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Blockchain Startups
TO
EDITORS LETTER
could be purged entirely from their systems.
In this issue, we look at how organizations
are preparing for the data regulations and
what you need to do if you are to avoid
S
teve Jobs once famously having to pay some substantial fines.
said, "You can't just ask
customers what they Another of the biggest stories of the last
want and then try to give that to year has been the rise of blockchain and
James Ovenden them. By the time you get it built, cryptocurrency. Many have become pos-
Editor they'll want something new." itively evangelical about the technology's
The need for innovation today is potential, to the point where it has become
greater than ever. We live in a culture obsessed with data, one in a real struggle to see through the hype, to
which all organizations can access real time insights of what their see the bear coming at you through the
customers want. But understanding what they want right now trees. In this issue, we look at 50 of the
isn't enough. You have to understand what they are going to want most interesting blockchain startups and
before they know it themselves, and work out how to provide it for examine how they are paving the way for
them before someone else does. the technology to disrupt industries across
the board.
Today, we stand on the precipice of a new age, one in which
technologies such as AI and blockchain are helping individuals and Also in this issue, we talk to Uber’s Machine
organizations achieve both these objectives. Innovation is no longer Learning Data Science Manager about
the preserve of individual geniuses, the Elon Musks of this world how the ride-sharing giant is using machine
with their hyperloops and colonies on Mars. While we might not all learning and building out its capabilities,
be thinking of new ways to make other planets habitable, today, review the best marketing automation
everyone has the tools to innovate. We just need to find them. software, and host panel discussions with
our experts on topics ranging from how to
With Innovation Quarterly (IQ), we have drawn from the integrate innovation into strategic planning
Innovation Enterprise's community for insights from the world's to the future of data visualization.
foremost experts on how to flourish during these times, to create a
space where thought leaders from best-in-class organizations can We are entering a brave new world, one
share cross-industry solutions for the everyday challenges they face filled with hazards and potentially disorient-
and inspire new ideas. We look at disruption not as something to ing change, but also new opportunities. If
survive, but as something to embrace. innovation is to flourish, businesses across
industry verticals need to work together.
The next quarter alone will bring many challenges, particularly the Collaboration is now more important than
EU's incoming data regulations, GDPR (General Data Protection ever, and insights can come from the most
Regulations). GDPR will impact any organization using the personal unexpected of places. Hopefully you'll find
data of EU citizens, regardless of where they are in the world, them here.
yet many remain profoundly unprepared. Indeed, in one recent
survey from enterprise data management firm, Solix, two-thirds of
respondents said they didn’t even know if individuals’ personal data
Contributors
Editor: James Ovenden Deputy Editor: Charlie Sammonds Assistant Editor: Caitlin Stanway-Williams Assistant
Editor: Efe Otokiti Contributors: Vin Clancy, Luke Bilton, Kelsey Taylor Art Director: Oliver Godwin-Brown IQ
2
manifesto I N N O V AT I O N Q U A R T E R LY
3
news •
Q1 RECAP
Headlines from Q1
4
Surveys from Q1
In Appian's “The CMO Survey of top
A survey by The 2018 Digital marketers predicts
Boston Consulting Transformation that combined
Group (BCG) In a Lucidity survey, 82% of respondents Readiness Survey”, Advisory firm spend on the likes
found that 79% of said they felt the primary reason why their 82% said they can’t NewVantage of digital marketing,
self-defined strong organization does not innovate is because attract and retain Partners' survey martech platforms
innovators reported people are too busy reacting to day-to-day the software engi- of Fortune 1000 and marketing an-
they have properly challenges. Only 38% of respondents felt neers they need and C-suite executives alytics will increase
digitized innovation their organization was really taking devel- 72% don’t believe found that 63.4% by 6.5% over the
processes, while opment seriously and doing it well. The they can scale have appointed a next year while
only 29% of weak rest were frustrated that innovation was to keep up with Chief Data Officer, marketing research
innovators made the discussed as being important yet no real business demand in compared to just and intelligence will
same claim. steps were being taken to drive it. the coming years 12% in 2012 rise 3.9%
Graphs from Q1
Is Bitcoin's
slump just
a January
thing?
Users flee
Facebook
5
DIGITAL MARKETING
I’m just getting started in my content How can I tailor my content for different
marketing journey. What advice would social media platforms?
you have?
Michael Eisenreich, Global Head Of Meg Ryan, Senior Director of
Content, Creative And Digital Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Atlanta Hawks
Bloomberg
6
digital marketing • q&a
1
How do you maintain brand loyalty and
meaningful engagement in the over- Switzerland
crowded digital space? R&D Expense: $11.35bn
Toal Rev: $51.82bn
% of Rev spent on R&D: 21.91%
United States
Make sure that you have an amazing user experience. The CEO R&D Expense: $10.12bn
and everyone else needs to put themselves in their customer’s Toal Rev: $39.81bn
shoes as a human being. Here’s an example. At SoFi, a San % of Rev spent on R&D: 25.43%
Francisco student lending refinance company, when one of their
members loses their job SoFi immediately offers a resume and
career consulting resource. Also, SoFi has customer parties for 3
their customers to get to know each other since many of their
customers are at similar life stages. Switzerland
R&D Expense: $9.57bn
Toal Rev: $49.39bn
% of Rev spent on R&D: 19.38%
5
Walk before you run. Test whenever you can. But also, don’t wait
for all your competition to get on board before you do. There are United States
always ways to ease into a technology without damaging your R&D Expense: $7.87bn
image or brand. IQ Toal Rev: $52.82bn
% of Rev spent on R&D: 14.90%
Source data: PwC
7
INterview • big data
Hugh Williams leads the Applied Machine Learning group at Uber, which forms part of a larger central Ma-
chine Learning (ML) org that encompasses several teams working on ML platforms. One of the teams, Applied
Models (AML), focuses on bringing technically-advanced approaches (i.e. Deep Learning, semi-supervised
learning, etc) to production in order to solve Uber’s toughest problems.
Before Uber, Hugh spent time building ML solutions at Google and Capital One with a primary focus on devel-
oping behavioral models and intervention strategies to steer those behaviors.
How important would you say Natural Language able to detect trends in our support tickets,
Processing (NLP) is to the future of AI? flag issues in rider-driver reviews, or summa-
rize findings whenever we do in-app or one-off
Very important. It’s one of the core areas for extracting informa- surveys. It’s of utmost necessity to hear what
tion out of unstructured data sources. Within the realm of text and they’re telling us and NLP is the only way to do
speech, rule-based approaches can only get you so far. Anyone it at scale.
who wants to analyze deeper than keyword analysis will need to
develop Natural Language Processing skills. A couple of other examples include looking at
whether the language we use in email com-
Now, I don’t want to be dismissive of simple hacks. You can learn a munications resonates with users and helps
hell of a lot with some well-built regex parsers, but any sort of ML- them understand or confuses them. NLP is
based system that is attempting to mimic (or at the very least learn also helpful in growing our support channels.
from) human behavior is going to require NLP. We have teams of specialists helping drivers
onboard over SMS and even more supporting
At a minimum, knowledge of TF-IDF, n-grams, and 'classical' NLP them through our customer support system
techniques in the domain of topic modeling are critical. But to really when an issue is reported through our in-app
push the boundaries, you need to learn how to leverage Deep or web-based help center. NLP helps us scale
Learning as a means of capturing the rich amount of information both of these channels by letting us know
contained within the text. what the common issues are, so we can
develop tools that help our support teams
And is that what you guys are doing with NLP in provide better customer service for our drivers
Uber? by suggesting appropriate resolutions and
alternatives.
Not surprisingly, we’re using it to improve our communications with
our riders and drivers. For example, if you run a business wherein What do you think are the most
you collect unstructured feedback, you NEED to have ways of sum- important things organizations need
marizing what your users are saying. For Uber, that means being to remember to best position them-
selves to adopt machine learning?
And what do you think the biggest
unstructured feedback,
In my mind, the answer to both is: use-cases.
Before you even start building any model,
are saying”
support, an anomaly detection system for
fraud, or a computer-vision model for a re-
8
search project, we sit right beside product/engineering to crystalize
how the model’s output will be consumed.
I cannot tell you how many times companies and teams make this TOP MACHINE LEARNING
mistake. A most common example you will see in the industry is INFLUENCERS TO FOLLOW:
customer churn. Everyone and their cousin wants to build a churn
model, but I’m willing to bet that a large portion of them fall flat not
because of poor ML work, but because the company/team wasn’t
clear on what to do with the predictions until after the model was
built.
Kirk Borne • @KirkDBorne
ML/AI isn’t going to solve all of your problems. Heck, Monica Rogati The Principal Data Scientist at @BoozAllen, PhD Astrophysi-
and I each wrote pieces (hers and mine) around why you shouldn’t cist. Top Data Science and Big Data Influencer. Ex-Professor.
go chasing ML just for the sake of doing so. Make sure it’s actually rocketdatasciece.org/
what your business needs AND define beforehand how it will help.
