A sub-sector report from Traxcn has revealed some of the red-hot areas of the sharing economy: namely food and logistics.
While these areas aren't directly related to travel, they do reveal how the travel-focused sharing economy has trickled up into the wider economy. And while the stay and transportation sub-sectors garner the most money, the smaller sectors are ramping up.
Late stage investment rounds are also ramping up, going from 16% in 2009 to 33% in 2014 as investors seek to bolster proven models rather than fund unproven early stage ideas.
Areas such as food are also nascent mega-sectors, with startups such as EatWith blurring the lines between hospitality and travel. Basically, those startups are providing a tech-enabled experience that could equally be a part of a tourist's visit or a local's evening. That's how travel is morphing into hospitality — locals and visitors sharing similar activities.
Here's a comparison of the relative ages of the sub-sectors alongside the investments and number of companies created per sector. It shows that certain categories, such as transport, are old enough to have fewer players capturing more of the available investment dollars.
Check out the full report here. It's worth a download for anyone looking for a deep-dive into the sharing economy structure. The second half of the report picks apart each of the sub-sectors with a full analysis of all the competing companies in that sector, including the amount of funding and investors for each. This breakdown is exhaustive, covering companies from across the globe in each sector — for example, in stay, there are 37 companies profiled.
NB: Red hot arrow photo courtesy Shutterstock.