been quite a long journey since 2010. Therefore, everything is ahead of you, the main thing is to find good idea for business. How to do this - read here. The main thing is to believe in your success.

Zhong An Online ($8 billion).

The first online insurance company is valued at $8 billion, although last year it was valued at $930 million. The company was founded in 2013 by Jack Ma (pictured), executive chairman of Alibaba.

DJI ($8 billion).

And again the Chinese. The company's motto is “the future is possible.” And no wonder, because DJI makes unmanned flying drones.

Spotify ($8.5 billion).

Swedish company, music streaming service.

Theranos ($9 billion).

The most successful blood testing laboratory was created in 2003 by 19-year-old Elizabeth Holmes. Theranos uses only a finger prick for analysis, instead of venous blood sampling.

Lufax ($9.7 billion).

Lufax is a Chinese online lending service. Founded in 2011 in Shanghai, the company is now worth $9.7 billion.

WeWork ($10 billion).

The company provides workspaces for entrepreneurs and freelancers.

Dropbox ($10 billion).

The cloud storage system was launched in 2008 by two students.

Pinterest ($11 billion).

An online platform that allows you to share and view photos as ideas and save them on your virtual boards.

SpaceX ($12 billion).

American manufacturer of space technology. Creator of the Falcon family of rockets.

Flipkart ($15 billion).

Indian online store founded by two former employees Amazon in 2007.

Didi Kuaidi ($16.5 billion).

The company is better known as the Chinese Uber (taxi ordering service).

Snapchat ($16 billion).

Application for exchanging messages, photos and videos. In 2013, Snapchat rejected a takeover offer from Facebook, turning down $3 billion. Today the company is worth 16 billion.

Palantir ($20 billion).

The company is a software developer for the CIA, FBI and NSA. In the photo - Bernie Madoff, accused of creating the largest financial pyramid. His exposure is the result of Palantir's data analytics program.

Airbnb (25.5 billion).

Online service for posting and searching for short-term rental housing all over the world.

Xiaomi ($46 billion).

Chinese company - electronics manufacturer. The world's fourth largest smartphone manufacturer.

Uber ($51bn).

The company that created mobile application to search, order and pay for a taxi.

Startups have long been one of the main drivers of the modern economy. By the number of successful companies promoted from scratch, one can judge the level of development of the country’s business space. And although it is obvious that most startups valued at $1 billion are based in the United States, some successful companies operate in Europe and China. We bring to your attention the list. This is not really a ranking: all 40 startups can be considered winners by default.

40. Evernote, $1 billion

Evernote, a service and suite of software for creating and storing notes, is worth at least $1 billion. It entered the elite club of the most valuable startups in May 2012, when it was able to raise $70 million as part of a D-funding round. Since then, the company has raised $240 million. An interesting list of investors: Allen & Co., China Broadband Capital Partners, DoCoMo Capital, Harbor Pacific Capital, m8 Capital, Meritech Capital Partners, m8 Capital, Morgenthaler Ventures, Sequoia Capital, T. Rowe Price and Valiant Capital Partners.

39. Eventbrite, $1 billion

Eventbrite, a service for selling tickets and organizing marketing campaigns for ticket sales on social networks, entered the list just a month ago. The company recently managed to attract funding in the amount of $60 billion. After this, the entire startup, which, of course, does not yet trade shares on the stock exchange, was valued by experts at $1 billion. Eventbrite’s total funding currently stands at $197 million. Note that the company was founded quite a long time ago - in 2006, but at that time it was not able to quickly develop, because social networks of the new generation were in their infancy. Facebook, for example, was just beginning its global expansion.

38. Nutanix, $1 billion

First representative cloud systems for businesses on our list. Nutanix provides cloud data storage to companies. The company managed to attract an impressive amount of funding, which currently amounts to $1 billion. But against the backdrop of fierce competition in this niche, experts estimate the total value of the startup at the same $1 billion.

37. Dianping.com, $2 billion

The first Chinese startup to reach the billionaire rating. The portal, which publishes reviews of restaurants, is valued at $1.8 or even $2 billion. During its existence, it managed to raise $164 million. According to insiders, last year Dianping.com rejected a takeover offer from Google China. In addition, it is known that the telecommunications company from the Middle Kingdom, Tencent, invested a large amount of money in Dianping.com earlier this year - the same $1.8 billion or $2 billion.