9
Expert Panel • Big data
10
Top tips for
professional
speaking
by Vin
Clancy,
Growth
Hacker and
professional
speaker:
8 Remember your
clicker (always
Over-deliver bring your own!) or
3 on value so you will be glued
they have to email to the desk like an
you for slides, thus awkward DJ
allowing you to sell
to them
9 Study stand-ups
and NLP for
11
Guide • Big Data
One of the most oft-cited reasons for Before you do anything, you need to define
this high rate of failure is the difficulty that what exactly it is you need. Gary Damiano,
organizations have employing the talent vice president of marketing at NoSQL
to carry it out. This is a struggle for two database specialists, Couchbase argues
reasons. Firstly, such talent is not easy to that, "The two things you need to consider
come by. The skills gap is a well-docu- in hiring a data scientist are: how are you
mented phenomenon, with the McKinsey going to use them and how does their skill
Global Institute predicting that the shortage set match the use?"
of data scientists in the US could increase
to 250,000 by 2024. Dr Kepa Mendibil, Data science is a relatively new discipline,
course leader of the MSc in Data Science and understandably many in business know
at the University of Stirling’s School of only that they need to utilize their data. This
Management, for one, notes that, "There is is not enough. You need to understand
a shortage of graduates emerging with the what your goals are, and what skills some-
skills to apply the technical aspects of data one will need to achieve them. Data science
science and use analytics to make sound is an incredibly broad field, and it helps to
business decisions." educate yourself at least to the extent that
you know what you’re looking for - or bring
The second issue is that many organiza- in a consultant who can tell you.
tions still don’t know exactly what they
want to do with their data, much less how The first question you must ask is are you
to organize a team to collect, prepare, looking for somebody who is going to be
and analyze it. As such, they struggle to developing algorithms, such as those for
correctly identify and attract the candidates recommendation engines, or are you look-
they need. Data scientists do not come ing for someone who is going to be looking
cheap. The Robert Walters Global Salary more at using data to better understand
Survey for 2017 gave an estimated range your business? If the answer is developing
for data scientist salaries of $116,000 to algorithms, you will require someone with a
$163,500 in 2017, up 6.4% on 2016 levels. strong mathematics and computer science
So organizations need to get it right. background, but not necessarily any
12
Once you’ve settled on the kind of data
scientist you are looking for, you need to
actually get them to want to come and
work for you. This is easy for someone like
Google, but in companies where the work
may not be so sexy, you need to emphasize
what it is you offer. You need to show why
the work is interesting, that they will be
doing important work, that you are invested
in implementing a data program and they
will get the support they need. It is unlikely
given the nature of their profession that they
will be from a corporate background, so be
aware that they may be used to a different
experience in your industry. Walter Storm, working environment. Leading on from this,
Chief Data Scientist at Lockheed Martin, be sure to engage key partners across the
"If they (data scientists) have a passion organization in evaluating your candidates,
for coding, deep learning, and technology as the data scientist will undoubtedly have
itself, then the industry they’re in doesn’t to collaborate with all departments at some
matter. I often refer to this as 'back office' point.
data science."
Also be careful how you conduct the inter-
In the latter case, you need someone with view. If you are more data literate, do not
more business experience who is going bombard them with everything you know.
understand the type of questions that Take an interest in their experiences and try
will be asked of the data by users. Great and engage in discussion with them. Don’t
data scientists must, of course, have very bore them to death talking about code you
strong quantitative and programming skills, once did or tools you’ve seen.
but equally as important is some industry
experience, or at least a degree of business Finally, once you have a data scientist, don’t
savvy that suggests they will be able to expect immediate returns, and don’t get
understand it. Storm continues that, "the trigger happy when you don’t get them.
greater challenge is the 'front office' data It is rare that a data scientist’s work will
'front
someone up internally if this is the case. and 2020, and if organizations are going
This is also potentially a cheaper option, to stand a chance of using it to its full
as you do not need to be paying data potential, they will need the talent in place
science
tions. Many degrees simply do not offer
a sufficient grounding in real-world appli-
cations for analytics. Be sure to confront
13
focus on • digital marketing
GDPR?
let your revenue, products, or
ARE YOU equipment assets be handled that
way, so data (given its inherent
14
What the experts
GDPR Checklist...
1 Audit your data flows, particularly those that cross borders
15
Page Title •
D
ata visualization has evolved dramatically over the last decade. Organizations
now have at their disposal highly sophisticated software with which to
present the vast amount of information they now collect. It is no longer
simply a case of analysts putting up a few bars charts, rather we are seeing data present-
ed through highly-engaging, often interactive designs that are far better for convincing
decision makers of the validity of discoveries you have made from data. They draw an
impactful response from users, taking them on a journey that enables them to understand
The
the insights being presented or discover insights for themselves
These capabilities have given data visualization a new found importance across organiza-
tions of all sizes. A recent Business2community survey of data professionals found that
the data science skill with the highest correlation to project success was data mining and
visualization tools, and this is translating into investment. In Progress’s recent 2017 Data
Connectivity Outlook Survey, 59% said they are using data visualization, and this number is
Future Of
sure to rise in the coming years.
The next five years promise even more exciting developments in the data visualization
arena. We asked six experts in the field from organizations leading the way what they think
will be the major advances.
No matter how the tech industry and its the next few years, Internet of Things will
consumers evolve in the next 5 years, make it possible to connect to and collect
their collective fondness for generating data from any device anytime, giving rise
Where will we be in five and exploring data is not going to wither. to an unforeseen deluge of data. A solution
Hence, opportunities for data visualization that offers the ability to visualize such data
years time? will continue to grow. The demand for quickly and effectively will attract many
visualization from a business perspective takers. On the other hand, AI and deep
is strongly felt when new technologies in learning will proliferate to new domains.
related fields gain popularity. The advent of Needless to say, onboarding users will
medical imaging technologies (CT, MRI etc.) embrace tools capable of visualizing these
in the early 90s gave birth to several R&D complex deep learning engines and the
companies offering medical and scientific data churned by them.
visualization solutions. Such possibilities are
abundant in today's world. For example, in
Akash Mukherjee,
Data Products, People Growth at Facebook
There are three big changes we will see in Data visualization is constantly evolving.
the next five years: The number of analytics tools is exploding.
There's a mix of two categories of products
1. Disruptive tools with serious differenti- in the market. On one hand, you have rapid
ations, prototyping tools and on the other, there's
a range of robust charting libraries in the
2. Application in new industry verticals, market. In the next five years, we will see
and some of these technologies being married.
We will also witness the next big disruption
3. Cross-pollination of people from differ- in the data visualization & analytics market,
ent backgrounds entering this field since the days when Tableau and
16
big data • expert panel
Microstrategy came in and stood out from Analytics, HR Analytics, etc. We will see
legacy tools of the 90s. So, I expect the more of these. Ken Cherven,
upcoming analytics tools to seriously differ- Data Visualizations Specialist at GM
entiate themselves in their offerings, instead And finally, the real magic will happen when
of just playing catch-up with Tableau and people from varied backgrounds, ranging A lot has been made of the self-service possibility
Microstrategy. from astronomy to fine arts come and join for all business users to instantly turn into data
the field data science. Some of them may visualizers, but I don't see this materializing. What
In the next five years, I also think data go through the foundational concepts of I believe will happen is the continuing evolution
visualization will start putting its strong data. But, in the end, we, as a commu- where different parts of the business begin en-
foothold in different industry verticals like nity, will gain a lot when there is a cross gaging in data visualization at a greater rate. This
HR, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Education pollination of ideas from these very will include parts of the enterprise that are not
etc. We already have some specialized different universes. customer-facing, but would benefit greatly from
products for Marketing Analytics, Product more sophisticated visualization of their business
metrics. Finance, IT, and engineering functions
could all function more efficiently if they can move
Chi-Yi Kuan, away from databases and spreadsheets and
Director of Business Analytics at LinkedIn toward visualization platforms. IQ
I think there will be big advances in data viz discovering the underlying knowledge
for effortless and easy to discover thanks to and relationships, such as social
the information technology revolution, which graphing, 3+ dimensional graphing,
enabled many players and startups to etc.
invest and innovate many disruptive tools in
the past few years. More exciting advance- • More integration could happen here,
ments will be expected too, including: such as new intelligent features in data
viz application for predictive modeling,
• Supporting big data 3 Vs at scale: like pattern discovery, automatic alerting,
100X for Volume, 10X for Velocity, 5X etc.
for Variety
• Given the recent crazy popularity in AR
• The end-to-end set up time will be technology for Pokemon Go, interest-
much shorter, the learning curve to be ing data viz application to support AR
a data viz expert would be within days or VR will soon become available and
have the potential to be a hot topic
• More flexible user interfaces with easier down the road.
ways to surface complicated cases
w/o any further advanced coding for
17
interview • strategy
18
I think all organizations see new technology/ give to charity is changing
Enterpreneurship
innovation as ways to help reduce costs. and will continue to change, Quotes
However, I think more mature organizations and therefore World Vision
see innovation as a way to help revenue, will need to change as well.
including attacking new revenue sources. "Honesty and integrity are by far
I think few organizations are successfully What are some big
the most important assets of an
entrepreneur."
dealing with new technology/innovation as changes you feel need
Zig Ziglar, Business Author
ways to reimagine what their business could to be made to the corpo-
become. I think as strategists we need to rate mentality in order "I'm convinced that about half of what sepa-
help businesses grapple with the value new to make them more rates the successful entrepreneurs from the
technology or innovation could bring, and be effective at embracing non-successful ones is pure perseverance."
willing to explore the implications it has on the innovation? Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of
current business model. New technology and Apple
innovation needs to be able to challenge the I think it’s important to
status quo of your business as much as the understand the concept of
"The entrepreneur always searches for
change, responds to it, and exploits it as
markets or industries you operate in. Strate- disruption. Understanding
an opportunity."
gists are well positioned within an organisation common patterns of success
Peter Drucker
to influence the conversation. and failure and where your
organization might be on the "If you just work on stuff that you like
Whats your best guess for how your disruption ‘curve’ are impor- and you're passionate about, you don't
industry will look like in 3 years? tant framing for innovation. have to have a master plan with how
This is especially important things will play out."
Our ‘industry’ definition is tricky, perhaps best for long-established incum- Mark Zuckerberg, founder of
described as ‘helping people’. I like using the bents like World Vision, where Facebook
phrase ‘helping people’ as the planet is really the threat of disruption might
changing quite dramatically in terms of tech- be harder to detect. From "The art of delegation is one of the key
nology infrastructure. Today many developing the board down, established skills any entrepreneur must master."
countries are more likely to have technology organizations need a mindset Richard Branson
infrastructures like mobile phone services and that is fundamentally willing to
"It is human nature, especially as we
solar electricity than access to food and clean disrupt themselves. Without
get older, to look for stability in our
water. The underlying technology enables that, innovation will not able lives. But if you want to be a successful
concepts like ‘information ecosystems’ where to flourish in pursuit of deliv- entrepreneur, you have to fight against
World Vision’s footprint can intersect in new ering greater customer value. that somewhat, as starting a business
ways to partner differently with other organiza- The track-record of organiza- requires movement. You cannot stay
tions in the field. That is our aspiration for the tions who failed to respond still."
next 3 years and the reality is, the investments to the disruption caused by Robert Herjavec
to get there might be tough to secure so it other organizations innovat-
might take us longer than we would like. ing shows a common pattern "Knowing whose advice to take and on
in failed mindsight. I don’t what topic is the single most important
decision an entrepreneur can make."
