Invited by Gerardo and the teams at Legal and General and First Abu Dhabi Bank to keynote the launch of the region's first Middle East and European emerging technology thematic investment funds.
Matthew GriffinFounder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
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17codexes
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Gerardo and the teams at Legal and General and First Abu Dhabi Bank asked Matthew to give the keynote at the launch of their new Middle East and European emerging technology thematic investment funds, the first of their kind in the region. He titled the session Predicting the Disruptive Future.
His core argument was about mindset. He discussed the importance of having an Exponential Mindset, and of being able to see threats not as threats but as opportunities. Disruption is everywhere and its rate is accelerating, but where companies see threats, savvy investors see opportunities, and in a world rife with disruption there are opportunities for future-focused investors everywhere.
"Disruption is everywhere, and its rate is accelerating, but where companies see threats, savvy investors see opportunities."Matthew Griffin, United Arab Emirates, December 2020
He opened by explaining the mechanics driving exponential disruption at a global scale, at a rate and scale never seen before in human history. He then took the audience on a journey through a wealth of topics, including the future of climate change and sustainability, cyber security, energy, health and ageing, robotics and transportation.
With significant breakthroughs and changes in every one of these areas, and each experiencing its own disruption, there was a great deal to cover in a very short time. Every topic pointed back to his opening theme: wherever disruption appears, there is opportunity for the investors who are looking for it.
311 Intelligence
What this means for your leadership team
Mindset shapes what you see.
The same wave of change looks like danger to one team and a opening to another. The session argued that the difference is how you look at it. Leadership teams can test whether their planning rewards that second view.
Change is spreading across many fields.
Climate, cyber security, energy, health and ageing, robotics and transportation were each described as facing their own disruption. Exponential technologies keep reshaping the economy, so no single sector is safe to watch alone. Cross-sector scanning becomes a core skill.
Faster cycles demand earlier action.
The accelerating rate of change compresses business planning cycles. Energy is one clear example, as grid scale energy storage is ready now and is due to be in wide use soon. Waiting for certainty means moving after others have already placed their bets.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
Where do we treat disruption purely as a threat?
Which of our sectors is changing fastest, and who is watching it?
What would we fund today if we trusted the trend?
The trends and technologies behind this session
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
It means the first task is a change of outlook, not a new tool. Organisations that spot disruption early, and treat it as a source of openings, are better placed than those that only defend what they have.
How do exponential technologies relate to this keynote?
They are the engine behind the disruption described. 311 tracks them as technologies that keep improving at speed and reshaping the economy, even as classic chip scaling slows.
How does grid scale energy storage relate to the energy theme?
Energy was one of the areas facing change. Grid scale energy storage keeps large amounts of electricity for later, using big batteries and other methods, and 311 rates it as one to prepare for.
How can 311 brief our leadership team on this?
Through a private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector, in person first.
Bring this to your leadership teamA private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector. In person first, anywhere in the world.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s session and 311 data.
If Matthew gave this session today
Disruption is accelerating towards whole industries in a day.
311 Institute's Future of Exponential Disruption codex examines the forces accelerating global disruption and how close we are to disrupting whole industries in a day, the same forces Matthew urged investors to treat as opportunities.
