Regardless of your own beliefs, around 25% of American adults believe in astrology, which amounts to over 60 million people in this one country alone. If you are a venture capitalist looking for your next big financial gain, then look no further than the horoscopes. There is a huge boom in popularity happening around astrology right now and it’s being driven by young millennials and their love of apps. Even those who are sceptical enjoy reading their daily horoscope, perhaps seeing it as a game or a bit of fun. Whatever people’s motivations, it has become clear that there is money to be made by investing in astrology.
It’s Written in the Stars
In April 2019, the New York Times released a groundbreaking article, revealing the extent to which venture capital is funding astrology based businesses. An app called Co-Star, which allows users to compare birth charts, raised $5 million from Silicon Valley venture capital firms. The confidence in the ability of these apps to succeed appears to be high. With three million downloads and 400,000 Instagram followers, the investors have already been proven right.
There has recently been an increase in new age, hippy-like trends, such as mindfulness, with the meditation app Calm being valued at $1 billion. However, these kind of apps require work and dedication. A daily horoscope is the lazy person’s way to focus on their own wellbeing and personal development. This is why it is forecast to be more valuable than the mindfulness meditation app market.
Astrology Loving Regions
Americans are more likely than Europeans to believe in astrology, which is good news for investors, since they are also more likely to want to download an app. The most popular regions for astrology belief tend to be in young, urban areas. Investing in cities like Austin, New York, Los Angeles, and Denver will mean that your money is in some of the top 10 cities for astrological belief.
These kind of towns are full of young professionals, with disposable income to spend. They are ambitious and willing to try anything to achieve success. For them, downloading a free app means nothing. For funders, the ad revenue could bring in a higher return on investment than you get from almost any other app.
Astrology Apps and Millennials
Perhaps surprisingly, it is millennials who are most interested in astrology. This is useful to know, as these are the people who spend their time on apps. Since the 70s, new age ideas have been relatively underground, but there is evidence that it is now becoming mainstream. In 2017, a post on a horoscope website received 150% more traffic than it did in 2016, showing the sharp and sudden rise in popularity that investors love.
If you are a venture capitalist wondering which tech startups to back, then look towards the stars. With urban millennials embracing the power of astrology, this is bound to become a huge market in the coming months. Get your funding in early for the best chance of success as an investor in astrology.