Cryptocurrency
Estonian eResidency
AI-based legislation
Plastic ban
Artificial Meat
Vertical Forests
Solar Farming
Flying cars
Biohacking
Bionic Limbs
Asteroid Mining
Asgardia, the first space nation
If you think any or all of the above topics come from some futuristic novel, well, you may need to think again.
The future is here, and we are steadily working on solving some of the biggest environmental challenges of our time: climate change, food production, overpopulation, epidemic diseases.
Carol Hofmann presentation at FFS2017
Often, most of the latest progress made on some of these developments is happening under our nose. Literally. As in, my friend and neighbor`s husband is working on flying cars. Vertical farming and vertical forests happen 500mt from my apartment in Milan.
Milan, Bosco Verticale/Vertical Forest
You can apply for Estonian e-residency today if you wanted to. Mice experiments have shown that reversing aging is possible. The office next to my gym hosts a start-up working day and night on alternative energy. They have one challenge only: too many requests, they are growing faster than they had ever expected.
I am an avid fast reader so I feed my brain for breakfast with news first, then espresso (or the other way round, it depends on the sleep deprivation degree). I am a world citizen, so I care about the one and only planet we have and how we are handing it over to our children. I talk over lunch with friends or business partners about the tragedies happening as we speak but far from our eyes. How can this be happening. What can be done. There is little time for sadness, we need to act, fast, we can`t just sit there and read.
A month ago I was trying to come to terms with the incredible fact that we are de-facto eating plastic when eating ocean fish. And in June I was wondering how fast can we get to use AI to counterbalance the amount of arrogance and ignorance in politics and in the corporate world. On this point, God forbid the return of Berlusconi seems to be real again. The guy is nearly 100 and while his aging might seem delayed, his stupidity is advancing.
But what hit me the other night at the Female Founders Summit 2017 was the amount of change that is coming our way.
Among many others, the wonderful presentation of Carole Hofmann, founder of the Summit, managed to pull together all the #FutureTech developments happening or coming our way and paint a fantastic, albeit sometimes scary picture. Thank you again, Carole, for such a good speech and event.
Carole Hofmann, Female Founders Summit 2017
What would happen if we were to have a prolonged electric black-out she asked?
My mind ran fast to the depth of our cellar where we keep a small solar panel charger. Which could probably manage to charge a mobile phone in 24 hours as opposed to the current 45 minutes. We have batteries, sure, but how many and for how long would they last? If we were to have an electricity black-out, we would go from highly sophisticated busy human beings to cavemen in the space of a few days. Riots would begin within a week. Have you ever wondered how much dependent we are on electricity? No phones, no heating, no water, no transport, no cars once fuel runs out. Surely no TV and related, and no analogical telephone lines are any longer available so no communication. No cooking, no life as we know it. Do you have a fireplace? Great, get out in the deep winter and start cutting wood once your stacks run out. Oh we have no tools for that, have we.
Suddenly the importance of the work of Tesla and all those wonderful start-ups working on alternative forms of energies and fuel seems of paramount importance.
“The smartest minds and smartest companies in the world are not only dealing with cryptocurrencies, but they are also bringing synergetic forces to finance a wide range of amazing solutions. One of these solutions: reducing travel time and solving traffic jams. For example, companies such as Tencent and Freigeist are funding Lilium, a German start-up company, to develop the first all-electrical vertical take-off five-seat flying taxi. “Lilium, a Munich-based company, promises to enable passengers to travel five times faster than by car. Lilium’s mission is to introduce “the world’s first all-electric vertical take-off and landing jet: an air taxi for up to five people. You won’t have to own one; you will simply pay per ride and call it with a push of a button. It’s our mission to make air taxis available to everyone and as affordable as riding a car.” (Read more here)
Lilium Founders
I have chosen to focus on one of the presentations that, among others, has hit a nerve. There were many others and there will be much written about them, about the great and brave founders of the event, about the importance of start-ups and of female founders. The Summit is a yearly event taking place in Switzerland, featuring pitches and showcases of innovative Female Founders, insights from the Ecosystem, access to Investors, Venture Capitalists, Business Angels, Corporate Venturing Initiatives, Networks and Mentors. In one sentence, it is the place to be if you wish to make a difference.
Follow the FemaleFoundersSummit on FB and mark you calendars for next upcoming events.
M.