36. Beats Electronics, $1 billion

Rapper Dr. Dre and producer Jimmy Iovine have created one of the most successful music startups, which is gradually developing new niches and turning into a full-fledged large company. Beats started with the production of headphones, proving to the whole world that “basyak rocks,” and then organized their own online music service where you can listen to any music, but it’s better, of course, to do it on Beats headphones. Beats Electronics has raised $560 million in funding and is worth about $1 billion.

35. Xunlei Network Technologies, $1 billion

Chinese peer-to-peer service Xunlei Network Technologies, which receives support from Internet giant Google, has become one of the world's largest new generation file sharing services. The company was founded in 2003, when the whole world was gradually switching to Soulseek, Bear Share and other first-generation peer-to-peer networks. But the Chinese decided to take an evolutionary path, which allowed them to survive the emergence of new types of peer-to-peer platforms, such as torrent trackers. Xunlei supports huge amount protocols and also works with torrents. The startup managed to raise $111 million, and today the company is valued at $1 billion. Investors include Ceyuan Ventures, Fidelity Growth Partners Asia, Google, IDG Capital Partners, Morningside Group, Primavera Capital Group and RW Investments.

34. Good Technology, $1 billion

The American company Good Technology specializes in security systems for mobile devices. Its main clients are companies that want to protect internal data flows. The startup has already started acquiring smaller players and recently acquired BoxTone, expanding its list of capabilities in the field of mobile computing. In April, the company received funding in the amount of $50 million. And in total, it received $396 million from investors - this is since 1996. Now Good Technology is worth about $1 billion.

33. Coupons.com, $1 billion

Discount service Coupons.com recently filed for an IPO. The company helps stores attract customers by distributing discount coupons. Despite the fact that there are dozens of portals similar to Coupons.com in the world, the startup has attracted the attention of investors. In 2013, he received $115 million, which prompted the founders successful business for the initial placement.

32. Pure Storage, $1 billion

Pure Storage offers a business-focused storage product that is different. We are talking about unique solid-state drives for corporate use, based on flash memory. Speeding up work computer systems allows companies to reduce costs, which is why Pure Storage products sell very successfully. Since its founding in 2009, the startup has raised $245 million. Investors include Greylock Partners, Index Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, Samsung Venture Investment and Sutter Hill Ventures.

31. CloudFlare, $1 billion

CloudFlare is a system that allows you to speed up websites and protect them from external threats. This startup was liked not only by companies, but even by the authorities of some countries, including Türkiye. In December 2012, CloudFare raised $50 million in funding. The total funding amount is $72 million. Investors include Greenspring Associates, New Enterprise Associates, Pelion Venture Partners, Union Square Ventures and Venrock.

30. Tango, $1.1 billion

The free Tango messenger works in difficult conditions. Its competitors, such as WhatsApp and Viber, are much more popular and have already sold to larger players for billions (in the case of WhatsApp, tens of billions) of dollars. Nevertheless, Tango received funding from the Chinese Internet giant Alibaba in the amount of $250 million. Against this background, investors believe in the bright future of the startup. Experts estimate its value at $1.1 billion. Since 2009, Tango has received $367 million from investors.

29. LaShou Group, $1.1 billion

LaShou Group's Chinese service is thriving, not least because it is Chinese. This is another portal that provides discounts to customers, but its operating model, in which discounts are provided for a limited time, that is, constantly changing “offers of the day”, is completely copied from the American Groupon. The closedness of the Chinese market provided the LaShou Group with funding in the amount of $166 million and an estimated total value of $1.1 billion.

28. Gilt Groupe, $1 billion

Gilt Groupe is an American online store. The trading platform is used by 6 million people for a variety of goods. In order to buy something, you must register. In addition, the number of brands and the duration of the offers are limited. In 2011, the startup received additional funding in the amount of $138 million. Experts estimate the value of Gilt Groupe at $1.1 billion. Insiders claim that the company may hold an IPO this year.

