Rome from above - from my 2019 visit to Italy
From the window seat of a nearly empty airplane, the United States looks different than I imagine.
My trip started at the center of our nation, Washington D.C., where the pitch-black ground is lit up by the steady orange and yellow lights of industry, suburbia and life for miles around, nestled along either side of the Potomac. Yet, as I continue to gaze down and we travel further into the country, the lights begin to dim. What was initially so bright, steady and welcoming has turned into complete abyss.
The dearth of civilization is both frightening and awe-inducing. How is so much of our world compressed into a few square miles nestled along a river, coastline or airport? Urbanism is something that I've admired for a long time - putting smart people together is bound to create society-transforming ideas. But when we talk about progress, there are two key questions we need to ask: At what cost? But more importantly, who benefits? Looking at the indsutry I plan to go into - technology - it is much too common to disregard both of these questions.
How do we create innovation that is sustainable, innovative and brings society - all of it - forward? The simple answer is that you can't. Though we can strive to achieve each of these things, tradeoffs are necessary for growth - but that doesn't mean we need to sacrifice our morals in exchange for profitability. Social progress and innovation can coexist, but only with a deliberate, key focus on improving the world through the next generation of ideas, and bring every single person forward.
With those ideas in mind, this winter I placed significant focus on understanding and researching the next generation of startups that will empower the underresourced and underpriveleged to level the playing field, from Fintech to Community Uplifting. From established startups like Duolingo & Robinhood, to blockchain companies like Celo and Acala, mission-oriented organizations that aim to bring necessary infrastructure or creating society-transforming trends are the companies to keep an eye out for. By improving society, companies are able to pair profitability with society's growth, enabling a more interconnected world.
2021 has had a rough start so far - hopefully we can begin to turn that around soon!