In Australia, World Vision operates primarily see the word ‘disruption’
as a fundraiser. In this context, the next 3 as merely a buzzword; it’s
Vinod Khosla
years will also be very different. We expect a mindset all organizations
"An entrepreneur needs to know what
a significant amount of donations to come need to adopt. With it, they need, period. Then they need
through online channels, funds being raised they can navigate choices, to find an investor who can build off
through new platforms like peer-to-peer particularly difficult ones such whatever their weaknesses are - wheth-
fundraising (where a friend runs a marathon as potentially shutting down er that's through money, strategic
to raise money for a cause). Online crowd- core “cash cow” businesses. IQ partnerships or knowledge."
funding platforms are available to help raise Daymond John
funds to build schools and hospitals. Even the
very concept of ‘money’ is changing – money
from Australia to the field is all electronic, and
there’s the possibility that different models like
cryptocurrency will help reduce the costs as-
sociated with international funds transfer and
remittances. We think that the way Australians
19
Article • Machine Learning
Machine Learning: 5
Questions Enterprises
Must Consider
E
vidence of machine learning's potential to change the
world is now everywhere, from lights-out factories through
to Netflix's recommendation engine. However, adoption
is still not reaching the levels many predicted. In one SAP survey of Who Takes Ownership?
3,100 companies, just 7% said they are investing in the technology,
compared with 50% of companies defined by the SAP Center for Machine learning requires board level rep-
Business Insight as 'leaders'. This follows a number of other surveys resentation. This needs to be someone who
that have yielded similar results, including Belatrix Software's ‘Power- sees its potential and believes in the project.
ing the Adoption of Machine Learning’, to which only 18% of com- They must have vision, openness, ability to
panies who were asked if they had already started a machine learning change, and have a strong understanding of
initiative said they had done so, 40% that they were investigating it the business. They must also have, at the very
but hadn’t started, and 43% that they had no plans to start one at all. least, a good understanding of the technol-
ogy.
This has serious implications. It allows competitors who adopt earlier
to gain competitive edge that may prove impossible to recover from This could mean that someone already in
and puts you constantly on the back foot, struggling to catch up. It the company takes charge, such as the Chief
then makes it harder to attract the best talent when you finally do Information Officer, Chief Data Officer, or
decide to look to the technology, because who wants to work for a Chief Technology Officer, all of whom have
Luddite? However, you also need to be careful not to blindly rush in. a viable claim for ownership. Alternatively, it
The hype around machine learning, and AI in general, is such that could be that an entirely new position exclu-
it is tempting to rush in, desperately crowbarring in the technology sively focused on AI technologies is needed,
anywhere with no sense of how to actually implement it successfully. particularly at larger organizations. Chief
This has already happened before with AI. In the 1980s, inflated scientist at Baidu Research and AI guru
expectations and subsequent disillusionment led to the so-called AI Andrew Ng argues that a Chief AI Officer
Winter, bringing investment to a grinding halt and pushing research (CAIO) can fill a number of important func-
‘underground’. If this were to happen again, it could prove devastating tions necessary for ensuring that an organiza-
for the technology. tion is well positioned for adoption. They can
take a view across the entire company to best
We have outlined five questions you need to ask yourself before understand its potential application in each
you set about adopting machine learning. department and the scale of the implemen-
tation challenge, designating AI expertise
and technology from a centralized team
Do You Really Need It? according to need. A good CAIO will set out
a roadmap around how to integrate AI with
As with any new technology, there is a sense of keeping up with the Jone- the company's overall strategy and fight to
ses, of adoption for adoption's sake. This could lead to valuable resources ensure resources are available where required.
being diverted away from areas and projects that could really drive growth. A CAIO should also develop more knowl-
If the Joneses get a fancy new lawnmower, there's no point blowing all edge about how AI works, which should help
your money on one too if you don't have a garden. Look out the window when selecting the right technology and not
first, check there's grass to cut. Often, you'll find there isn't any. As David get bamboozled by the many salesmen trying
Linthicum recently wrote on infoworld.com, ‘Machine learning is valuable to convince you that you have a need you
only for use cases that benefit from dynamic learning - and there are not really don't and that their product will solve
many of those. The problem is if you have a hammer, everything looks like it, which often it won't.
a nail. Vendors pushing machine learning cloud services say it's a good fit
for many applications that shouldn't use it at all. As a result, the technology
will be over-applied and misused, wasting enterprise resources.’
20
Are People Ready?
21
E PX aP Eg Re T TPi At Nl Ee L •• S T R A T E G Y
I
James Lemon, VP Commercial Strate-
than a third of the world's CFOs gy at Travelport have a strategic process that can take in new
said that disruption or technolog- bits of market developments and adjust course
ical change threaten their firm's It’s your people, not your plans that need to be if necessary.
profitability in the medium term. In an Accen- reactive to disruption. Be realistic about your
ture Strategy report released last year, 58% of planning. How long-term are you really look- Ignaas Caryn, Director, Corporate
CFOs said they believe their industries are set ing? Is that the right approach, given the speed Strategy at Air France-KLM
for disruption, while 24% of CFOs said that of customer, competitor, and industry change
disruption will destroy their company and 41% you are seeing? New entrants often start by Scenarios offer perspectives on how the future
that it will cause more than half of their com- doing common sense things that incumbents might look like. Building perspectives derived
petitors to fold. miss, such as gaining customer traction at a from future scenarios into your strategic plan-
fraction of the cost of a legacy player. Ask your- ning processes can give you a sense of the scale
There is, unfortunately, no universal model for self periodically: What value do you really add of the changes that might occur. Building a
avoiding disruption. Every incumbent has its to your market and can you protect that value, portfolio of options can make a company bet-
own history, experience, strengths, and weak- such as your pricing – in the face of someone ter prepared to seize opportunities and address
nesses, and every challenger is different for the who is bringing a totally fresh approach? challenges.
same reasons. There are a number of universal
truths, though, that must be applied when de- Clive Tillotson, Director of Business Thierry Van Landegem, Chairman at
veloping a strategy capable of withstanding the Operations & Strategy at Fujitsu GreenTouch
most innovative entrants to the market.
Let me turn this around as a question. How One will never be able to foresee every single
We asked seven of the world’s foremost strat- effective do you think your long-term plans move, especially disruptive ones. It is, there-
egists from leading organizations how they are for you? Can you recall long-term plans fore, essential to build an organization that is
set their long-term strategy in such a way that are really materialising? I’d invite a different flexible and adaptive in all its dimensions. As
avoided disruption and ensured they stayed approach, instead of investing massive efforts mentioned before, employees and management
ahead of the pack. in your long-term plans, consider different play a crucial role in this. As a company, we
scenarios for the business and build a narrative need to make sure that those key stakeholders
Sayeed Sanullah, First Vice President around each one, including how you would deserve enough attention and get a continuous
(Strategy & Analytics) at Wells Fargo plan to react as each scenario unfolds. Then, development opportunity. Developing their
revisit these periodically with leadership teams skill base, in order to become more innovative,
I think long-term plans should not be reac- and see how realistic and likely the scenarios flexible, and business minded is critical. And,
tive but proactive to disruption. One of the are. Long-term plans can bore even the most not only to become reactive but more and more
best approaches to be proactive to disruption committed business leader, but a scenario is pro-active.
is to observe, analyze, and learn from not just more pervasive - it’s a story, a snapshot of pos-
how companies are disrupted in one’s industry, sible outcomes that people discuss vigorously, Charles Purtell, VP Open Innovation &
but also how companies are being/ disrupted and as they do so, they surface the points of dis- Strategy at Beckman Coulter
across all industries. I study and evaluate how ruption much more readily and focus on how
customers’ expectations, preferences, and expe- to address that disruption. Long-term plans Our 3-5-year outlooks include fairly rigorous
riences are shaped and influenced by different often sit on the shelf. evaluation of the risk of disruption. When we
companies/industries who fulfill their needs identify a potential threat, we monitor them
and aspirations. I leverage all such insights and Lillian Bautista, Director Strategy at routinely, (monthly, quarterly, annually) and
regularly adapt, adjust, reshape, refresh, and re- Adidas develop countermeasures to minimize the risk
calibrate my long-term plans. I am comfortable of the threat as part of our execution of strate-
with uncertainty and open to taking informed I would go a step further to say that one gic plans. We are also far more open to disrupt-
and calculated risks after assessing and evaluat- shouldn’t only be reactive to disruption, but ing ourselves, which is an important cultural
ing multiple scenarios. you should do all you can to anticipate the dis- element to drive disruption versus reacting
ruption – be constantly scanning for disruptive to it. IQ
digital strategy • interview
DIGITAL INNOVATION
AT HSBC
Interview with Dr. Oesemeke Mosindi, Digital Innovation &
Fintech at HSBC RBWM UK & Europe those needs front and centre. In financial
services specifically, there are very practical
Dr. Osemeke Mosindi is a Digital Innovation Lead at HSBC with ex- ways in which studying consumer behavior
tensive experience in developing beta testing co-creation platforms can help improve services provided to cus-
in banking. He led the product team that created the award-win- tomers. Especially with the recent launch of
ning Barclays Launchpad, and is now developing co-creation initi- open banking, and the expected launch of
atives at HSBC. He is responsible for new digital product ideation tools that will help consumers manage all
and development, including co-creation platforms, payments and aspects of their financial lives, for exam-
open banking. HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and fi- ple, by analyzing their account data and
nancial services organisations, serving around 38 million customers providing relevant products and services.
through four global businesses. Nudging customers to save at the right
time, nudging them to pay off debts etc. I
think these will bring profound changes to
How can innovators prepare their better the chances of joining more ‘dots’. how consumers manage their money, and
business for a transformed future? With open innovation generally, it is easy to therefore how they interact with their banks.