27. Fab, $1.2 billion

Fab is an even more successful online trading platform. From 175 thousand participants in 2011, its audience has increased to 10 million, and the number of visitors per month reaches 6 million. The company managed to sell 7 million products, it already operates in three countries and in two languages ​​- English and German. The startup raised $335 million from investors. Among them are Andreessen Horowitz, Atomico, Baroda Ventures, Docomo Capital, First Round Capital, German Startups Group Berlin, ITOCHU, Mayfield Fund, Menlo Ventures, Phenomen Ventures, Pinnacle Ventures, RTP Ventures, ru-Net Ventures, SingTel Innov8, SoftTech VC, Tencent Holdings, VTB Capital, Washington Post, Zelkova Ventures, A-Grade Investments and SV Angel.

26. MongoDB, $1.2 billion

MongoDB provides its customers with the ability to create NoSQL databases. The startup's services are used by such large corporate players as the online store eBay, the insurer MetLife and the newspaper The New York Times. MongoDB technology allows them to organize huge streams of data. Last year, MongoDB raised $150 million in funding, after which it was valued at $1.2 billion. In total, the startup received $231 million from investors and may soon hold an IPO.

25. Sogou, $1.2 billion

Sogou is a search engine about which almost nothing is known outside of China, but which is extremely popular in the Middle Kingdom. The site helps you find information of any type, and most importantly, it is able to identify pages that contain a potential threat and will not display them. Chinese users like these “clean” results so much that they have already found 10 billion pages using Sogou. As a result, Sogou's value today is estimated at $1.2 billion.

24. Deem, $1.4 billion

Software developed by Deem allows companies to estimate travel and other ancillary costs. Deem's services are used, in particular, by Coca-Cola, Goldman Sachs and Siemens. The startup's value is estimated at $1.4 billion, and it managed to attract an impressive amount of funding: $424 million. Among investors American Express, Charter Venture Capital, Citigroup, Empire Capital Partners, Foundation Capital, Jafco America Ventures, JPMorgan & Chase, Micro Cap Partners and Oak Investment Partners.

23. Mobileye, $1.5 billion

Mobileye cooperates with the world's leading automakers. Technologies developed by the startup help BMW, General Motors and other major players in the sector create safety systems that monitor and prevent accidents. The company was founded in 1998 and today is valued at $1.5 billion. Mobileye's funding volume is $487 million. Among the investors are such sharks financial market, like BlackRock and Goldman Sachs.

22. Fanatics, $1.5 billion

The startup, which received the peculiar name Fanatics, was founded back in 1995. According to various estimates, it is worth from $1.5 billion to $3 billion, but there is no information about the second figure confirmed by authoritative sources. Fanatics provides licensed sports gear and other items for fans. Analysts are positive about the prospects in this niche, so we should expect Fanatics' business to grow this year. Interestingly, among the investors who have invested money in the company is the Chinese Alibaba Group.

21. Stripe, $1.8 billion

Stripe- payment system, which challenged the famous PayPal. The ease of use of virtual terminals developed by Stripe, according to many experts, puts PayPal's dominant position in the market at risk. Last month, the startup raised $80 million, and its total funding over four years is $120 million. Against this backdrop, analysts valued the business at $1.8, which allowed it to become one of the youngest participants on our list.

19. Trendy Group, $2 billion

French clothing manufacturers are conquering China. The giant LVMH poured $200 million into the startup Trendy Group, which produces inexpensive clothes for the people of the Middle Kingdom. Having learned about this investment, experts valued Trendy Group's business at $2 billion. Note that Trendy Group itself was founded by a Chinese, but a large share of French people makes us believe that they can influence the company's strategy. The startup was founded in 1999. The Chinese clothing market is constantly evolving, so Trendy Group and LVMH were in the right place at the right time.

18. Box, $2 billion

Box is another cloud service provider primarily for enterprise customers. The system allows you to store data in the cloud and quickly share it. Box's business model is interesting. Personal accounts come with 50 gigabytes of free storage space, but the startup is pushing customers to purchase additional storage space. Moreover, even to get 50 gigabytes you have to download special application, developed for iOS. In December, Box raised $100 million in funding, after which it was valued at $2 billion. Insiders say the startup has filed for an IPO, but does not want to advertise it.

17. Wayfair, over $2 billion

The online home goods retailer, which specializes in furniture and decor, recently received $157 million in funding, valuing the startup at $2 billion. The Boston-based company, founded in 2002, has total funding to date of $358 million. Investors include Battery Ventures, Great Hill Partners, HarbourVest Partners and Spark Capital.

