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VC investors. The Laurel & Wolf team. Facebook/Laurel & Wolf. Who better to ask than the startup experts, the VCs that watch the industry, guide the startups, hear their pitches, and invest in them? So we reached out to a handful of top VCs and asked them which young or growth- stage startups will boom in 2. We asked them to particularly focus on non- enterprise startups — companies that sell directly to consumers rather than businesses.

For the hottest companies in enterprise, check out our list here). The VCs we spoke to gave us this list that includes everything from video chat apps, to delivery drones, to companies that help you track your spending or invest your money. Below are the 3. 3 companies that are poised to boom in 2. Hooked: bite- sized stories for your phone.

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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. Robinhood: Free stock trading.

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: $6. 6 million.

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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. Laurel & Wolf: interior designing online.

Company name: Laurel & Wolf. VC: Charles River Ventures' Saar Gur. Relationship: VC is an investor. Funding: $2. 5 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.

Opendoor: A different kind of real estate. Company name: Opendoor. VC: Charles River Ventures' Saar Gur.

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

Funding: $3. 20 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 3. 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 2. Gur says. Gametime: mobile ticket buying for live events. Company name: Gametime.

VC: Accel's Brian O'Malley. Relationship: VC is an investor.

Funding: $3. 3. 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 $5. 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. The. Skimm: a must- read morning newsletter for millennials. Company name: the.

Skimm. VC: Accel's Brian O'Malley. Relationship: Not an investor.

VC just thinks it's cool. Funding: $1. 6. 4 million.

What it does: The. Skimm 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, the. Skimm has become the daily newsletter for over 4 million millennials. Blending news with a clever tone, the. Skimm has branched out from the newsletter with an app and now a commerce experience," O'Malley says. Zipline: Drones that will save lives. Company name: Zipline.

VC: Sequoia's Matt Huang. Relationship: VC is an investor. Funding: $8. 5 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 2.

Huang says. Discord: all- in- one voice and text chat for gamers. Watch Blue Thunder Streaming. Company name: Discord. VC: Sequoia's Matt Huang and Kleiner Perkins' Eric Feng.

Relationship: No relations. VCs just think it's cool. Funding: $2. 9 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 2. Feng says. Hollar: the online dollar store. Company name: Hollar. VC: Kleiner Perkins' Eric Feng.

Relationship: VC is an investor. Funding: $4. 7. 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 $5. Not surprisingly, dollar- store shoppers want the convenience of ecommerce and are loving Hollar, which is doing millions in sales and grown 5. Feng says. Affirm: a new way to pay for purchases. Company name: Affirm. VC: Andreessen Horowitz's Alex Rampell. Relationship: VC is a cofounder and investor.

Funding: $5. 20 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. So. Fi: reinventing student loan refinancing. Company name: Social Finance (So. Fi)VC: Andreessen Horowitz's Alex Rampell. Relationship: No relation. VC just thinks it's cool. Funding: $1. What it does: So.

Fi 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.