ET: July 9th 2024

[Exploding Topics Logo]( Presented by: [Exploding Topics Pro Logo]( Here’s this week’s list of rapidly trending topics, insights and analysis. Topic #1 Buldak Ramen [Chart]( Buldak Ramen is an instant noodle packaged with a flavoring powder and spicy sauce packet. Buldak, which translates to “fire chicken” in Korean, first gained popularity in its native South Korea and recently became the subject of a viral food challenge on TikTok. Since launching in 2012, sales of Buldak ramen have totaled $2.3B. It’s been tagged in more than 360 million posts on TikTok and has racked up millions of views on YouTube. Aside from cooking the noodles according to package instructions, TikTok users are also getting creative by adding eggs, mozzarella cheese, and heavy cream to the cooked noodles. Over the past two years, search volume for “[cheese buldak ramen]( is up 350% and search volume for “[buldak recipe]( is up nearly 500%. What's Next Buldak Ramen is part of the Viral Korean Food meta trend. There are more than 1.1B posts on TikTok’s food channel, including 750M posts tagged as Korean food. [Bibigo]( is one of the most viral Korean food brands. Their products have been on American shelves since 2010, but in just the past four years, sales have increased 1,100%. Here are three other viral Korean foods: [Frozen kimbap]( a seaweed rice roll, originally went viral for being sold at Trader Joe’s in late 2023, and Costco followed by releasing their own version in mid-2024. [Tissue bread]( is a loaf with dozens of extremely thin slices. The original bread comes from the Truffle Bakery in Seoul, but TikTok users are making it at home as well. [Hwachae]( is a Korean punch made with fruit and a carbonated drink. The TikTok video that launched this trend now has more than 36M views. Topic #2 Ambercycle [Chart]( Ambercycle is a Los Angeles-based startup that turns textile waste into raw materials for manufacturing. Through its “molecular regeneration technology,” Ambercycle recycles discarded polyester and creates Cycora, white polyester pellets that can be used to create new yarn. In the United States, about 15% of textiles are currently recycled in some way. The other 85% wind up in a landfill or incinerator. Testing has shown that Ambercycle’s regenerated material performs just as well as never-before-used polyester. Beginning in 2026, Athleta will begin using Ambercycle’s Cycora to manufacture its athletic apparel. What's Next Ambercycle is part of the Fast Fashion Alternatives meta trend. The government and concerned shoppers are pushing fashion brands to prioritize recycling and circular business models. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation reports that this type of model has the potential to encompass 23% of the global fashion market by 2030. That’s a market value of $700B. In addition, there are more than 98M posts on TikTok related to “slow fashion” that feature consumers’ preferences for fast fashion alternatives. Mending clothes, shopping vintage stores, and simply not buying new clothes are trending on the platform. TikTok reports that views on slow fashion posts have increased by 70% in the last year. And the resale clothing market grew 15x faster than the overall retail clothing sector in 2023. It’s predicted to double by 2028. Clothing rental platforms are also on the rise. [Nuuly]( and [Armoire Clothing Rental]( are two of the most popular. Topic #3 Photoroom [Chart]( Photoroom is an AI-powered photo editing app geared toward marketers and content creators. Photoroom is most often used to create images for product marketing. Features like background removal, AI fill, and AI background creation help ecommerce sellers improve unprofessional product images. Photoroom’s basic features are free to use. The platform charges $89 for an annual subscription that includes three team members. The app has 100M+ downloads on Google Play. In February 2024, the company announced a new round of funding that brought their total funding to $64M. Photoroom is currently valued at $500M. What's Next PhotoRoom is part of the Accessible MarTech meta trend. The accessible MarTech space is primarily affordable, self-serve tools that don’t require a contract or a lengthy sign-up process. In all, more than 14K martech solutions are available to businesses. That’s up from just 7K solutions in 2019. In particular, interest in AI marketing tools is increasing. One quarter of SMBs are already using AI tools and an additional 44% say they’re interested in adopting the technology. The global market for marketing technology grew more than 30% between 2022 and 2023, starting at $508.9B and landing at $670B. Here are a few examples of trending accessible martech tools: [Email Octopus]( is an affordable email marketing platform designed for small businesses. [Taplio]( is an AI-powered tool used for LinkedIn marketing. [Rewardful]( is an affiliate and referral management software used by SaaS and subscription-based businesses. Topic #4 CNAPP [Chart]( A CNAPP (Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform) is a security solution that provides centralized cloud risk visibility. Specifically, CNAPPs act as a comprehensive security platform that enables businesses to “shift left” to implement security measures throughout the application lifecycle and “shift right” to respond to security threats in real time. Fewer than 15% of enterprises utilized industry cloud platforms in 2023, but by 2027, Gartner predicts that number will jump to 70%. Increased cloud usage means increased spending on cloud security. Predictions say that cloud security spending could increase by 24% this year. In 2023, 40% of organizations were already utilizing a CNAPP. An additional 45% say they’ll be using a CNAPP by the end of 2024. What's Next CNAPP is part of the Cybersecurity Stack meta trend. There were 3,205 reported data breaches last year. And the average cost of a data breach reached an all-time high in 2023: $4.45M. That’s a 15.3% increase over 2020. This has led to increasing investment in cybersecurity tools. A recent survey showed a 60% increase in cybersecurity budgets between 2023 and 2024. Large enterprises are now spending an average of $26M on cybersecurity investments. Here are three other cybersecurity tools that are trending right now: [Snyk]( is a developer security platform that aims to find and fix vulnerabilities throughout the software development lifecycle. [Hoxhunt]( uses AI and behavioral science principles to help mitigate employee behaviors that could enable cyber attacks. [Abnormal Security]( is an email security company that uses AI to recognize phishing and socially-engineered cyber threats. “Exploding Topics Pro helps me identify trends that no one else is highlighting” [Josh Chapman headshot]( Exploding Topics Pro is the only product that identifies trends at least 12 months before they take off. Which is why 1,000+ VCs and entrepreneurs have signed up so far. Like Josh Chapman, Managing Partner at Konvoy Ventures. As a VC, Josh uses the product to “see around corners”. Which helps him identify underground startups and untapped markets. “Exploding Topics Pro helps me identify trends that no one else is highlighting. Which is extremely valuable to me as an investor.” The best part? You can try Exploding Topics Pro for just $1. So if you want to stay ahead of the curve, try Exploding Topics Pro today. [Try Exploding Topics Pro]( Exploding Topics 548 Market St. Suite 95149 San Francisco CA 94104-5401 USA [Unsubscribe]( | [Change Subscriber Options](