(digital, blockchain etc.) get carried away with trying to partner with
everyone and get involved in everything, so In a big multi-national, how are
The best way to prepare the business for I have found that it helps to think critically you fostering a start-up ecosystem
the future is to put the fundamentals of about what you want to achieve in advance, for fearless innovation and rapid
testing and learning in place, and to create and how you will go about achieving it. growth?
a platform that will help the business test
new ideas and business models, as new Have you used hackathons and There are a number of elements that go into
technologies emerge and consumer behav- internal competitions to boost creating the right environment and platform
iour changes. innovation strategy, why are for fostering a start-up ecosystem. We are
these a good growth format? positioning the brand with that communi-
What technology do you foresee ty, creating the right processes within the
to be the next big industry disrupt- I am particularly interested in generating organization, and simplifying the speed of
er and why? ideas that are ‘outside the box’, and doing integration to work with start-ups. All these
this at scale. Our individual limited experi- elements ensure that we are more proactive
I am a technologist at heart, I was (still am ences mean that there are some ‘dots’ we in engaging with start-ups, and when we
in my spare time) a developer, but I also simply cannot see, regardless of how many engage in specific projects, the experience
know that technology does not create times we look. Hackathons help to provide is great for both the start-up and HSBC UK.
change by itself. There has to be a coming the right tools and the right environment
together of the right set of conditions for people with diverse experiences to How important is consumer feed-
(consumer needs, regulation etc.), for come together and think about a collective back in driving your innovation
change to happen. There are a number problem, or several problems. The prac- strategy?
of new technologies on the horizon, like tical nature of hackathons, also means it
blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), is easier for stakeholders to buy into the Consumer feedback is very important in
augmented reality etc. I think AI will have ideas generated as the participants would testing the output of our innovation strategy,
the most impact, because of its ability to usually have built a prototype, and this can and also refining the strategy. I have been
reduce the effort required in a lot of existing generate a huge feeling of excitement within involved in co-creation initiatives, and I
activities, while increasing precision. an organization. strongly believe consumer feedback helps
build better and more innovative products.
Can you outline a few best How do you see your industry The innovation strategy should always
practices for approaching open being affected by behavioral involve co-creation and engagement with
innovation collaboration across science and design thinking? the consumer, to ensure that the outcome
industries? meets the right needs. IQ
My doctoral research was in information
I strongly believe that as innovators we can behavior, which is essentially how people
learn a lot from other industries. Our job behave when they encounter new informa-
is to join the ‘dots’ when we see a pat- tion. So I am very passionate about under-
tern emerging, and the more diverse the standing consumers’ behaviors and needs,
experiences we expose ourselves to, the and creating digital products that puts
23
feature article • blockchain
50 T
he last year has seen hype around block-
chain reach fever pitch. It has moved be-
yond being seen as merely 'the technology
underpinning Bitcoin' and cemented itself
as an incredibly disruptive entity in its own right - one
1. Telegram
Telegram is a messaging platform that has already accrued 100 transactions. The platform will use its own 'Gram' tokens as its
million active users during its two and a half years in existence. Its central medium of exchange. These will function as payment for
pivot into blockchain has made waves because of the sheer scale everything on the platform.
of its ambition, both in terms of the technology it is developing
and its Initial Coin Offering (ICO). It is reportedly seeking to raise as In a whitepaper setting out its ambitions, the company said:
much as $5 billion, which would make it comfortably the largest
crypto token sale to date, and if the technology it is offering pans "Telegram will use its expertise in encrypted distributed data
out, then it is easy to see why the sums are so high. storage to create TON, a fast and inherently scalable multi-block-
chain architecture. TON can be regarded as a decentralized
The Telegram Open Network (TON) it is proposing is essentially a supercomputer and value transfer system. By combining minimum
decentralized WeChat. According to TechCrunch, it will act as "a transaction time with maximum security, TON can become a VISA/
platform for future ICOs, future cryptocurrencies, future decen- Mastercard alternative for the new decentralized economy."
tralized applications and a new kind of censorship-proof internet
system." Its offerings are to include distributed file storage similar While there is some debate around whether the technology
to IPFS, a proxy service for creating decentralized VPN services, a Telegram is promising is actually viable, this has not stopped hype
secure browsing environments similar to TOR, services for decen- hitting ridiculous proportions. Given the organization's pedigree,
tralized third party apps built on smart contracts, and peer-to-peer there is every reason to believe it is well positioned moving forward.
2. Colony
Colony is seeking to revolutionize the world of work. The London- influence in the colony for voting and dispute resolution, as well
based startup enables new organizations to structure themselves as enabling you to set tasks for others. Reputation cannot be
as ecosystems of mutually beneficial interests and groups, rather transferred and decays over time to prevent any one person having
than with a centralized leadership. The framework proposes the undue influence without continual contribution to the colony. It also
ability for peers, as opposed to management, to incentivize each means that tokens themselves don't necessarily entitle someone to
other to work towards a common goal. This should lead to the rewards, rather only those who actually contribute meaningful work
creation of decentralized autonomous organizations that function to the colony (as evidenced by their reputation score) are entitled to
as a true 'meritocracy'. proportional rewards.
The concept is simple. Each startup, or 'colony', has its own Essentially, Colony wants to give agency back to the worker, and
unique token. The company is divided into groups of people who it could have implications for the entire economy. The anonymity
specialize in certain areas. Each person work on tasks that fit blockchain enables could even help improve gender parity.
their skills. As individuals complete more tasks, they get tokens. Colony shelved an ICO planned for late last year, but its tentatively
The more tokens they hold, the more equity of the colony they rescheduled token sale for Q2 of 2018 is sure to be a huge hit.
own. Once a certain amount of tokens is earned, workers are also
awarded an equal amount of reputation. This is used to confer
24
3. ShipChain
ShipChain was founded with the goal of turning the $8.1 trillion
freight industry on its head. Its platform enables companies and place in the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance. It has also assembled
individual buyers to track products across the entire supply chain a core group of backers made up of some of accomplished entre-
as they move between all carriers, instead of just one or more preneurs and logistics personnel on the planet, including former
single access points as is currently the case. They can also receive CEO of DHL, Roger Crook, Kevin Harrington from Shark Tank, and
real-time information throughout the transport cycle and communi- former CEO of Miramax, Steve Schoch.
cate instantly with all carriers and other waypoints with ease. This
brings an unprecedented levels of accountability, transparency, and The startup's public token sale launched at the beginning of
trust to the sector. January 2018 with a target of $10 million (in ETH) via the first token
sale, and then by market price, with a soft limit of $30 million by the
ShipChain isn't just special because of the impact it could have end of the first public sale.
on such a major aspect of business. It already has a beta product,
a large company partnership to test the platform, and has won a
4. FarmaTrust
The WHO estimates that one in ten medical products circulating ment if significant numbers of counterfeits are uncovered in a par-
in low- and middle-income countries are either substandard or ticular area. The system also helps pharma companies avoid waste
falsified. More than 120,000 die in Africa alone as a result of fake incurred through expired drugs, and avoid returns fraud which is
anti-malarial drugs alone, either because they are substandard or endemic in the pharma industry. They benefit from their exclusive
simply contained no active ingredients at all. focus on the pharmaceutical supply chain, which positions them
to best understand the regulations that apply and the issues faced
FarmaTrust has decided to confront this issue head-on using within the sector.
blockchain technology. They assign each medicine a unique ID and
add it to their immutable ledger, enabling it to be tracked from the FarmaTrust’s CEO, Raja Sharif, told ccn.com, "We believe not only
point of origin through to the point of consumption, making copies is there commercial profit to be made from this system, but it is one
and undocumented drugs far easier to spot of the few companies that is there to service society. After all, we
have a strong conviction that our project will save lives."
FarmaTrust can also be used to automatically notify law enforce-
5. DecentraLand
In Virtual Reality (VR) today, you are at the whim of the developer. The popularity of the platform's ICO suggests that this is also
They can alter a virtual reality at will, if they go bust then the whole something the public want. Decentraland held its initial coin offering
VR world gets shut down, and they have control of the increasingly (ICO) last year and raised $25 million from 4,000 investors. Ariel
large amount of personal information players must provide to Meilich, founder of blockchain-based virtual platform Decentraland,
partake. explained the motivation behind the project: "We believe Virtual
Reality will flourish once users have a more prominent role in
Decentralized VR changes this dynamic, handing control of online controlling their creations. Currently, the companies that create the
worlds back to the user. One startup making waves in this area virtual worlds own all of the content built by the users. They are the
is Blockchain-based virtual reality universe, Decentraland. In ones who profit, reap the benefits from the network effects, and
Decentraland, you can use the platform's own cryptocurrency have the power to undo, change or censor what happens within
'MANA' to purchase a plot of virtual land. You can then build the world itself. The true potential of VR might be realized, and
whatever you like on it, whether this be a house or a virtual certainly surpass what already exists, if this power were put into the
neighborhood, and populate it with unique virtual objects. You can hands of the users instead."
even turn it into a profitable business, as well as host social events.
Virtual landowners can monetize their worlds by selling space to Blockchain expert Simon de la Rouviere adds that it may also be
advertisers or renting them out in exchange for MANA. The number vital for the future of blockchain. He argues that, "If you can 'earn
of Decentraland land parcels are purposefully limited to ensure that your keep' in bitcoin in a virtual world, governed by incorruptible
it is not left abandoned and so that the value of land increases if the smart contracts, and it is a world you want to live in and cooperate
platform gains traction. These transactions don't require any central in more than the real world, what would that do to us? I suspect we
authority to broker the deal because it is done using cryptocurren- will most definitely see a new surge of people demanding exactly
cy, which further means users receive 100% of the compensation that reality into the real world." Ultimately, both blockchain and VR
generated through their creation. could well need each other to succeed, and Decentraland is likely
to be at the heart of it.
25
feature article • blockchain
6. Filecoin
Filecoin is a blockchain-based marketplace built by San Francisco- By decentralizing data storage in this way, the company says it
based and venture-backed Protocol Labs, the creators of the can improve the resilience of the internet and make it harder for
InterPlanetary File System (IPFS). Filecoin made headlines last governments to shut down access to certain sites and apps. Juan
year with its record breaking ICO, which raised an estimated Benet, the founder of Protocol Labs, told TechCrunch, "There’s a
$257 million for the company in September, including buy-in from ton of storage in the world that’s not getting used. Think of it like
traditional VC investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Union Airbnb. You had people with rooms that weren’t being used; Airbnb
Square Ventures, and Winklevoss Capital. built a marketplace for them. We’re also creating a marketplace
for storage that’s decentralized so removes third parties, so you
Filecoin is looking to disrupt the cloud storage industry. They are can access your information in the future without worrying whether
attempting to create a distributed data storage network in which this entity [like an AWS] will continue being around." While the
participants earn the company’s crypto currency - called filecoin competition it is up against is large - Dropbox and AWS - it is a well
- by leasing out their spare digital storage. The Filecoin can be thought out project built by an experienced team, and one of the
used within the network or exchanged either for more conventional few giant ICOs that may actually be justified.
cryptocurrencies or fiat currencies through exchange platforms like
Coinbase.