16. Woodman Labs, developer of GoPro cameras, $2.3 billion

One of the most famous startups on our list. Not everyone knows that the company was founded back in 2002. At first, the business grew slowly, but in recent years the market has appreciated the devices developed by the Californian company, which are excellent for shooting high-quality video in extreme conditions. GoPro reached $1 billion in revenue last year, and the startup is now planning an IPO in June or May. Investors include Foxconn, Riverwood Capital, Sageview Capital, Steamboat Ventures, USVP Management and Walden International.

15. Airbnb, $2.5 billion

Airbnb is a service that helps travelers and home owners who want to rent out their homes find each other. In 2012, the company received $200 million in funding and brought the total investment in its business to $526 million. Airbnb entered the top 40 back in 2011, when it managed to raise $112 million. Since then, its position has only strengthened. Insiders claim that after the new round of financing, the estimated value of the startup will increase to $10 billion.

14. Bloom Energy, $2.9 billion

The startup Bloom Energy produces solid oxide fuel cells, kits of which are called Bloom Box. These solutions are used in their energy systems by such giants as Wal-Mart, Federal Express and Coca-Cola. Each Bloom Box costs $750 thousand, and even at this price customers are ready to buy innovative products Bloom Energy. But in just 10 years, the developers promise to reduce the cost of “Blooming Boxes” to $3 thousand.

13. Legendary Entertainment, $3 billion

Legendary Entertainment is a production company that has worked with Warner Brothers on the new Batman film series. The startup was one of the first to risk joining forces with hedge funds to jointly finance film production. Legendary Entertainment's contract with Warner Brothers has been completed, and the company is now set to work with Universal Studios. The startup was founded in 2005.

12. VANCL, $3 billion

Another player in the Chinese clothing market: the online store VANCL was created in 2005, and already in 2011 it was valued at $3 billion. Initially, the site specialized in selling inexpensive clothing, but has recently entered into partnership agreements with luxury brands. The total amount of funding for its activities reached $472 million. Investors include Ceyuan Ventures, CITIC Private Equity Funds Management, F&H Fund Management, IDG Capital Partners, Kerry Group, Qiming Venture Partners, SAIF Partners, Temasek Holdings and Tiger Management.

11. Square, $3.3 billion

An unusual startup, Square, produces both software and payment terminals for corporate clients. One of the company's most famous partners is the Starbucks coffee chain, which, according to experts, can overtake McDonald's on the stock exchange. In 2012, Square received $200 million from investors. The total amount of funds raised is $345 million. Investors: Citi Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Rizvi Traverse Management, Sequoia Capital, Starbucks, and Tiger Global Management.

10. Jawbone, $3.3 billion

Jawbone makes headphones and wireless speakers that can be connected to mobile devices. They are popular among music lovers (due to good quality sound), and among people involved in sports (because they are easy to use and do not interfere). Interestingly, Jawbone initially worked with the military to create noise-canceling technologies. But the startup’s developments were also useful in the broad consumer electronics market. As a result, the value of the business was estimated at $3.3 billion.

9. Uber, $3.8 billion

Search system Taxi Uber operates in several dozen US cities. It is able to set prices in the market depending on supply and demand. In August, the startup received funding in the amount of $258 million, which brought the total amount of attracted investments to $405 million. Experts estimate the value of Uber at $3.8 billion. And this is not surprising, given that in good weeks the company is able to receive revenue of $20 million. Investors include Benchmark Capital, Bezos Expeditions, First Round Capital, Founder Collective, Goldman Sachs, Google Ventures, Jumpstart Capital, Lowercase Capital, Menlo Ventures and TPG Growth.

8. Pinterest, $3.8 billion

Pinterest is a portal that allows users to communicate by posting images in various thematic collections and “pinning” them to “boards” for discussion. The company made it onto the list of billionaire startups in May 2012 when it raised $100 million from a consortium of investors led by Rakuten. And after another round that brought in $225 million and closed in October 2013, Pinterest's valuation more than doubled from $1.5 billion to $3.8 billion.

7. Spotify, $4 billion

European member of our elite club. Swedish music streaming service Spotify has attracted 24 million “thank you” users and another 6 million for $10 a month. It is not surprising that a company with such impressive performance has already raised a total of $521 million from investors, including Coca-Cola and the well-known Digital Sky Technologies. The company was valued at $4 billion in its latest $250 million funding round, which closed last November.

