VC picks: The 3 hottest trends for startups to watch in India in 2018

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This is now the fourth year I’m writing my predictions for Tech in Asia. And to be completely honest, I’m more excited about this coming year in India (as an Indian resident, consumer, and investor) than I’ve been about any of the last few years. So many startups are trying to make India a better, more global place to live. And technology is finally reaching a tipping point in its attempt to connect our massively fragmented society.

Here are three trends I’m going to be paying most attention to this year.

The “healthification” of India

All things healthy are going to kill it in 2018.

In 2015, the Puratos Taste Tomorrow report predicted consumer preferences for food in India. Almost half the people they surveyed expected food to be more natural, more sustainable, and fresher in 10 years.

Earlier this year, Mintel did a survey where half of Indian consumers surveyed wanted a healthier lifestyle in the coming years. The report said that India was now the fifth largest market for “natural” food launches in the world.

And then, much more famously, star cricketer Virat Kohli announced he wasn’t going to be the brand ambassador for Pepsi – not only a moral decision, but completely in sync with the current values and aspirations of his fan base.

Needless to say, being healthy is top of mind in India right now. And you better believe health is going to be a big part of the conversation this year – whether it’s how health-conscious we are, what we eat or drink, or how actively we manage ourselves or a loved one.

So who’s going to take advantage of this?

The food industry has been overflowing with new startups that are offering fresher, more organic, and healthier substitutes to what is available in the market today. And that ranges from fresh fruits and vegetables, packaged health foods, cold-pressed juices, ready-to-eat mixes, and so on. As many of these companies figure out price points and multi-channel distribution, which I assume they will, they will give us alternatives and choices we never even imagined. Low-fat avocado, anyone?

Yet this is only the beginning, because exercise is no longer just about breaking a sweat. From gyms to trackers, online personalized solutions to offline gym passes, and protein shakes to vitamin supplements – more has happened in this space in the last year than in the previous two decades.

And this is only the beginning, because exercise is no longer just about breaking a sweat. There’s an entire retail ecosystem that comes along with it, covering everything from yoga pants to SoulCycle to content consumption. Expect to see these kinds of businesses rise to the forefront in 2018.

Chronic diseases are a serious problem in India, but these diseases are among the most preventable as well. And startups have woken up to this. Preventive health startups are using technology to help people fight chronic problems like diabetes and obesity. Such patients need continuous support through a series of steps that are non-invasive and unsupervised by a doctor over an extended period of time. This kind of support is sorely needed but often difficult to provide, and technology companies are poised to change that.

Sustainability

The right kind of retail