The pace of change and disruption is creating as many opportunities as it is casualties. The first step to success, if not survival, is to understand what’s coming down the track.
The technologies that are influencing the nature of progress such as AI, data analytics, AR/VR, IoT are evolving faster than many businesses can keep up with. The advancements that the likes of artificial intelligence will bring have yet to be fully understood, but the impacts will be transformational, across business and society; from employment to mobility and from robotics to internet security.
Driving the change
The number of innovators, both Irish and international,that are harnessing the power of technology to develop radical solutions, build ambitious businesses and redirect businesses experiencing disruption, is impressive. Companies like Genomics Medicine Ireland, paving the way for predictive and personalised healthcare; Hexafly, finding smart ways to feed the planet; Soapbox Labs, revolutionising speech technology; Enable Research, harnessing IoT to benefit urban communities, are emerging as leaders in a new world.
The next wave of companies are already beginning to emerge. This year, FutureScope attendees will be treated to a preview of cutting-edge innovations addressing today’s big societal challenges. The 12 teams shortlisted for the Science Foundation Ireland €1 million Future Innovator Prize are guaranteed to impress the audience with a glimpse of future capabilities at FutureScope on March 28th.
Disruptive technology innovation can lead to the development of new products or processes and prompt the emergence of new business models
Many challenges are too complex for single organisations, so instead of tackling a problem alone an incrasing number of actors are choosing to be innovative through collaboration – whether from research, start-ups or big business. The €500 million Disruptive Technology Innovation Fund, which is based on this collaborative model, will feature at FutureScope. It will examine how disruptive technology innovation can lead to the development of new products or processes and prompt the emergence of new business models.
One company's challenge, another's opportunity
Collaboration has become a widely-accepted approach to business development and there has been a huge rise in companies harnessing opportunities by tapping outside potential.
The exponential growth of ecommerce in recent times, for example, has created significant market opportunities for An Post’s parcels business. As part of its considerable digital transformation journey, An Post, supported by its strategic digital partner, Strata3, will take to the stage at FutureScope to announce how it will approach collaborating on solutions to specific challenges, and offering significant business opportunities to start-ups and tech companies.
Others looking to FutureScope to identify suitable collaboration partners include Dublin City Council through its Smart Dublin and Smart Docklands initiatives which are creating huge opportunities in smart cities, with some new opportunities in the 5G space to be announced at FutureScope.
Vodafone, focusing on the capability of 5G and IoT working together, will present on the topic of the opportunities that a gigabit society will offer. The European Space Agency, SFI and many of its research centres, including Enable, Amber and Adapt; investors such as HBAN, VentureClash; and progressive SMEs and large corporates all attend FutureScope with a view to identifying collaboration partners.
Deals getting done for entrepreneurs
Cashing in on innovation and going on to scale and achieve commercial success is a theme that runs right across FutureScope’s four stages; insights, innovation, collaboration and entrepreneurship.
Some of Ireland’s most successful and most promising entrepreneurs will feature at FutureScope to share the details of a challenging journey and impart their personal observations on what might make that journey easier. Speakers include: Bobby Healy founder of CarTrawler, which services one billion passengers annually; Anne Heraty CEO of CPL; Jim Joyce, HealthBeacon, the second-round entrepreneur that recently raised €12 million; Gavin Walsh, iCabbi; Fergal Brady, Blueface, now a leader in global unified communications, Ronan Perceval, Phorest and Garry Moroney, who recently sold Clavis Insights for over €100 million.
Each of these business leaders would attribute success to a strong network. Promoting engagement by bringing together start-ups, scale-ups, MNC, innovative Irish enterprises, the research community and investors is one of the things that FutureScope excels at.
Numbers attending FutureScope are capped at 1,200 to ensure that every person at the event is within reach. This creates an environment where business gets done, and business really does get done. There are stories aplenty, including Hexafly who met their investor and chairman, Barry Brennan in 2017; Davra Networks who met their US investor, VentureClash, at FutureScope and Buymie who received investment from meeting Eamonn Quinn in a networking context at FutureScope.
Michael Culligan, CEO of Dublin BIC, the organisation behind FutureScope, commented on the importance of the networking side to the company: “Business models, and the very existence of some businesses, are threatened by digitisation. Business leaders need a deep understanding of this reality to meet the challenges. Knowledge is key but so is engagement with the community of businesses around you. When you get 1,200 engaged and purposeful business owners and innovators in a room, conversations are enabled, contacts are made, insights are gleaned, and together these can lead to significant business impact.”
FutureScope. This is your opportunity. Take it.
If you would like to deepen your understanding about the implications of emerging technologies; if you are interested in engaging with smart technology providers, researchers and companies to solve real challenges; if you desire the opportunity to build your network and explore collaboration opportunities, then FutureScope will be a day well spent. FutureScope 2019 will take place on Thursday, March 28th in the Convention Centre Dublin. For more information, please visit www.futurescope.ie or www.dublinbic.ie