6. SpaceX, $4.8 billion

Well, where are we without Elon Musk, one of the most famous and most controversial “start-ups”. The SpaceX company, whose goal is to conquer space no longer at the expense of the state but for purely commercial purposes, is now worth about $4.8 billion. At the same time, investors poured only $115 million into Elon Musk’s business. But he still promises to save America from the need to use Russian rockets and rocket engines. Moreover, this is one of the most modest promises. Many believe, because another Musk project, Tesla, is already bringing real profits.

5. Zalando, $4.9 billion

Another European player, this time from Germany. Online retailer Zalando sells clothing and other “stylish” products in 14 European countries. Initially, the company sold only shoes, but now even distributes branded magazines in which customers can find information about new products and discounts. The total investment in Zalando is only $49 million, but its estimated value is 100 times more!

4. Jingdong, $7.3 billion

And again to China: Jingdong, formerly known under the 360Buy brand, is one of the largest online stores in the Middle Kingdom in terms of turnover value. Jingdong has been called the "Amazon of China" and is popular not only among shoppers but also among investors. The total amount of funding reached $2.2 billion, which allowed the company to be valued at $7.3 billion. Jingdong was founded in Beijing in 2004.

3. Palantir, $9 billion

“Palantir” is a device with which in Tolkien’s book “The Lord of the Rings” the main villain Sauron monitored his henchmen and gave orders. It’s also a great name for a startup that allows US intelligence agencies to spy on the population. Using Palantir technologies, the FBI and CIA filter information flows. The business is developing successfully: the startup has already raised $594 million, and its estimated value reached $9 billion back in September 2013.

The extremely popular cloud storage service Dropbox has already attracted more than 200 million active users. The next goal is corporate clients. The founders of a startup once decided to challenge the traditional email, which did not allow sending large files. They created a service that allows you to store content and instantly send it to anyone, regardless of the restrictions imposed by the email client. One of Dropbox's innovations: the user can create a special folder right on the desktop and drop files there that he wants to send to the Internet. Many cloud services have followed the example of Dropbox, but it remains the most popular. 200 million people actively use this system. The total amount of investments attracted by Dropbox is $507 million.

1. Xiaomi $10 billion

The Chinese gadget manufacturer Xiaomi has conquered its native market by setting record low prices for its devices without sacrificing quality. Last year, the company sold 18.7 million smartphones alone, and yet it has a wide range of consumer electronics and even proprietary applications. In the past, one of the top managers who led the development of Android, Hugo Barra, moved to Xiaomi and is now helping the Chinese player win back the global gadget market from its competitors. The volume of investments attracted by Xiaomi is $507 million against the backdrop of the company's estimated value of $10 billion.

The main question of people’s economic actions is: “What could be done so that after that they do nothing?” But, alas, this is not yet achievable; one has to constantly look for a means of subsistence. For some people, a regular workplace isn't enough and they want to try themselves in a new role. Well, now this is quite possible. The article will discuss the possibilities and features of practical implementation if you want to implement such a thing as an idea for a startup from scratch.

Expanse of ideas

It is worth noting that the choice of implementation is present, and it is huge. You can make a choice based on your desires or skills, if you have ideas about own business(for those who cannot invest a lot of money, and at first would like to get by with the minimum). There is an opportunity to realize oneself, based on knowledge of computers, programming languages, in the design, production of goods and products for rural purposes, as well as by producing various small things useful in everyday life. Within the framework of the article, an approach to the design of each idea will be considered, as well as several proposals in general outline, the specifics of their implementation will depend on the readers and their approach. It should be said that startup ideas without investments have recently become quite popular, but this is in its own way overkill: at least you will have to spend your time - never forget about this.

How to format ideas

How to formulate an idea and its implementation? To create rough business plan you can go through the points suggested below.

1. Set yourself a goal that the startup must achieve.
2. Decide on a number of secondary goals and when to achieve them.
3. Write the most detailed plan for achieving all your goals in such a way that they form a real mosaic, where everything is in place and there are no contradictions.
4. Decide on a daily minimum of work. But don't take too little, otherwise you won't be able to do anything. And don’t set the bar too high, otherwise constant failures will only undermine self-confidence.
5. If you want to work for yourself, understand that you will have to work. The first time will be very difficult, so you should think about possible rest, entertainment and self-discipline.
6. Each idea must be worked out from the point of view of supply and implementation of what is produced. Who is the potential client? From whom can you purchase raw materials? Where will the production processes take place? Is it possible to find partners? Are these the questions that need to be addressed first?