7. Grid+
Energy is often cited as the industry outside of finance most Last year, Grid+ raised $29 million through its token pre-sale, which
likely to see disruption from blockchain, and Grid+ is leading the will fund the development and launch of its blockchain-based
charge as the world's first blockchain-based energy retailer with competitive retail provider in Texas. The company is aiming to pull
market-driven pricing. in up to 20,000 customers by the end of next year and 100,000 by
the end of 2019, at which point it expects to be processing around
It is common practice for electricity retailers to buy wholesale en- 120 gigawatt-hours of electricity purchases a month using the
ergy and sell it to their customers at over a 100% markup, despite blockchain. The company also plans to start licensing its technology
doing little more than billing you. Grid+ is looking to change all this. to utilities worldwide from 2019.
They are offering consumers direct access to wholesale energy
markets through blockchain, creating a secure Ethereum-enabled
gateway that stores cryptocurrencies and processes payments for
electricity in real time.
8. PokitDok
Anybody who has ever worked in medical records will know that network for all sources of patient data, from EMRs to medical
they are often a confusing mess - part-digitized, part-handwritten devices and pharmacies, with the various APIs, as well as those
scraps of paper siloed across disparate locations. Blockchain has provided by others, connecting to a distributed blockchain network
the potential to revolutionize how individuals’ medical records are rather than a hospital or pharmacy's central system. PolitDok
stored, and it is already proving popular. Indeed, BIS Research provides identity management to validate that each party involved
projects that 10-15% of healthcare entities will be integrating in the transaction is who they say they are, whether consumer
blockchain in their operations by 2020. or provider. It also facilitates the immediate machine-to-machine
processing of financial transactions based on previously agreed
California-based PokitDok is among a host of startups looking to upon smart contracts, essentially eliminating the current 90-180
apply blockchain for healthcare verticals such as claims, pharmacy, days for a claim to be processed.
and identity management. PokitDok has developed DokChain, a
"distributed network of transaction processors operating on both The company has raised a total of $55.3 million from six funding
financial and clinical data across the healthcare industry," which, rounds, with investors including GIS Strategic Ventures, McKesson
according to CNBC, is already being tested by a consortium of Ventures, and New Atlantic Ventures.
partners including Intel and Amazon, among others.
26
9. uPort Early reports suggest it is already attracting thousands of artists
and media creators and, having just completed a successful ICO in
Brooklyn-based uPort is a self-sovereign identity and data platform January, could prove a game changer for the music industry.
that enables users to register a globally unique identifier to the
Ethereum blockchain, giving them control over their identity, private
keys, user accounts, and private data. They've also got their own 12. Social Reality
mobile app available on Android and iOS, the uPort ID app, which
is a mobile identity wallet that stores private keys and serves as the Data ownership is an issue that is attracting more and more
foundation for interacting with Ethereum and web 2.0 applications. attention, as awareness spreads around how companies make
money off us - often without our knowledge. Social Reality’s
They launched a pilot program late last year in Zug, Switzerland, to BIGtoken pitch notes that, "As a consumer, you are a commodity
register residents’ IDs on the blockchain. Through this, Residents that generated $130 billion in revenue last year - and none of it
are able to unlock access to government eServices like online went to you."
voting and proof of residency. If successful, this will be rolled out to
other cities. Social Reality is a micro-cap advertising technology firm attempting
to become the first public company to deliver a transparent data
10. ODEM management and distribution system via a secure blockchain
platform. Through its BIG Platform, consumers will be able to claim
The complexity of the educational system in the US is seeing costs their data, decide how it gets used, and get paid themselves when-
spiral out of control. ODEM is looking to revamp this broken system ever it’s purchased. "BIG resolves the unanswered question others
by using blockchain technology to connect teachers around the in the landscape haven’t addressed: How can blockchain put the
world directly with students. They are developing a global market- consumer front-and-center in the consumer data and advertising
place that will offer students tailored curriculums, programs, and ecosystem?" the company said in the slideshow.
more, facilitating private learning that is more cost effective, more
accessible, and of higher quality than current systems. The BIG Platform will use an open-source governance structure
and token rewards, with its BIGtoken having already launched as
In an interview with The Drum, ODEM CEO Richard Maaghul an ICO in January.
explained that, "We’re strapping blockchain technology on
Excelorators’ network of more than 200 professors at top univer-
sities. By reducing the role of intermediaries, we strengthen the 13. AidCoin
relationship between those professors and students. Both sides
of the equation have more power to affect positive educational Trust in charities is at a low, with the recent Oxfam scandal in
outcomes." particular detrimentally impacting the public's willingness to give to
good causes. AidCoin's worthy aim is to boost trust and transpar-
With an experienced team of educators and technologists, ODEM ency in the charity sector, using the Ethereum blockchain to track
is regarded as one of the leading projects in the space. Their token donations made using cryptocurrencies to ensure they are spent
sale took place in February. correctly.
Their website explains the way the technology works, noting, "The Nicolai Oster, Head of ICO at Bitcoin Suisse said: “The AidCoin
power of attorney combined with the decentralized distribution of project is an extremely worthwhile initiative that has the potential
digital content, creates a new paradigm shift in the era of digital to increase transparency, regain trust, and overhaul the nonprofit
management culture. The Blockchain technology and smart sector. With the great success of the token sale, we believe that
contracts can ensure user verification, registration and certification the team has a good foundation and ground for achieving their
of copyrights and intellectual property. Payments and transactions ambitious goal.”
are secured by offering a transparent and innovative online
marketplace."
27
feature article • blockchain
The drone market is expected to reach $16.7 billion in sales by The anti-establishment nature of blockchain is perhaps exemplified
2022, despite numerous challenges still existing, particularly around nowhere better than Civil. In the era of fake news, their crusade
regulation. BlockchainTaxi combines blockchain technology with to take down the fourth estate has really gained traction, and
historical flight data to automate operations such as air traffic they have already received $5 million in funding from blockchain
control, pre-arranged inspections of structures, disaster responses, development firm ConsenSys.
and any other large scale drone application needing logistical
coordination on a macro level. BlockchainTaxi’s Coin (BCT) serves Civil is looking to create a self-governing marketplace in which
as medium of exchange for payments between service providers users can directly sponsor newsrooms using the platform's 'CVL'
and customers. Their official hardware partner is Passenger Drone, tokens, while enabling journalists to work together to run their own
the first company to successfully complete a manned drone flight. publications. They are also seeking to protect journalists against
Fulfilling a potentially vital function in such a fast-burgeoning market censorship and intellectual property disputes. Matthew Iles, Civil’s
should see them grow rapidly. founder, explains that using blockchain technology means “no one
will be able to remove the record or prevent her organization from
publishing what it wants to publish.”
15. Graft
Although there has been some skepticism as to whether it can
The clamor around cryptocurrencies has been astounding, but achieve its lofty ambitions, it has attracted its first publication,
there is one question many struggle to overcome - if it's money, Popula, an alternative news and politics site run by journalist Maria
where do I spend it? Graft is looking to change this. "The fact that Bustillos. Iles argues that "By providing the economic incentives
consumers pay the transaction fees as opposed to merchants in and governance structures for newsmakers – writers, editors,
credit card payments discourages the mass adoption of Bitcoin," photographers, fact-checkers – to self-organize, Civil offers a new
the company said. "Graft is looking to solve the problems of business model for journalism." It is a new business model that is
transaction costs and settlement times with a merchant-centric, urgently needed.
agile blockchain.". They are looking to become the first global,
open-sourced payment gateway blockchain network built around
the merchants’ systems and processes and designed for Point-of- 18. Conjoule
Sale. It launched its mainnet on January 16, 2018.
Conjoule provides a blockchain platform designed to support
Graft offers a payment blockchain that is compatible with major peer-to-peer trading of energy among rooftop solar panel owners
existing payment technologies. This allows merchants to accept and interested public-sector or corporate buyers. The company
both fiat and cryptocurrency payments, enjoy instant settlement, was created in Innogy’s Innovation Hub in 2015 and has already
and have seamless access to their funds in their preferred currency. raised investment of $9 million, including $5.3 million in funding
from Tokyo Electric Power Company and others last July. Conjoule
has been running a pilot in Germany since October 2016.
16. ConnectJob
The gig economy has been much criticized, with the likes of Uber 19. CEEK
and Deliveroo receiving significant column inches for the way they
hire freelancers. ConnectJob is looking to revolutionize the gig econ- CEEK is looking to create an authentic virtual concert experience
omy, providing a blockchain-based marketplace for on-demand using VR and blockchain. CEEK already has an established VR kit,
services that connects both jobbers and those who need work which is available in the likes of Best Buy and Target, but they are
directly based on geolocation through an Uber-like counter. Users also now introducing blockchain technology onto their platform to
exchange value without having to rely on third-party intermediaries create a decentralized concert viewing experience. The company's
in a single click by using CJT (ConnectJob Tokens), a utility token website explains that, "CEEK virtual reality environments are
that can be used as payment for all services available on our app. governed by Ethereum Smart Contracts, allowing token holders
They can also use fiat money (euro, dollar) at an hourly rate that is ability for flexible, tokenized ‘in-world’ interactions, rewards, voting,
unique and pre-determined for each type of 'job'. contests, virtual goods and more ‘in-world’ transactions utilizing
ERC20 compliant Tokens called CEEK. Each CEEK Token holder
It has already launched an app on the Apple store and Playstore will be able to participate in virtual reality space for real-world celeb-
and has been tested in Europe for three months successfully. At rity concerts, charity fund-raisers, sporting events, VR commerce,
time of writing, ConnectJob is in the second stage of its initial classroom learning and much, much more as the exciting world of
coin offerings (ICOs), and has already raised nearly $5.3 million virtual reality meets real-world opportunity through Smart Contract
in the process. governance."
28
CEEK even has a live, revenue-generating product and a deal with for artists and their fans. We believe in fair ticket prices for all, and
Universal Music Studios granting them the rights to live perfor- the GET token is an important first step towards eliminating the
mances by the likes of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and U2, which puts fraudulent side of the secondary ticket-market."
them some way ahead of other startups in the blockchain space.
