Exponential technologies aren’t just for growing business, they are also for growing impact—particularly with a digital-first generation. Here’s what’s essential to understand about exponential technologies in rapidly changing world of impact.
Seniors want to age with vitality, health, agency, and dignity. The new “longevity economy” tracks the aging marketplace and sees older consumers with a global spending power that will reach $15 trillion by 2020. Unlocking the massive opportunities will require a new set of problem-solvers, innovations, and capabilities, many of which have yet to be developed in Canadian industry, government, or civil society.
Buzzwords are becoming action. Blockchain technology is demonstrating that in a country tackling complicated, cross-jurisdictional problems such as water governance, there are open, grassroots, and transparent platforms that can help. This is just the beginning.
Sustainability leadership expert Coro Strandberg notes that CSR is becoming a dated term and businesses are pivoting to purpose. At this time of CSR evolution, nonprofits can maximize corporate partnerships beyond philanthropic capital.
Sometimes, in the world of impact, we can have biases about "the other" and their intentions for trying to have a social or environmental impact. Working through these dividing lines has potential to open up more capital for good.
If society wants innovation to tackle major social and environmental challenges, we need to proactively shape innovation policy to accomplish those goals. However, Canada's bifurcated social innovation and mainstream innovation approach lags behind its international peers for building bold mission-oriented interventions our circumstances require.