Examples of successful ideas

Here's a look at a few ideas that have had significant success in the past. But trying to follow them now is quite problematic due to the fact that the niches are occupied. These were indeed ideas from successful startups. Let their example inspire you to search for things that have not yet been invented.

1. Social media. Pioneers who offered people the opportunity to communicate and additional functionality, can now boast of the fact that tens and hundreds of millions of people visit their sites every day. But at the moment this niche is occupied, even thematically.
2. Sale of branded clothing. Previously, this was a pretty good way to make money, but after the market was flooded with cheap goods from China, the prospects are very vague. The only way out is the official implementation of something based on a popular brand.
3. Search engines. The late 1990s and early 2000s became real breeding grounds for search engines, which have now grown to enormous proportions. But now attempts to create more advanced technologies from scratch are not crowned with success due to the complexity of the task.
4. Services for travelers. Once they really promised. But now, when the market has been captured by several large players, it is very difficult to offer something worthwhile.

Opportunities with minimal investment

In order to have more or less real proposals that could potentially bring profit, several opportunities were selected that can only be called interesting startup ideas. Their estimated cost does not exceed 50 thousand rubles.

1. Earning money in photo banks. If there is a good one digital camera, ability to do beautiful photos and the desire to earn money, you can try to earn money by selling them. First you need to shoot everything that gets into the camera. And then, when you figure out what is popular, photograph the most popular and expensive ones. If you already have a camera, this is the real idea for a startup from scratch.
2. Resale of goods. Quite often you can see offers for the sale of goods from China. Have you ever looked for original sites where all this is purchased? Well, if you find it, you may be surprised to see that the price on trading platforms or in groups social networks overestimated several times. For good start A capital of 20-30 thousand rubles and a month of active promotion will be enough. By the way, use social factor- not such a bad idea. Therefore, while you don’t have your own website, you can get by with a group on one of the popular networks like VKontakte or Odnoklassniki.
3. There are some types small businesses, which are seasonal. And making cotton candy- one of them. This startup idea does not require significant investment and allows you to earn good money. In the warm season, you can earn so much that it is enough for quiet idleness in the cold or for doing something in which you are interested.

Self-realization at home

The previous paragraph considered the possibilities with minimal investment in the presence of a fairly significant active component. And if you don’t want to, and it’s preferable to organize everything at home, what are some startup ideas from scratch? Then this list is at your service:

1. Growing greens. So, alas, it turned out that there is a certain amount of production in the state. And food is no exception. It should be said that this is more suitable for those who live in a private house and have free land. You can grow onions, parsley, dill and other plants that grow quickly and can produce results a dozen or even more times a year. In general, this proposal can be written into startup ideas from scratch, because it allows you to analyze the market yourself and make a choice in the most favorable direction, and the minimum for starting can be found in any rural house.
2. Ceramic floristry. This one is more suitable for girls, but there are no gender restrictions. The meaning of ceramic floristry lies in making flowers from... clay! This activity requires good manual skills, however, if you have talent, it can become something promising. Flowers can also be additionally painted.
3. Soap making. What a great way to use homemade soap! And you can make good money from the desire of some people to wash themselves with it, if you approach it wisely. There are a lot of options here, and there is room for experimentation: ash soap, with real chamomile (or their decoction). In general, whatever your heart can come up with. And this option may in the future serve to generate new related ideas for startups from scratch in the field of human hygiene.

Features in the Russian Federation

If you want to start your own business, you should decide whether you are ready to overcome significant difficulties? The fact is that upon opening you need to pay 22 thousand rubles, which, however, will be taken into account in the future tax paid. But the start is not the most problematic. The main troubles are caused by the process of closing your business. This is the most problematic aspect that a startup in Russia has. Ideas therefore should be well prepared and be ready to implement them through the “I don’t want to”. I also bring to your attention brief descriptions situations and needs in the country that may prompt you to develop your own original business.

Implementation in the field of information technology

There is a real staff shortage here. Ideas for IT startups at home allow you to organize an enterprise that in the future can grow into a large corporation. Therefore, if you have programming skills, and better yet, programmer friends, you can organize an enterprise that works on a contract basis. That is, an agreement will be drawn up with some company to perform a certain range of work, after which payment will be transferred to the company. These are not all startup ideas. Programming provides a wide range of its own implementation, and where to find a place here is not a problem.

