The past few years have revolutionized the way we do business and work in general. The world has made a colossal leap towards everything mobile, flexible, and convenient, leaving behind the useless stay in the office and wasting time on the way to work and home. Here are some advancements that new times have spawned.

1. Services for Digital Nomads

Digital nomads are people who do not depend on a physical place of work and combine their activities with constant movement around the world. This phenomenon should not be confused with downshifting, which boomed in the 2000s. In this case, residents of megalopolises abandon high positions with a decent salary and leave to look for “real themselves” in warm countries like Nigeria. Nomads are satisfied with their work, their goal is to see the world, broaden their horizons and make new acquaintances.

What are the nomads missing? Services that will make the relocation comfortable. This is what the startup Flown did. The company, which raised $1.5 million in investment in the fall of 2020, offered two products: 

• The first one is Flown Away — a selection of houses, hotels, and just places for seclusion like a hut in the woods. These floating offices are fully equipped for remote work. 
• The second is Flown Here, an online platform that brings together productivity tools. 

The company expects to receive money not only from nomads but also from real estate owners. The latter will benefit from diversifying their income.

2. Telemental Services

Telemedicine is becoming more and more popular, and services for mental health, for instance, online consultations with a psychologist, are becoming more and more relevant. Telemental services have combined these two trends. Remote psychological assistance turned out to be in demand more than ever in conditions of self-isolation. Foreign researchers expect that the global telemental medicine market will grow to 15 billion US dollars by 2026.

Singapore-based startup Intellect has developed a telemental service that can be used not only by individual users but also by entire teams. This is a kind of corporate online psychologist. Within six months after the launch, about a million people signed up on the platform. The founders of the startup emphasized: against the backdrop of the pandemic, companies began to pay special attention to the psychological climate in the team. Many employees found themselves close to burnout, and self-isolation exacerbated loneliness. A month of working with the Intellect service reduces the stress level in the team by 35%.

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3. Corporate VR Training

The distance between employer and employee has increased. Numerous services have been created to carry out operational tasks, from team planning to tracking results. However, the field of industrial training has not yet adapted to the post-covid world. Practising mechanical skills in many areas is still crucial with hands.

Transfr decided to change the situation by creating virtual production workshops and laboratories. The company started out as an educational virtual reality programming game. Then Transfer sold simulators in a variety of areas: for instance, medical students mastered surgery in virtual lecture halls. In the face of the pandemic, Transfer has offered services for massive professional development. You can also try to launch something educational, like Forex trading courses, understanding candlestick patterns, learning wise investing, etc. Forextime blog can help you to gain fundamental knowledge in this field to launch your own start-up.

4. Smart Buildings

The concept of a smart home is already familiar to many. It is a home automation system:

• the talking clock reminds you that it’s time to get up, 
• the smart oven prepares breakfast on its own, 
• and the weather station informs you that it’s raining outside. 

A smart building is a system that ensures safety, resource conservation, and comfort for visitors to offices, commercial facilities, etc.

The concept itself is not new: in the 1990s, buildings began to acquire video surveillance and access control systems. The pandemic has accelerated the trend: now it is necessary to control not only electricity and water supply but also the quality of air, and the temperature of the incoming ones. Experts predict that the global smart building market will grow to $110 billion by 2026. For comparison, in 2018, this figure was about $44 billion.

Startup Infogrid raised $15.5 million, promising to make buildings not only smart but also environmentally friendly. The company manufactures sensors based on artificial intelligence. They can analyze air quality, water, and energy consumption, as well as signal the appearance of bacteria, for instance, detect Legionella in the water supply.

5. Digital Fitness

Fitness centres are moving online after schools and universities. There are three reasons for this trend to intensify:

• The loyalty of the audience: even adherents of the usual offline format, in conditions of self-isolation, decided on online training.
• Convenience: you can train at any time with any coach who is ready to go online.
• Gamification: elements of the game are easy to integrate into online training. You get points for completing exercises, and you can immediately share your successes on social networks.

Smartphones and fitbits have evolved into companions that track workout results and maintain enthusiasm.