33 startups to watch in 2017, according to VC investors

Company name: Hooked

VC: Greylock's Josh Elman

Relationship: VC is an investor.

Funding: $3 million

What it does: Hooked turns stories into bite-sized, chat-style messages, or lets fans write their own.

Why it's hot: "Hooked makes it easier for readers to consume the story in small bites, say when they’re waiting in line or riding the subway. The company is now working with Hollywood producers to help identify new writing talent and promising intellectual property. In fact, Hooked has a number of new investors from the movie and TV world, including Warner Bros. President Greg Silverman," Elman says.

Company name: Robinhood

VC: Greylock's Josh Elman

Relationship: None. VC just thinks it's cool and buys and sells some public stocks there.

Funding: $66 million

What it does: Robinhood is a free stock-trading app that makes it easy to buy and sell stocks from your phone.

Why it's hot: "The app makes stock trading free, intuitive, and mobile. Robinhood allows people to get into trading, and make decisions to buy or sell stock in companies without the burden of expensive fees. It has a chance to revolutionize stock ownership for millennials," Elman says.

Company name: Laurel & Wolf

VC: Charles River Ventures' Saar Gur

Relationship: VC is an investor.

Funding: $25 million

What it does: Laurel & Wolf easily connects people with interior designers online, making it easy and affordable to transform a space.

Why it's hot: "Laurel & Wolf will be hot as their service becomes more mainstream. Early customers LOVE the service," Gur says.

Company name: Opendoor

VC: Charles River Ventures' Saar Gur

Relationship: None. VC just thinks it's cool.

Funding: $320 million

What it does: Opendoor is betting that homeowners would take a guaranteed sale over a higher price. It calculates a fair market value and pays homeowners before re-selling the home with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee.

Why it's hot: "Opendoor is having a huge impact in the local real-estate markets that are in (Phoenix), but have aggressive expansion plans in 2017," Gur says.

Company name: Gametime

VC: Accel's Brian O'Malley

Relationship: VC is an investor.

Funding: $33.3 million

What it does: The app allows people to find last-minute tickets for live sports and entertainment and easily share them with friends.

Why it's hot: "Gametime is the fastest growing ticketing company ever to reach $50 million in gross sales. By focusing on the mobile audience, Gametime makes everything easier, whether you’re sharing tickets through sms or selling tickets by just taking a picture," O'Malley says.

Company name: theSkimm

VC: Accel's Brian O'Malley

Relationship: Not an investor. VC just thinks it's cool.

Funding: $16.4 million

What it does: TheSkimm is a morning newsletter (now with an app) that condenses the news of the world into easy-to-read headlines and blurbs.

Why it's hot: "Founded by two former journalists, theSkimm has become the daily newsletter for over 4 million millennials. Blending news with a clever tone, theSkimm has branched out from the newsletter with an app and now a commerce experience," O'Malley says.

Company name: Zipline

VC: Sequoia's Matt Huang

Relationship: VC is an investor.

Funding: $85 million

What it does: Zipline builds drones that can transport life-saving medical supplies like vaccines, medicines, or blood.

Why it's hot: "Zipline is the world's first commercial drone delivery service. While many companies are still just experimenting with drones, Zipline is addressing a major need (delivering life-saving medical supplies) and has kicked off in Rwanda, where poor roads and healthcare infrastructure have often made it difficult to reach patients. With a brilliant technology team and data from real customers, look for them to extend their lead in 2017," Huang says.

Company name: Discord

VC: Sequoia's Matt Huang and Kleiner Perkins' Eric Feng

Relationship: No relations. VCs just think it's cool.

Funding: $29 million

What it does: Discord helps gamers ditch Skype and texting and instead provides an all-in-one platform for voice and text chat with friends.

Why it's hot: "We have messaging apps for friends (Whatsapp) and coworkers (Slack), yet no one has captured online communities – the internet's 'third place'. Discord is the leading messaging app for gamers. Gaming communities are large and growing fast. Just look at League of Legends, which has trounced the NBA Finals in viewership each of the past four years. Discord has the opportunity to connect all gamers on a single platform," Huang says.

"Discord is quickly becoming the default communication application for gamers. Since launching in May 2015, the platform has grown to 25 million registered users, who are sending 100 million messages per day," Feng says.

Company name: Hollar

VC: Kleiner Perkins' Eric Feng

Relationship: VC is an investor.