Sales in alternative energy

The problem is increasing the rather low efficiency. So, in solar panels it is slightly more than 40%. Therefore, if you have the knowledge and skills, you can try to build your future on sales of improved alternative energy kits.

Sales in agriculture

As mentioned earlier in the article, our country is experiencing a certain shortage food products. Therefore, having a small garden plot, you can count on making money by growing herbs, vegetables and berries. How can we not mention the situation that the residents Russian Federation have the right to receive free land in Siberia and the Far East. The calculation is as follows: 1 hectare per family member. Considering the cost of food in these areas and the minimum required for living, this offer looks very attractive.

Sales in production

You can try yourself as the head of a company that deals with secondary production processes. For example, collecting and recycling suitable waste. There is quite an active discussion about the possibility of processing rubber (usually from car caps) into crumbs for subsequent use. Generally, this direction is quite promising and underdeveloped.

Various little things

If you don’t want to leave your comfortable zone, you can start making various aesthetic little things, which will later be sold through social networking groups or special shops. The objects of work can be knitted clothes, gloves, bracelets, figurines and other things.

If something has gone somewhere, it means it has definitely arrived somewhere, folk interpretation of the law of conservation of energy. Actually, it’s hard to contradict such logic, but transferring it to money, we can say with confidence that if somewhere there is less money, then there is more in another place. You can ask a question, what does small business have to do with it?

It’s simple: since the beginning of the year, Russia has been experiencing a massive outflow of foreign, although let’s face it, domestic capital as well. Money is slowly being withdrawn, but the question remains: where? And then I read an interesting article about the rapid growth of venture capital investments in startups in the United States, about... Judge for yourself: in 2014, venture investments in new projects reached $33 billion, whether that’s a lot or a little!

Depending on what you compare it to, for example, the cost of South Stream, according to the latest data, should have been about $30 billion. Or Russia sells about 12-15 billion dollars worth of weapons per year; in total, by the way, military contracts (guaranteed) in the pocket of our military-industrial complex are somewhere around 32-34 billion dollars.

In fact, investors have invested as much money in small businesses in one year, and all startups can be classified as small businesses by American standards, as Russia can get from arms sales in 2 years. I think this example is very illustrative.

In fairness, it is worth noting that this year has become a record year for venture investments in the United States; just 4 years ago, the amount of such investments in small businesses was 15 billion dollars. Today, with the attraction of investments in new project on Russian territory the situation is not very happy, but the issue of restoration is a matter of time. Although today you can try to look for investors, the main thing is to have a desire and a good business idea.

It is worth remembering one thing, no matter how crazy your business idea sounds in the opinion of those around you, with a good approach, the organization can be believed in by a business angel and simply give money. We present 10 incredibly original business ideas in which American investors actually invested money.

No. 10 – startup called “Lawn Love”. The principle of the service is damn simple, but everything ingenious is simple, said the founder of the project and was able to attract almost $2 million from business angels. The site acts as an intermediary and guarantor in the field of gardener services. The scope of operations carried out by the service includes lawn care, tree trimming, flower planting, and so on, in general, everything related to landscaping. The service works as follows:

1. The customer enters information about the site, type of work, address;
2. The service selects a specialist in a given area;
3. The customer pays for the work through the service
4. The contractor contacts the customer and performs the work;
5. The contractor receives money for the work;

The service acts as a guarantor of the quality and timeliness of the provision of services; if the work is not done well, the money is returned or the work is redone.

Conclusion, this business idea looks very original, but is quite realistic for implementation in large cities of Russia. Moreover, in our conditions, there is no need to raise millions of dollars for a startup; the entire organization can require tens of times less.

No. 9 Online shopping It’s impossible to surprise anyone, they have become commonplace, but some of them still managed to attract $7 million. We are talking about a store with goods for children's creativity, ready-made sets for parties. Business angels not only believed in the idea, but also financed it well.

The idea, of course, is not very original or new, but a number of its points interested me personally, I think that by the end of the week I will lay out my vision, I want to try to “push” the idea.