23. SelfKey
20. MEvU
Another startup using blockchain in the identity space is SelfKey.
Founded in 2016 by Kelvin Coelho and Tim McCulloch, MEvU is They offer users, organizations, and individuals complete control of
a peer-to-peer decentralized network that allows people to bet their identity though a blockchain-based system that stores a user’s
on anything, anytime, against anyone operating on the Ethereum data and documents locally on their own devices. This means
blockchain network. By eliminating 3rd party gouging, they are able nobody can access it without permission, while also enabling
to provide a historically low 2% fee for members. MEvU uses smart individuals to instantly provide sensitive documentation for things
contracts on the Ethereum blockchain to immutably and transpar- like citizenship and residency information, company incorporation
ently inventory players funds and information, providing players with information, coin exchanges, and so forth.
confidence that their bets will be executed securely and quickly.
Pre-sale opened on January 22nd 2018, with 20,000,000 MVU The SelfKey token (KEY) is used as the means of providing access
available. rights as well as verifying identity. Users, applicable parties, and
certifiers will need to stake a certain amount of KEY tokens to
In an announcement on CNN, Coelho asked, "how many times enable an identity to be verified. The KEY token can also be used
do we hear the House always wins? I see a future where players to safely participate in token sales and other ICO events. According
around the world will say 'let’s MEvU it!', challenging players to a to the company, the public portion of the initial coin offering (ICO)
friendly competition to put their crypto where their mouth is." in January hit its cap of $5.94 million in minutes. The pre-sale in
December easily raised its cap of $15.84 million four days before
the scheduled closing date in December
21. LiveTree
29
feature article • blockchain
presented by the rapid changes in the energy market being driven for each individual player to audit their play should they wish to.
by decarbonization, decentralization, digitization and democratiza- This builds an environment where trust in a system isn’t necessary
tion. We aim to create innovative, collaborative solutions, based on as we would have full disclosure with the player."
the blockchain's guarantees of a secure, robust and transparent
platform. We will do this at the lowest cost whilst providing the
greatest benefit to all market participants." 28. Binded
They have already received investment from Tokyo Electric Power Binded helps photographers to protect their intellectual property
Company (TEPCO) as well as the UK government. They also by creating a permanent record of their copyright. Users register a
received an award last year from the World Economic Forum for photo on the platform and it is assigned a permanent, unalterable
their innovative works. They are currently leading a consortium that timestamp which is added to a blockchain. This stamp acts as a
aims to start testing an 'energy eBay' in the first half of this year that “proof of publishing” certificate which protects your photo from
Electron’s Chief Operating Officer, Joanna Hubbard, says will be “a being used without your consent.
shared marketplace for energy assets to respond to pricing signals.”
The company has now raised $1.5m in total funding.
26 REALISTO
29. Thrive
Berlin-based REALISTO is a decentralized investing platform
looking to shake up the real estate market by providing a platform Another startup claiming that it is giving control of the internet back
enabling the crowdfunding of the world’s best real estate opportu- to the people is Thrive, a Blockchain-based Marketplace where
nities. Real estate investment experts can present unique projects, publishers and consumers can buy and sell advertising at very low
tokenize them, and offer them as curated investment opportunities. fees. People get paid for data sharing and for reviewing the quality
REALISTO’s ICO will accept Ethereum (ETH) and Bitcoin (BTC) of each website in the ecosystem. They have already partnered
contributions in exchange for REA, which can be used to invest in with a publisher network with over 220K websites, while public
curated Berlin and global projects. Returns are also paid in ETH. pre-sales for its ICO topped €8 million.
27. JoyToken After three funding rounds, including an ICO in December 2017,
the company has raised a total of $11.9 million.
JoyToken is using smart contracts to build a 'trustless' gambling
ecosystem, with blockchain technology providing the means to
distribute winnings, determine values, and provide an audit trail of 31. Ascribe
transactions. Developers are rewarded for creating new games with
its JoyTokens, helping to create more entrepreneurial opportunities Berlin-based Ascribe enables creators and art collectors to own,
and offsetting the lack of reputation by making all rules and the securely share, and trace the entire history of a digital work using
base infrastructure of the game publicly viewable. the blockchain. Its platform generates unique, cryptographic IDs
which are a composite of the digital artwork and the artist’s identity,
They have recently released an application programming interface thereby permanently binding the artist and their work. They have
(API) alongside a slot game demo to developers in order to raised $2 billion so far in 3 funding rounds.
showcase their smart contract functionality. The team includes
former PokerStars and Bet365 executives. CEO and Co-founder Trent McConaghy, CTO for Ascribe, ted CoinDesk: "What we
Andrew MacDonald has 20 years of experience in retail and online realized is we can use copyright law as the basis of what we're
gaming with major blue-chip companies. He said: “We felt that doing and have that be really easy to use, and use the blockchain
there was room to grow and that not only could we produce some as a way of recording these transactions of registering a copyright,
great games, but we could add another USP using blockchain of transferring ownerships, of licensing from person A to B, things
technology – true transparency. With this technology comes the like consignment or loaning."
opportunity to log every single transaction on a smart contract and
30
32. Sun Exchange 35. Elliptic
Sun Exchange is a blockchain-based platform democratizing the UK-startup Elliptic is building a blockchain forensics tool to identify
green economy by empowering customers to lease solar cells and track illicit bitcoin activity. Founded in October 2013 by Adam
bought on their platform to medium to large solar installations in Joyce, James Smith and Tom Robinson, it has so far raised a total
emerging markets. Solar panels are sold by the single solar cell, of $7 million.
slashing the cost of solar plant ownership to below $10.
And its applications don't stop at Bitcoin. CEO and co-founder
“Solar power is the most promising technology to achieve a James Smith notes that, “Bitcoin is one of several areas we may
zero-carbon future,” said Abraham Cambridge, serial solar energy end up deploying this technology. What it really is is you build up
entrepreneur and CEO of Sun Exchange. “It’s the fastest growing a view of a network. You look at the different entities in a network
source of energy, but billions of people don’t own their own roof or — that’s a graph of entities — and we’re able to identify patterns
have the capital to get it. By breaking down solar panel ownership within that. Quite complex patterns that connect together different
to a single cell we reduce the cost of going solar by two orders entities in ways that might not be immediately obvious. And that’s
of magnitude and we’re utilizing empty roof space in some of the what allows us to identify things like money laundering or people
sunniest cities on the planet, such as Dubai and Johannesburg. To trying to obfuscate where their funds are flowing for other reasons.”
super-charge the process we’ve combined our solar leases with
another breakthrough technology – blockchain, namely Bitcoin.
Putting the two together empowers anyone to go solar and be part 36. Bloom
of the global solar energy transformation with just a few taps on a
screen.” Bloom is an end-to-end protocol for identity attestation, risk
assessment, and credit scoring that is designed to help individuals
The company recently raised $1.6 million in seed funding, which lacking access to credit or the credit score it affords with access to
will go towards expanding its business and global capabilities. traditional banking mechanisms. Bloom allows both traditional and
digital currency lenders to serve billions of people who currently
cannot obtain a bank account or credit score.
33. TraDove
“Bloom brings credit scoring to the blockchain,” Bloom Co-
TraDove is the first blockchain-based startup to focus on B2B- Founder Daniel Maren said in an interview with the author. “Bloom’s
specific solutions and tokens. They are looking to increase B2B mission is to build a robust global credit infrastructure [that]
transparency by allowing the sharing of references and endorse- reduces fees, increases accessibility to credit, and makes credit
ments for people, products, and companies. This will replace scoring fair.”
current tedious and expensive payment methods such as a letter
of credits with smart contracts that authenticate, vet, and review
buyers and sellers. 37 e-Chat
TraDove already has more than 250,000 corporate buyers and e-Chat is a multi-task, decentralized mobile app messenger that
sellers spread across over 100 countries. allows users to do everything from in-app, single-click cryptocur-
rency payments to conference calls with as many as ten people.
Being built on blockchain technology means it offers 100% privacy
34. JOLYY from institutions and governments for all interactions.
JOLYY is an online beauty booking platform upgraded using The developers assert that within six months the application will
blockchain technology that is disrupting the existing market for on- reach 1,000,000 installments and 100,000,000 messages each
line beauty booking. Salon managers can take appointments and day.
receive instant online payments, as well as engage with vendors
and order beauty products. Clients can compare a variety of salons
and providers, make appointments easily, and pay via tokens or 38. Shopin
fiat money. Customers are also rewarded in JOY tokens when they
refer friends, recommend and comment on salons, professionals New York-based Shopin is a universal shopping app that uses
and products, and add new salons, helping to grow and maintain blockchain to deliver a hyper-personalized shopping experience
the ecosystem. on retail websites. They create a universal shopper profile for
every customer. This information is shared by Shopin and can be
mined by retailers for special offers and targeted ads, however, it is
still entirely controlled by the customer.
31
feature article • blockchain
Shopin won the 2017 CoinAgenda Global blockchain startup tions using the scalable blockchain database it has developed. This
competition and has raised $4.6 million to date from Deep Fork database is capable of one million writes per second throughput,
Capital, Outbound Ventures, as well as angel investors from storing petabytes of data and sub-second latency.
Google, ZocDoc and others.
Bruce Pon, Founder/CEO BigchainDB and ascribe.io, said:
"BigchainDB was built on top of an enterprise-grade distributed
39. DECENT DB, from which BigchainDB inherits high throughput, high capacity,
a full-featured NoSQL query language, efficient querying, and
Swiss-based tech firm DECENT is an open-source, Blockchain- permissioning. Nodes can be added to increase throughput and
driven content distribution platform that allows artists to efficiently capacity."
distribute virtually any form of content while retaining a far greater
chunk of the proceeds. To date, it has raised a total of $5.4 million in two rounds from five
investors, with the most recent raising $3.37m.
DECENT has already been courted by a number of content
providers and its ICO in 2015 raised 5,881 bitcoin, which at the
time was worth around $4.2 million. 43. Aurus
The company explained: “Writers lose over 30-75% of their profits Aurus are aiming to bridge the gap between the traditional gold
when publishing with Amazon and musicians lose around 30% market and the crypto economy of the future. Aurus utilize a gold-
when they sell a track on iTunes. [Blockchain] could free up a huge backed cryptocurrency accessible to both individuals and organi-
chunk of spending in the global media and content distribution zations for trade and use. One AurusGOLD (AWG) coin represents
industry; the current level of spending is estimated to grow from one gram of 99.99% LBMA (London Bullion Market Association)
$1.7 trillion in 2016 to over $2 trillion in 2019.” approved gold and tokens are redeemable at any time through the
Asset Reconstruction Smart Contract.