Funding: $47.5 million

What it does: Hollar is reinventing the dollar store for online and mobile shopping, proving you can still buy cheap, high-quality goods online.

Why it's hot: "Dollar stores are a growing $50 billion market with less than 5% of transactions happening online. Not surprisingly, dollar-store shoppers want the convenience of ecommerce and are loving Hollar, which is doing millions in sales and grown 50% month on month," Feng says.

Company name: Affirm

VC: Andreessen Horowitz's Alex Rampell

Relationship: VC is a cofounder and investor.

Funding: $520 million

What it does: Affirm provides loans from the point of sale so shoppers can pay for purchases across multiple months.

Why it's hot: "I'm of course biased, but truly excited about the success and potential of Affirm to re-invent finance for millions of Americans that either don't have access to, or are frustrated with, the traditionally opaque and unfriendly banking system. Max Levchin and team are rethinking the entire process, starting off by making it quick and easy for anyone to secure a transparent loan at the point of purchase, and have already seen tremendous results. Affirm has a unique customer acquisition model, as merchants promote Affirm to their customers," Rampell says.

Company name: Social Finance (SoFi)

VC: Andreessen Horowitz's Alex Rampell

Relationship: No relation. VC just thinks it's cool.

Funding: $1.58 billion

What it does: SoFi is changing the loan industry when it comes to refinancing student loans.

Why it's hot: "I'm a huge fan of companies that are willing to tackle complex problems with a fresh outlook. SoFi has applied data science to make refinancing student debts easier than ever, and it's exciting to see them expand their service offering into other categories like insurance and home mortgages. They're taking on a massive challenge and alleviating a host of financial pain-points, while building a trustworthy consumer brand in the process. The next great insurance company, or wealth management company, might indeed be SoFi, because they get consumers at a key inflection point and are able to seamlessly offer other services," Rampell says.

Company name: TheRealReal

VC: Canaan's Maha Ibrahim

Relationship: VC is an investor

Funding: $123 million

What it does: The online consignment shop authenticates luxury goods and resells them at low prices.

Why it's hot: "The company has grown 75-100% annually since its inception. Now has national scope. Look for this company to add physical retail in 2017 with continued growth expectations," Ibrahim says.

Company name: Minted

VC: Canaan's Maha Ibrahim

Relationship: No relationship. VC just thinks it's cool.

Funding: $89 million

What it does: The online company makes buying custom cards easier and more affordable than ever. It crowdsources its designs for everything from wedding invitations to pillows and homegoods.

Why it's hot: "Mariam Naficy is an experienced CEO and spent a lot of time expanding Minted in 2016, into home decor and even with a pop-up store in SF. Look for them to keep growing and continue their laser focus on running a profitable business in 2017," Ibrahim says.

Company name: Earny

VC: Science's Peter Pham

Relationship: VC is an investor.

Funding: $1.2 million

What it does: Earny tracks the prices on everything you buy and gets you your money back when the price drops.

Why it's hot: "Tracking retailers and claiming price adjustments is something no one thinks to do, but there are millions of unclaimed dollars out there. The team saw an opportunity to build a bot that automates those tasks, without having you lift a finger. It really struck a chord – just a few weeks after Earny launched, Amazon ended their price adjustment policy on everything except TVs," Pham says.

Company name: Houseparty

VC: Science's Peter Pham

Relationship: None. VC just thinks it's cool.

Funding: $69.5 million

What it does: The group video chat app lets people join "parties" of up to 8 people, letting people drop in and out easily depending on who is online.

Why it's hot: "What a great pivot from Meerkat. That team shows that it understands trends and live video in this context with groups. There's less of an agenda and mimicking the real world on how you socialize at parties, this makes meeting friends of friends is unique," Pham says.

Company name: Away

VC: Forerunner Ventures’ Eurie Kim

Relationship: VC is an investor.

Funding: $11 million

What it does: The cult luggage maker developed a huge following for its suitcases that can even charge your phone.

Why it's hot: "With a pre-empted series A round of financing in Q3 2016, Away is ready to put fuel on their fire in 2017 with new product introductions, expanded stores and pop-ups, and more surprises to come," Kim says.

Company name: Dia&Co.

VC: Forerunner Ventures’ Eurie Kim

Relationship: No relation. VC just thinks it’s cool.

