New Year, New Goals? These Ten Startups Can Help.

The calendar flip from December to January typically comes with the ritual of new year reflections and resolutions. For many, new year resolutions are about a renewed commitment to self-improvement: Reading more, spending less time on devices, decluttering spaces, or fostering stronger relationships.

Yet, as we all know, the hardest part of any resolution isn’t making it — it’s sticking to it.

Could local startups help? Tech companies founded by Southeast-based founders are building tools to address the challenges of modern life…and just might help translate your 2025 resolutions into meaningful, lasting change.

 

Here are some startups to know based on your specific New Year’s Resolution:

 

1. Stop Scrolling On Your Phone

It is a very 21st century conundrum. You have 15 minutes in between meetings. Or you’re trying to fall asleep. Or you are just bored in the middle of the day. And in those moments, you have a decision to make: Do you reach for your phone and aimlessly scroll?

Roots, an Atlanta-based startup, has a platform to help make that decision easier. The app is designed to help users set boundaries in the digital world in a tangible way that is often not provided on other screen time control options on the market. Read more about Roots in this 2024 Hypepotamus profile.

 

2. Finally Publish That Story

Do you have a memoir, novel, or self-help book in you? Blooksy, an Atlanta-based platform, can help. The startup is also helpful in the academic writing process and uses AI to help users write better content. More about Blooksy here.

 

3. Clean Out Your Closet

Donating things you don’t need anymore is easier with several new apps. One, Freeya, recently launched in Atlanta as its first East Coast city. There is also Nashville-based Croissant, a reselling platform that provides Guaranteed Buybacks at Point of Sale and beyond.

 

4. Read More

Not enough time to read all the articles and content you want to read? Atlanta-based Periodical launched this year to help. The platform is like a magazine where every article is not only relevant to you individually, but are things you want to spend your time reading. Each Periodical is completely unique — up to 80 pages of personalized and curated content based on the reader’s specific interests and subscription taste.

 

5. Build Stronger Connections

In our scroll-heavy world, the two former executives at Netflix and Clubhouse are building why?!, a new social networking and conversation app.

Unlike other popular social networking platforms that focus on creating content and ingesting it passively, why?! is designed to help users “get to the heart of the conversation” with people. That interaction can be with acquaintances, longtime friends, coworkers, or even romantic interests. Read more about the app here.

 

6. Build Up Your Network

There is an inherent awkwardness in the traditional networking format. You have to make the decision on which conversations to join in on, which people you want to spend more time talking with, and figure out how exactly to keep those connections going long after you exchange business cards or LinkedIn profiles.

Charlotte-based entrepreneur Joel Puthoff wants to evolve how we all network. He’s the founder and CEO behind Linxy, an app designed to help you cut through the initial awkwardness of small talk and move straight into genuine conversations. Read more about Linxy’s Southeast expansion here.

 

7. Get Your Team Organized

Perhaps your resolution this year is to get more organized at work. Kiksasa, a new “super app” built from Atlanta entrepreneurs, might be able to help. The Kiksasa platform is a mix of native applications and integrations with third-party applications. The notetaking, task management, knowledge sharing, and chat apps are all native applications. Its integrations are focused on “startup-friendly apps with significant free tiers including Miro, Figma, Replit, Pitch, and Box.” Read more about Kiksasa here.

 

8. Get Your House Organized Organized

Tamara Lucas started My Panda because she knows everyone can use some help with their to-do list. The Atlanta-based personal assistant app found an eager customer base: Busy parents who wanted to enlist the help of assistants (known as Pandas) to keep up with the daily tasks like folding laundry, walking the dog, and emptying the dishwasher. More about My Panda here.

 

9. Get Memories In Order

Mae is the new AI solution for decluttering and reviving your digital junk drawer – making it easy to scroll down memory lane.

Users can request Mae (memory assistant experience) to organize photos based on specific criteria, such as “find this weekend’s best photos” or “create a ‘best of 2023’ collection,” via her digital platform. This allows users to focus on the “MVP memories” of the highest quality to save key moments and create physical or digital collections as they see fit. Mae then suggests on-demand physical products that users can purchase to revive, share and extend the shelf-life of their best digital memories. Read more about Mae here.

 

10. Get Finances In Order

If you are part of the 61% of Americans carrying credit card debt or one of the 43.5 million with a student loan balance to pay off…you’ll want to take a look at this startup building out of the Atlanta Tech Village. The startup Ditch is on a mission to help consumers ditch their debt. Read more here.