40. Ripe The aim is to make gold more liquid and decentralized, essentially
bringing it into the digital age. On the site, CEO and Co-Founder of
Ripe is working to combine blockchain with IoT to track produce Aurus, Stefan Gergely states that "because it’s a cryptocurrency,
through the food supply chain, enabling food producers, shippers, one can trade 0.00001 AWG or $0.0004 worth of gold. This is how
and processors to operate more efficiently and cost-effectively. we’re making gold more liquid."
BigchainDB is attempting to do for databases what Bitcoin's In a press release, Feldmeier stated, "For a long time, a diverse
blockchain did for ledgers, enabling both developers and enterprise investment space with assets kept in a stable and reputable
to deploy blockchain proof-of-concepts, platforms, and applica- jurisdiction, reasonably well-shielded from political or inflationary
32
uncertainties—this used to be the exclusive privilege of the very rich 49. CoinLION
and powerful. Today, the technology and regulatory transformation
gives us the opportunity to change this." First conceived in June 2017, CoinLION is the world's first crypto-
currency exchange with built-in portfolio management. "Managing
cryptocurrencies and digital assets is a complicated and confusing
46.Telcoin process,” said Joshua DeWitt, CEO and Co-Founder at CoinLion,
speaking to Global Newswire. “We are building a powerful trading
Telcoin is focused on disrupting the international remittance market platform that makes managing digital assets easy and efficient.
currently dominated by large companies such as Money Gram. CoinLion contains a unique portfolio management tool and public
They want to use cryptocurrency and telecoms to provide very profile system that rewards users for sharing portfolios, strategies,
cheap transfers to empower the 'little people', taking back power and information relating to the management of digital assets."
from big companies. They also plan to use their currency to utilize
roaming spending, international aid and online payments in general.
With their partnership with mobile operators, they are in the 50. ShoCard
position to reach a huge wealth of potential customers.
Based in Palo Alto, ShoCard uses blockchain technology to verify
identity. ShoCard co-founder Jeff Weitzman told TechCrunch:
47. Otonomos ‘We’ve created a digital identity card that is as easy to use as
a driver’s license but it’s so secure that a bank can rely on it.
Singapore-based Otonomos's platform empowers entrepreneurs to We’re using public and private keys, data hashing, multi-factor
incorporate their businesses on a digital distributed ledger. Its on- authentication.’
line service allows users to form, fund, and govern their companies
on the blockchain simply by opening a digital share wallet on it. Founded in 2015, ShoCard raised $1.5m in venture capital
shortly after launch and in May last year struck up its first major
Former CEO Han Verstraete told FinTech website Let’s Talk partnership with airline IT company SITA, joining forces to build
Payments that: "We increasingly see that the underlying Bitcoin a proof-of-concept for a technology streamlining the way airlines
protocol could become a ledger for broader financial assets. Cash verify passenger identities. IQ
was the blockchain’s first application. Traditionally, it’s held either in
banks or under people’s mattresses so to say, and Bitcoin made
cash digital. Commodities especially gold is next: by linking digital
tokens to a physical bar of gold or any other commodity, its own-
ership can be irreversibly documented hence it can be exchanged
peer-to-peer. But if you look around for broader financial assets,
more than 80% of the world’s financial value is held in a legal
container called the limited company. So we are bringing company
shares on the blockchain."
48. Crowdwiz
33
Page Title •
S
ingapore is something of an economic miracle,
building itself into a real port of affluence
since it gained independence from Malaysia in
1965. Today, it is a hub of innovation. Last year, Nestpick,
a Berlin-based startup that analyzed popular startup
Focus on:
locations, ranked it the best city in the world for startups,
based on metrics such as existing startup ecosystems,
quality of life, salary, cost of living, social security, and
benefits. The city-state also jumped ahead of European
200%
initiative. that: “Singapore’s fantastic infrastructure,
thriving RDQI ecosystem and the collabora-
tive approach of government organizations
and public-private partnerships make it a
perfect place for innovation. This is one
of the many reasons why we have made
TAX DEDUCTION Singapore the home of our AMEA region.” IQ
"Singapore is great because of the strong and diverse talent pool, the excellent
research infrastructure we can tap into, and the collaboration opportunities with
academia, startup, and industry peers."
Sher Lin Ee, Regional Head, R&D at Evonik
This July 11-12 will also see Singapore play host to
the CxO Innovation Festival 2018. Leading executives
in Big Data, Innovation, Strategy, and Corporate
Finance from a diverse array of industries will come
together to discuss solutions to the challenges they
are facing and how they are innovating to drive
success in their organizations.
JULY 11-12
CXO INNOVATION FESTIVAL 2018
35
interview • digital
Cindy Mallory is co-chair of the blockchain committee at the VR/AR You're heavily involved in VR.
Association, an international Research Committee shaping the VR/ What challenges do you see in
AR location-based entertainment space. She was formerly a Business analytics that are unique to the
Analyst and VR Game Developer at DreamSail Games, creator of VR space compared to other fields
award winning titles that includes Blade Ballet. Her focus at DreamSail in gaming?
was on analytics management and she assisted in virtual reality de-
velopment by defining, analyzing, and documenting requirements for The advent of new technologies to collect
game creation with emergent technology. data for VR gaming is already exciting.
Platforms such as cognitiveVR and Ghostline
Hi Cindy. You've had a fascinating a list of stakeholder aligned goals. You can are analytic solutions that map out user
career trajectory so far. How did split the goals into dimensions with metrics interaction, visualize sessions, collect
you get started? and then figure out what tools for measuring hardware data, and encourage A/B testing
data work best for you. and feedback fueled design. There are so
I studied biochemistry with an emphasis on many SDKs being developed to assist with
mathematics and physics. Methods for lab I created a KPI database for DreamSail game analytics that the challenge is not
research primed me for data analysis; it’s Games that segments indicators into about innovation; it’s an ethical problem. A
what I was already doing when I calculated Marketing, Financial, and In-game. During lot of the new techs depend on real-time
enzyme reaction rates, ran kinetic assays, the developmental process, KPIs can serve processing of the player’s physiological and
read UV wavelengths and modified exper- as thermometers gauging interest. Alexa, behavioral information.
iments for a better run. That was my first Google Analytics, Facebook Insights,
brush with trend analysis and predictive SteamWorks Financial, GameAnalytics, and The way a user interacts with VR allows for
modeling. My project was the isolation and StreamHatchet all provide data that can be extremely pervasive information collection.
purification of a recombinant cloned enzyme used to monitor social mention and efficacy Bio-haptics and positional tracking will
for biofuel application. I ran experiments of marketing campaigns. granularly improve with each iteration of
geared toward yield purifications of a protein virtual reality hardware. As tech improves
grown in E-coli until I made a profile on a Interesting. What challenges do the feeling of immersion will as well, but it
dating site... you face in tracking KPIs and shouldn’t cost personal data to access.
what advice would you give for A reason I joined the VR/AR Association
A NYC game designer threw a 3D model of those looking to overcome them? Entertainment Industry Committee was to
my research project into a game engine. I help establish standards for the VR space in
was hooked. I started dabbling with a few I created a system to record and archive regards to data collection, consent, storage,
coding languages, business strategy, and weekly snapshots for my KPIs that allows and transmission of personal information.
data-driven marketing. I accepted a position me to interact with webmaster and analytic
at DreamSail Games, a Midtown VR creative suites in a consistent and thorough method. What do you see as the most ex-
studio, as their business analyst. I geek out Logging the information isn’t difficult. The citing developments in VR? Where
whenever I can transfer my methodologies toughest hurdles present themselves do you see the industry heading?
from biochem to business. with effective report generation and data
visualization. I try to map out progress in the industry by
The gaming industry has got following startup acquisitions and venture
significantly more analytical I’m a girl that’s familiar with methodically capital financing. A new wave peripheral VR
in recent years. Why are KPIs pouring over data sets. It’s easy enough to company to watch, Ultrahaptics, is offering
important to track in video game list and tally values, the real challenge hits developmental kits for tactile virtual button
development and which do you with evaluation. The ability to sort through technology via ultrasound transducer arrays.
feel are the most important? troves of information and pick out trends to Inside out tracking is also a hot tech for
strategically bolster marketing proposals... VR and AR, along with volumetric capture.
Every studio has different analytical that’s a skill I constantly hone. It’s important I’m keeping a close eye on 8i (high fidelity
documentation requirements based on to be able to translate information from a volumetric video) and Fove (low latency eye
size, funding, methodology, and industry spreadsheet format into clear, visual reports tracking and foveated rendering). I’m also
standards. I think it’s important to first break that allow your team to make informed excited for the OEM ecosystem explosion.
down the needs of your studio and create decisions. High-end VR will become more acces-
36
sible as PC powered HMDs in the range of in industries where there is a congruity of
$300-500 become available to consumers.
Manufacturers such as Dell and Lenovo are
interests. The collective contribution of
competing companies creates a phenome- Top 5 Most
hustling to put out HMD kits to accompany a
line of Windows 10 VR ready computers.
non of encouragement that fosters research
and knowledge sharing. This, in turn, Innovative In...
