Starting a startup was never easy, but it was always fun, exciting, full of potential, and something that many aspire towards. In 2025, not much has changed, and if you have a good idea, it could grow to a new landmark! Buzzwords are gone, and so are flashy apps. The focus now is on core ideas. Neat, simple, clean, with direct ways of how to solve a problem X. If you can read the room, you’ll be able to read lengthy profit reports.
iGaming
Now, iGaming is an area that often flies under the radar but deserves way more attention. What iGaming now is far from what anyone could have envisioned happening. Esports betting, streaming, entire communities being built around anything, immersive experiences, live dealers, the sector is rapidly evolving in all aspects. And each presents a chance to start something for yourself.
Gaming on mobile is perhaps the biggest opportunity still present in this industry. Anyone can play from anywhere, and this type of market can be impressive to cover. Limitations are almost non-existent, as the entire world can be your audience. Escapist Magazine says in its latest reviews that most cutting-edge sites that deserve players’ trust offer quick payouts, generous bonuses, and top-notch games, so these are your baseline. But you don’t need to compete with them. You can offer VR, blockchain, streaming, or other emerging services and focus on bringing the action to players’ homes.
Regulations are loosening in many parts of the world, making room for startups that know how to navigate compliance without killing the fun. The social side of iGaming is also fascinating. Communities form around games, and that social glue turns casual users into devoted fans. For entrepreneurs, that’s a gold mine if you can build on it. It’s not just the games. Behind the scenes, startups focusing on payment systems or fraud prevention can carve out solid niches.
Artificial Intelligence and Automation
AI’s been a headline star for years now, but what’s interesting is how its role keeps changing. We’re past the phase of broad promises and into one where AI has to actually deliver—no fluff. Startups that get their hands dirty solving specific, stubborn problems tend to stand out.
For instance, I recently chatted with a founder working on AI tools for small farmers—things like pest prediction and soil health monitoring, or even weather or a changing climate. It’s fascinating because these applications bring AI into less obvious places, not just in Silicon Valley boardrooms. There’s a whole world of traditional industries crying out for smarter automation.
But here’s the catch: most AI solutions remain inaccessible to smaller players, either too complex or pricey. That’s a massive gap. If a startup figures out how to democratize AI for those who need it but can’t afford it now, they’ll likely be onto something big.
Healthcare Technology
Healthcare has always been a tough nut to crack—regulations, ethics, and slow adoption. Still, I can’t ignore how much the pandemic shoved digital health forward. People started accepting telemedicine and health trackers as normal overnight.
Startups leaning into personalized medicine, where treatment fits the individual rather than the average, feel especially promising. Mental health apps, too, but not the “check a box” kind—ones that really try to offer genuine support. Too many of these still feel shallow or disconnected.
One odd thing I’ve noticed: tech-heavy health solutions sometimes miss the human side. Patients want empathy, not just data. Marrying clinical accuracy with that kind of warmth is tricky but crucial. The startups that crack this balance will probably build trust that lasts.
Green Technology and Sustainability
Sometimes you have to invent a problem to sell a solution. In other cases, the problem is right in front of us. Climate change is everywhere, which means that you have opportunities for a startup in the same places. There is no place on our Earth that could not use more greenery, cleanup, or eco-friendly measures. Green startups are growing, and they are tackling the big questions.
This leaves open chances for those looking to go into finer details. Smaller niches that were left neglected. Lesser-known issues, or issues that could escalate beyond what we think is the problem now. Visionary green startups can have huge potential, especially now when the eco-movement is growing and we are trying to make our planet a better place for everyone.
Financial Technology (FinTech)
Emerging markets are huge here. There are literally billions of people who don’t have easy access to banks but do have smartphones. Mobile wallets, microloans, tools for small business finance—they’re not just good ideas; they’re lifelines.
Everything around FinTech is built on trust. And that takes time. If you’re brand new, you have no trust, and that is a fact. To solve this, FinTech startups need to partner with big names to gain credibility. And how do they do that? By building something that works and making a killer presentation. This can lead to a €100m to fuel an SME financing opportunity, for example. If a FinTech solution can save 1% of someone’s profit, it’s viable and will be sought after. Transparency, direct communication, and concrete problem-solving are how FinTech startups grow and prosper.
Since you will be dealing with money and potentially entire people’s livelihoods, a smooth experience is a must. And the regulatory aspect must follow. Part of the job is to work closely with regulations, as a single clause missed or ignored can shut down your entire business.
EdTech and Learning Platforms
COVID days were dark, but there is a silver lining everywhere. Many fields have evolved and adapted, and education has gone the way of EdTech. The thirst and desire for learning has sparked with the convenience of being able to learn whatever you wish on the media you prefer. So, with the abundance of information available online, what’s the catch? The magic word is engagement. The attention span of users varies, and with millions of other nagging tasks to do during the day, it can be hard to continue learning or studying a topic.
For this topic, startups can focus on microlearning and lifelong learning approaches. If you can think of a startup that can offer practical, demanding skills that potential learners can even put on their CVs and employers will value, then you have a hit. A platform that can actively search for and provide ways to learn such practical skills adds value, and value is, well, valued by users and investors.
Psychology plays a crucial role here, as it will provide information about individual motivation and what the market desires. The social interactions that occur in a digital era are topics that fascinate the current academia, and precisely in these fields are where startups can thrive.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, your choice should match your passion and understanding. But these areas? They’re where the air feels thick with potential—ready for the right startup to take off.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of impakter.com — In the Cover Photo: 2018 World Cup final game. Cover Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
