Graduation presentation - Summer 2020 https://fi.co/

1. The Explorer’ Mindset
Alex Gault
Small World Ventures
alex@smallworldventures.com
July 29, 2020

2. “I don’t know where curiosity comes from,
but if you could bottle it, I’d buy it.
It’s so valuable, when things are changing so quickly,
to have people on your team who are trying every day
to better understand the world around them.”
— Dan Shapero, Chief Business Officer, LinkedIn

3. The business environment is rapidly changing
❑ Many smaller, regional innovation ecosystems have disrupted the default
perception that Silicon Valley is center of the tech universe
❑ Funding from government is emerging as a significant opportunity for
entrepreneurs
❑ As artificial intelligence displaces many traditional tech jobs, emotional
intelligence, creativity and collaborative work skills are becoming much more in
demand
❑ The demand for workplace and ecosystem-based learning
opportunities is increasing rapidly, everywhere
The Big Shift

4. Ecosystems That Have Produced a Billion-Dollar Startup
Source: Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2020

5. Government
is rapidly emerging
as a promising source
of investment capital
for startups

6. Those Who Use AI Are Replacing Those Who Don’t

7. Learning is becoming a critical variable in corporate
culture, more and more so supported by programs,
courses and certification funded by employers.
Organizations in the US spent $359 billion globally on
training in 2016.
Learning & Corporate Culture
Source: Harvard Business Review

9. Source: World Economic Forum

10. An Employer’s Perspective
A prospective hire’s university credentials and legacy track record are
not necessarily deciding factors any longer
Criteria now of equal importance:
❑ Proven skills and how they’ve delivered results
❑ Instances of how candidates are upgrading their skills, plan to, or
expect support from an employer to do so
Example: Google’s HR team has made public that a university degree
may not be as important a qualification as proven skills

11. Many individual workers and entrepreneurs are now
exploring dedicated tools, services and resources that support
❑ learning new skills
❑ managing and growing businesses
❑ forging new connections
❑ connecting to new work opportunities
There’s a lot more to work than just earning income

12. The Future: One Scenario
Social learning
Confronted by mounting performance pressures, workers,
contractors and entrepreneurs explore learning together,
recognizing that learning occurs faster in the company of others,
and often serendipitously results in value creation and
unexpected employment and startup opportunities.

13. A First Step
Join an innovation ecosystem, ideally local