Funding: $25.01 million

What it does: Plus-sized clothing and accessories retailer delivering its service via a try-on-at-home model.

Why it's hot: "With $20 million in new capital from Sequoia this past Sept 2016, Dia&Co. should have a full pipeline of growth initiatives to expand their service to women nationwide," Kim says.

Company name: Amino

VC: GV's M.G. Siegler

Relationship: VC is an investor.

Funding: $28 million

What it does: Amino lets users create apps around different topics. Anyone can create an app on any topic through Amino and launch it through the Amino platform. Once it becomes popular enough to have a dedicated following, it becomes a standalone app in the App Store.

Why it's hot: "While current conventional wisdom suggests that no one wants to download more apps, Amino went out and released over 250 of them. The key for them is focusing on super passionate fan bases, no matter how niche the topic may seem on the surface," Siegler says.

Company name: Marco Polo

VC: GV's M.G. Siegler

Relationship: None. VC just thinks it's cool.

Funding: $25 million

What it does: Part Snapchat, part walkie-talkie, Marco Polo is an app made by Joya Communications that's popular with teens.

Why it's hot: "While both video chat and walkie-talkie apps are nothing new, it may be the case that now is the right time for them to work in a major way — and with Marco Polo, you get both in one. It seems like there's some real traction here, which is impressive in an age where apps seem to explode on to the scene and then fade away just as quickly," Siegler says.

Company name: Plowz & Mowz

VC: Science’s Mike Jones

Relationship: VC is an investor.

Funding: $1.5 million

What it does: Its on-demand landscaping and driveway plowing services is available in eight regions and quickly expanding due to overwhelming demand.

Why it's hot: "The $50 billion exterior home care industry is highly fragmented; Science Inc. invested in Plowz & Mowz because it's the first truly disruptive leader for on-demand booking. The demand is growing — they are on track for an even bigger year in 2017. This past weekend, with the snowfall in the Midwest, they were doing a job every five seconds in Chicago, Minneapolis and Cleveland," Jones says.

Company name: Cheddar

VC: Science's Mike Jones

Relationship: No relationship. VC just thinks it's cool.

Funding: $13 million

What it does: Cheddar is a live and on-demand video news service, focusing on a millennial twist for business news.

Why it's hot: "With live video platforms not fully taking off over the last few years, Facebook Live came on the scene this year and rapidly changed and improved how we consume live streams. Cheddar saw this potential and seized the opportunity to make news easily digestible and enjoyable to watch. I admire how they conquered broadcast news through streaming, and foresee exceptional growth for them in 2017," Jones says.

Company name: Musical.ly

VC: Greylock's Josh Elman

Relationship: VC is an investor.

Funding: $16 million

What it does: Musical.ly has taken off with teens for its ability to make instant, easy music videos. It's already churning out the next generation of musicians and stars.

Why it's hot: "Since first being made available in October 2014, musical.ly has hit #1 in the iOS App Store for free apps in 20 countries — including the United States. That’s an impressive stat for the U.S.-China company. To date, the app now has over 130 million registered users, 40 million of whom are active on a monthly basis. More than 1 million new videos are uploaded daily. The numbers speak for themselves," Elman says.

Company name: Ever (formerly Everalbum)

VC: Greylock's Josh Elman

Relationship: None. VC just thinks it's cool and saves his pictures there.

Funding: $13 million

What it does: Ever automatically backs up your photos on all devices, making it easy to access your memories wherever you are and save space on your phone.

Why it's hot: "Ever allows you to free up space on your device by archiving your mobile photos in its cloud-storage service, and aggregates photos from many of the services you use today like Facebook, Instagram, Dropbox, and Google Photos. It also creates great experiences like throwbacks to enjoy your pictures more often. The leadership team is top notch and ambitiously taking on folks like Google, Apple, and Facebook, and doing it quite well," Elman says.

Company name: Ripple

VC: GV's Andy Wheeler

Relationship: VC is an investor.

Funding: $44 million

What it does: Ripple Foods is a food-tech startup that makes a dairy-free milk alternative.

Why it's hot: "The dairy-alternative beverages market is a fast growing segment. Ripple brings high protein back to the category (8x the amount in almond milk, which is equivalent to dairy milk), while keeping sugar low and maintaining an appealing flavor. 2017 will bring expansion past Whole Foods and Target into a wide range of grocery stores as well as new product launches," Wheeler says.