No. 8 Another internet trading startup poppin. The main feature of this project became the use of color schemes, actually a so-so regular online stationery store. The main feature was the sale of stationery in different colors; roughly speaking, they sell one type from a wide range of different manufacturers, but in all color ranges. Venture funds liked the idea trading platform stood out favorably among competitors, as a result of which in 2014 alone they received $17 million in investments.

The decision to sell stationery in different colors is a fairly innovative approach and the most interesting thing is that with a 70-80% probability you can expect that such a project could be profitable in Moscow or St. Petersburg. In other cities it’s unlikely, at least in the near future, but in large cities the “trick” may work.

No. 7 place is another Internet startup called Paintzen. Initially, the project was positioned as an intermediary service for repairs, according to the usual scheme in which the customer and the contractor are connected. But life made its own adjustments and business angels agreed to provide the project with $2 million only for a detailed painting service. The essence remains the same, to be an intermediary, but only in a narrow niche. Painting and painting works were chosen as a niche. What attracted investors? The presence of its own “zest”, or rather additional service allowing you to choose or choose a color, type of paint, and so on. Having actually used the service, the client receives everything from consultation to painting itself. It is this format that has proven successful for investment.

I won’t comment, I’ll just say one thing: there are chances to implement something similar in Russia, but again, exclusively in the area of ​​large cities.

No. 6 place gets very non-standard business an idea for using new methods for processing big data. Visionary entrepreneurs have used off-the-shelf tools and database techniques to help those wishing to get pregnant. Hormonal cycles, physical activity, stress and a number of other parameters are taken as initial data and it gives the periods when it is best for a woman to become more active. The idea for the Glow service hit the mark and raised more than $2 million. Such strong investor interest is understandable; the volume of the market for assistance in conception is growing at a tremendous pace and there is enough money for everyone.

The service is English-language, but most likely they will soon launch either an analogue or just a Russian version, with a 100% guarantee we can say that the idea will be popular in Russia.

No. 5 place, surveillance idea in one form or another, has always been successful. There are many reasons, from the banal human love of spy games to the very real concern for children or property (for example, a car). The main problem with such services is the line between freedom and law. After all, de facto collection of movement data can be used not only for good, but also vice versa, be that as it may, the Tile startup managed to attract more than 16 million dollars for the implementation of a project to develop key fobs with tracking function via Bluetooth and a corresponding application for smartphones .

No. 4 place goes to ideas related to a healthy lifestyle. The popularity of a healthy lifestyle is difficult to overestimate, and the trend is not only positive but also actually intensifying. When analyzing the most popular business ideas of 2014 in Europe, several areas were included in the category of the best. The Americans went even further and created a delivery service for ingredients for such food, Plated. The idea is simple: all the components of a healthy lunch, dinner or breakfast from the existing menu are delivered to the customer. Together with the components, a step-by-step recipe for its preparation is provided, main feature There is the fact that the average preparation time for such a healthy lunch does not exceed 30 minutes.

No. 3 place next Internet service s managed to attract as much as 16 million in venture capital money. The founders did not lie for a long time and created an application that allows you to trade shares through a smartphone, the service is free, but purchasing the application itself will cost a symbolic 10 dollars. It remains a mystery why business angels became interested in the startup? The answer is that it has its own “zest”; the fact is that the service is going to make money on two related services:
On the one hand, clients can lend money for trading. Of course with a commission. This financial scheme has proven itself in Forex and brings very large profits.
On the other hand, for an additional fee, VIP clients will be provided with additional services. The scheme is also working and has proven itself very well in online games.
As we can see, two well-proven tools for making money at once forced investors to fork out a lot.

No. 2 the record holder can be considered the BlaBlaCar project, we are talking about a service for finding travel companions. The project itself is not new; it successfully launched in 2006, and in this year venture funds invested another 110 million dollars in further development. By the way, today there is also a Russian version of the service, in which you can easily find a travel companion or arrange a trip on the cheap.

No. 1 is probably the most original way legally invest money The drug industry was invented in the USA. New startup Eaze is nothing more than a medicinal marijuana delivery service. Investors were not confused by the fine line between good/bad; in some states, marijuana is legalized as a painkiller, and they invested $1.5 million in the project. Interestingly, the service guarantees delivery within 10 minutes within the city.

These are ten original ideas for businesses implemented in the USA with the help of business angels. We can only add that at least half of them can be sold in Russia

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