4 Under-the-Radar Trends Powering Haircare, Music, Hiring, and Software in 2025

Welcome Back!!! Navigating the dynamic landscape of startup fundraising can be challenging, but staying ahead of the curve can give you the edge you need. In today’s fast-paced world, trending topics can significantly influence investor interest and funding opportunities.

In this edition, we explore four Trending Topics for future Fundraising. These emerging trends have the potential to create fundraising momentum, attract investors, and propel your startup to new heights. Leveraging these trends showcases your adaptability and positions your startup as a forward-thinking player in the industry.

Let's explore these trending opportunities and how to harness their power to secure the funding you need to thrive.

Listen Now 🎧

Trend #1: K18 Hair — The Science-Backed Hair Repair Brand Going Viral

K18 Hair is a science-driven haircare brand that has built its reputation around repairing damaged hair at the molecular level. Their patented K18Peptide is designed to reconnect broken keratin chains deep within the hair, promising increased strength, elasticity, and shine.

What’s driving their explosive growth? Social media. Videos featuring K18 Hair have racked up over 20 billion views on TikTok, with their hero product, the K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask, seeing search volume jump nearly 300% in the last two years. Add celebrity partnerships with names like Simone Biles and Charli XCX, and K18 is cementing itself as a leader in next-gen hair repair.

K18 Hair is part of the broader Hair Mask Treatments meta-trend. These intensive conditioners are booming, with over 1.2 million Instagram posts tagged #hairmask. Amazon bestsellers like Eva NYC, Tsubaki, Fino, and Elizavecca are bringing in anywhere from $83K to $160K monthly, proving that demand for stronger, shinier hair is only accelerating.

Trend #2: Navidrome — The Open-Source Challenger to Spotify

Navidrome is an open-source music server built for users who want to own their music experience. The platform lets users store and stream their personal music libraries without subscriptions, ads, or algorithmic interference.

The appeal? Total control. Whether it’s rare tracks, limited releases, or just avoiding monthly fees, Navidrome is resonating with music lovers who want freedom from mainstream platforms. The software already has over 13,000 stars on GitHub and supports collections of up to 900,000 songs.

Navidrome is part of the Self-Hosted Music meta trend. As music streaming becomes increasingly fragmented (and expensive), tools like Jellyfin, Symfonium, and Plexamp offer power users alternatives. Jellyfin alone has over 1 million downloads, underscoring the appetite for self-hosted content ecosystems.

Trend #3: Cover Letter Generators — AI Tools Reshaping How People Apply for Jobs

Cover Letter Generators are fast becoming the secret weapon for job seekers trying to stand out. These AI-powered tools take a user’s resume and target job description and create personalized cover letters in seconds.

Why does this matter? Even though 83% of HR professionals say cover letters are important, most candidates hate writing them. The average job seeker applies to 10-15 roles per week and anything that saves time is valuable. Cover Letter Generators often operate on freemium models, with premium plans costing under $10 per month.

These tools are part of the Job Search Tech Tools meta trend. From ATS resume checkers to AI interview practice, job-seeking is becoming increasingly tech-enabled. Search interest in these tools has nearly doubled in the past year a clear sign that candidates are ready to automate the most painful parts of their job hunt.

Trend #4: Platform Engineering — The Future of Developer Productivity

Platform Engineering is quickly emerging as one of the hottest shifts in how modern software teams operate. Instead of every developer wrestling with complex cloud infrastructure, platform engineering teams build Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs) that provide standardized, self-service tools to accelerate development.

The results speak for themselves. Gartner predicts 80% of large software organizations will adopt platform engineering practices by 2026; up from just 45% in 2022. And surveys show developers waste 3-4 hours daily on non-core tasks without an IDP.

Platform Engineering is part of the Internal Developer Platforms meta trend. Tools like Backstage (originally built by Spotify), Humanitec, Qovery, and Portainer are leading the charge, helping teams ship faster, improve security, and reduce developer burnout. With more companies prioritizing developer experience (DevEx) as a competitive advantage, expect this trend to keep building momentum.

⚡️ RECOMMENDATIONS

Last Week’s Poll Results 📈

Which Trend Excites You The Most?

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Plaud AI (3)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Sproud Milk (3)

🟩🟩⬜️⬜️⬜️ Tranexamic Acid Serum (4)

🟩🟩🟩⬜️⬜️ Junk Journaling (8)

18 Votes