Company name: Shyp

VC: GV's Andy Wheeler

Relationship: No relationship. VC just thinks it's cool.

Funding: $62 million

What it does: Shyp picks up your packages and handles the packing and shipping for you.

Why it's hot: "Shyp addresses the pain points of costly and inefficient shipping methods, and is taking the hassle out of shipping for both consumers and businesses," Wheeler says.

Company name: Light

VC: GV's Andy Wheeler

Relationship: VC is an investor.

Funding: $64.7 million

What it does: Light is replacing the DSLR with a compact camera with 16 different lenses.

Why it's hot: "Smartphones have driven interest in higher end cameras as people pick up photography but get frustrated by the lack of quality or features from their phone. Most professional-quality cameras purchased end up sitting in drawers since they are too heavy and complicated. Light's computationally-based camera brings professional quality and ease of use in a compact form. 2017 will see commercial availability of the product," Wheeler says.

Company name: Shift

VC: GV's Andy Wheeler

Relationship: No relationship. VC just thinks it's cool.

Funding: $74 million

What it does: Shift is a personal concierge service for selling your car, helping coordinate everything from test drives to the DMV paperwork.

Why it's hot: "Shift is bringing a great consumer experience to buying and selling used cars. This is particularly useful whether you’re sending someone to you to inspect your car if selling, or bringing the car to you to test drive it," Wheeler says.

Company name: Forge

VC: Social Capital's Arjun Sethi

Relationship: VC is an investor.

Funding: $9 million

What it does: Forge captures a gamer's live stream for free, making it possible for anyone anywhere to stream their gameplay.

Why it's hot: "Forge is the true gamer's camera. Individuals that play games can now capture, share and personalize their most most recent in-game moments that would typically be missed. Forge helps democratize e-sports and an individual's ability to stream, share and play just like a professional," Sethi says.

Company name: Zola

VC: Social Capital's Arjun Sethi

Relationship: No relationship. VC just thinks it's cool.

Funding: $40.85 million

What it does: Zola is changing wedding registries by making it easy to buy and ship wedding gifts from one site.

Why it's hot: "Zola is the fastest-growing wedding registry and is designed specifically for guests to share, buy and ship wedding gifts. No more confusion. One place one connection. Zola has reinvented old systems to provide millennials with easy-to-build, easy-to-manage and easy-to-share online registries full of products that people actually want," Sethi says.

Company name: Rappi

VC: Foundation Capital's Charles Moldow

Relationship: VC is an investor.

Funding: $240K

What it does: Rappi is taking the on-demand delivery model, like Postmates, and bringing it to Latin America.

Why it's hot: "Rappi has already completed more than one million deliveries in Colombia and Mexico, and its reach extends beyond. The Latin American market is well suited for on-demand delivery services; they have the potential for serious growth in Latin America over the next year," Moldow says.

Company name: Reserve

VC: Foundation Capital's Charles Moldow

Relationship: None. VC just thinks it's cool.

Funding: $15 million

What it does: Reserve finds hard-to-get reservations and makes it easy to book from within the app.

Why it's hot: "This startup is boldly challenging OpenTable, which, up until this point, hasn’t seen any real competition. We’re betting on them because of their lower fees for restaurants that are part of the program, and their dedication to customer loyalty," Moldow says.

Company name: ForUsAll

VC: Foundation Capital's Steve Vassallo

Relationship: VC is an investor.

Funding: $13 million

What it does: ForUsAll is trying to radically simplify the 401(K) retirement plan and make it easy and affordable for small businesses to make sure their employees have a shot at a happy retirement.

Why it's hot: "ForUsAll is one of the few FinTech companies leading with design. With a beautifully simple product, they are making it possible for everyone to save for retirement — a sector in America that is currently valued to be underfunded by a whopping $6 trillion," Vassallo says.

Company name: Digit

VC: Foundation Capital's Steve Vassallo

Relationship: No relationship. VC just thinks it's cool.

Funding: $36 million

What it does: After you connect your bank account, Digit takes a look at your balance every couple of days and tucks away money for you, making saving money easy and hassle-free.

Why it's hot: "We see millennials spending money differently than any generation before. Digit gets that, and wants to help, and we think there’s a huge market of young women and men trying to tuck away money waiting for them," Vassallo says.