On a personal level, I am really excited
accelerates content creation, VR develop-
ment accessibility, and the rate of consumer
Tech
By R&D Spend
about mixed reality. It’s challenging to share adoption. As DreamSail progressed past
a spatial experience through traditional
2d mediums such as photo or video. A
R&D and pre-production into vertical slice
development, I’ve gained mentors and
1
shaky, flattened recording of a player’s friends who work for VR studios vying for the
POV doesn’t convey the presence of virtual same small demographic. In the early stages South Korea
reality. Mixed reality is a fantastic way to of production, insights, and partnerships R&D Expense: $12.72bn
introduce an audience to VR...and it just provided by pioneering developers, who are Toal Rev: $167.68bn
looks really cool. Tell me you never stared rooting for us to succeed, have made all the % of Rev spent on R&D:
at a video game and wished yourself in the difference. 7.58%
environment. Traditional green screen set
ups require aligning a physical camera with Finally, there has been a lot in the
a camera in the virtual world to composite news over recent years around 2
capture mixed-reality gameplay. This method issues around gender in the gam-
is time-consuming and tedious. I’m so ing industry. Do you think gender
geeked about the prototyped LIV Cube. is still an issue in gaming? Do you United States
It’s a portable green screen room that will see companies doing enough to R&D Expense: $10.05bn
revolutionize how content creators approach improve the issue, and what else Toal Rev: $215.64bn
VR streaming. I’m happy to announce that do you think could be done? % of Rev spent on R&D:
DreamSail Games partnered with LIV to 4.66%
bring one of the first 50 LIV cubes to NYC We all remember Gamergate. The struggle
(and the Game Analytics Summit!). for inclusion in gaming culture for women
and non-cis individuals is still raging. White 3
Will games studios be able to papers demonstrate a disparity in access
share data and analytics insights to virtual reality and highlight a gap in
United States
to develop better VR or is the wages and hire for women working in VR
R&D Expense: $6.30bn
competition too great? development. As a woman accustomed to Toal Rev: $49.25bn
being a minority in my field, it’s devastating % of Rev spent on R&D:
Absolutely, it’s already happening. I’ve been to compile audience segmentation reports 12.78%
lucky enough to meet some amazing game that indicate the “smart” thing to do is
developers while exhibiting at conventions
like GDC, Twitchcon, and PAX that are kind
design a game geared towards placating
the male millennials dominating the pool.
4
enough to answer my ridiculous emails. This being said, VR is a space that is ripe for
I send out requests (with smiley faces) equality. There are amazing communities of
that ask intimate development questions developers and evangelists formed around Finland
regarding active session stats on their the movement to support Women in VR.
R&D Expense: $4.66bn
Toal Rev: $24.93bn
games, efficacy of marketing campaigns,
% of Rev spent on R&D:
and developmental systems inquiries ranging An issue that has to be addressed is
18.68%
from production duration to team size to harassment in the virtual space. Traditional
agile software preferences. The industry
guidance and support system I’ve cultivated
platforms for gaming kept trolling and
intimidation limited to voice, messages, and
5
for my team demonstrate a willingness in the avatar actions on a 2D screen. With the
VR space to share for the greater good. We advent of social VR, cases of spatial harass- Sweden
are in uncharted territory with a disruptive ment have already sprung up. Developers R&D Expense: $3.49bn
technology. Online communities offer need to proactively address concerns over Toal Rev: $24.52bn
support while developers create tutorials, VR etiquette and strive to stamp out toxic % of Rev spent on R&D:
give talks, and publish devlogs. behaviors. I feel like companies are aware of 14.21%
Source data: PwC
inequality issues and as long as the com-
Coopetition, otherwise known as coopera- munity is proactive in demanding safe game
tive competition, is a principal chronicled in spaces, developers are more than happy to
game theory. The mechanisms of juxtaposed comply. IQ
competition and cooperation take place
37
Focus on • marketing
M
arketing Automation Software includes programs and technologies the Visitor ID feature can identify business
that allow marketing departments to more effectively complete and visitors’ organizations based on their IP
streamline tasks like email, phone, and social media to grow revenue address. It allows you to build landing
faster and improve the alignment of marketing and sales. Not only does pages and helps maintain your leads and
it have CRM integration capabilities, but it includes features like campaign man- bridges the gaps across departments,
agement and marketing analytics. Do you want to increase web traffic? What about especially marketing and sales.
your company’s productivity? Continue reading for the top marketing automation
solutions for 2018. Hatchbuck
HubSpot Because it’s used primarily by enterprises, Another viable option for small business-
it best manages larger scale campaigns es, onboarding and following up with
With 83% of the users being marketers across various channels, with heavy report- customers is made easy with access to
from small and mid-size businesses, ing. The workflow interface is good, and automated email campaigns, email builders,
Hubspot is one of the most popular you can design campaigns both simple and and templates. The email builder is user
platforms on the market. Automate your complex. Adobe Campaign is the choice for friendly, and the automated campaigns are
email campaigns without using code, and you if your email marketing campaigns need capable of alerting you when a customer
personalize each of them using details more competitive analytics and challenging takes action. It’s the equivalent of Hubspot
from your CRM. The visual editor feature email streams. There’s even a feature that but designed for smaller businesses, and
allows you to map out your workflow in real tracks previous behaviors and interests, so nurtures leads just as effectively. It’s an
time, whether the campaign is simple or you can always personalize your emails to affordable solution for beginners with an
multifaceted. Set up internal notifications to their fullest extent. In addition, it’s a solution exceptional support desk.
alert your team when a contact makes an for more dynamic CRM campaigns.
important advancement. Overall, Hubspot Automating your digital communication
is a comprehensive marketing solution that IBM Watson Campaign workflow will speed up the process, and
is user friendly. Plus, Hubspot Academy Automation foster the relationships between your
offers video and classroom training to better company’s departments. If you want to
understand the software. Managing email, social, mobile, and lead keep up with the demands of your industry
management campaign processes are and better understand how your customers
Marketo made easier with IBM Watson Campaign are interacting with your interface, these
Automation. It delivers consistent expe- marketing automation systems will propel
Just like HubSpot, there’s minimal coding, riences, and provides analytical insights you forward. Of course, the tools listed here
but a higher percentage of users are from - several options are available to conduct aren’t your only options. Be sure to check
mid-size companies. From email marketing reporting. Marketers can achieve consist- out reviews of all marketing automation
and landing pages to SEO and analytics, it ency through the tracking of customer tools available to you on TrustRadius to
allows you to engage with your prospects behavior through a multitude of sources, to better understand the landscape, and
on a personal level, without the help of IT. better create an identity. If you’re a mid- select software with confidence.
Marketo allows you to trigger emails off sized company or enterprise looking for
behaviors like social shares, web visits, or an automation system with detailed email Author: Kelsey Taylor is a creative writer
check ins at in person events. It leverages marketing, this is a good choice. The mail- and lover of all things digital media. She's
activity and demographic based scoring to merge function adds a different dimension a poet, educator, and regular contributor
make funnel metrics more efficient, and it to your marketing approach. to TrustRadius where she continues to
can track lead lifecycles and revenue stages write about software and tips for B2B
from various reports. SharpSpring companies. IQ
38
Page Title •
DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE STATS
11% 31% 7%
UK's TOTAL GDP would be
of businesses have cur- of leaders see ethnic diver- better off if workplace
rent plans to improve the sity as important to the discrimination based on gen-
ethnic diversity of their success of their business in der, sexual orientation and
senior management team the future ethnicity was eliminated
Grant Thornton's latest 'Diversity Grant Thornton's latest 'Diversity Centre for Economics and Business
Snapshot’ Snapshot’ Research (Cebr) report
79 cents
amount a women earns for every
dollar a man makes in the US
Companies in the top
quartile for racial and
ethnic diversity are
39
event report •
Digital strategy
FEBRUARY 27 & 28 | 2018
MARRIOTT MARQUIS
NEW YORK
innovation
Festival
W
hat do Morgan
Stanley, NBC,
and GE have in
common?
40
Digital
Marketing
summit
event Takeaways
“We grossly underutilize the data we have "We all face the challenge of having online success with an
available. We need people like mathema- offline result, and it's difficult to know what worked and what
ticians, people that are dedicated full time didn't work. We're all dealing with the same correlational
to quant. But agencies aren't structured data where you hope it worked because at the same time your
that way, marketing teams aren't struc- content ran, you saw a spike in sales, but how do you know? As
tured that way. If you want to be success- data becomes more and more niche and as Amazon continues
ful in digital marketing, you need to put to take over the world, we'll get to see more direct retail inter-
the science behind that conversation." faces and should get better at this."
that works.”
5 Study, learn, borrow. “Many of the
most innovative companies got there
event Takeaways
Digital
Justin Sellman, Vice President of E-Com-
Summit “Look for the technology partner who’s going to enable you to
achieve what you want not just from a front-facing aesthetic
standpoint, but from an analytics standpoint, so you know and
you can prove that what you’re doing is actually meaningful for
the bottom line. Do it. Test it. And always be improving on it.”
"First, ask the question, "What does is Finally, remember that every customer is trying to tell a story
say about your customer that they use about themselves in which they're the protagonist, where in the
your brand?". We go out there and we end they have the great life and the happily ever after. So what
Deb Gabor, ask customers how satisfied they are is your customer's story and how do you make them the hero?
Sol Marketing with our brand, how likely are you to Because every single thing they buy, from you and everyone
CEO and Au- recommend use. We very rarely ask this else, is helping them to construct that story."
thor of 'Brand- question, so 99-100% of the time they're
ing is Sex: Get going to tell you something you don't
Your Customer know, because you've never asked this
Laid', listed question.
three key ques-
tions you need Second, ask what is the singular benefit
to ask about that customers get from you that they
your brand" can't from anyone else? This speaks to
indispensability. The way to ask this
question is 'what would your life be like
if we took this brand away from you?'
What would happen if you removed this
brand from life. It speaks to meaningful
differentiation. And it's rarely a feature -
the functional and emotional benefit of
which can always be imitated by some-
one else.
42
event Takeaways
Women In Strategy
“As a woman in the seat of CEO, having As women, we tend to lead with emotion
to tell my story of perfume, most men and a lot less with intellect, tending to
cannot relate. They think, ‘well, it’s a lead off with ‘we have this great story,
thing, it’s an industry?’ So you tell them we’re so passionate, we’ve been working
it’s a $14 billion industry, and their eyes on this baby for however many years’.
Mariya Nurislamo- light up and they go, ‘huh, like in the Men, on the other hand, just go, ‘I just
va, Co-Founder and US?’, and you’re like, ‘yes, in the US’. made you x number of dollars’, and
CEO of fragrance The thing is, men understand numbers. that gets the investor in the right state
subscription service So when fundraising, you have to know of mind. So first, I think we have to be
Scentbird, on rais- your numbers better than any guy in the better prepared, and second, we have to
ing funds as a female room. The fact is, we’re not walking into be able to tell our story through numbers
entrepreneur: a playing field that is even across genders. because that is what investors under-
We don’t have to be just be as good as stand.”
the guy next to us, we have to be better.
You need come better rehearsed, better
prepared, and you know your numbers.
“We have been competing with
YouTube for over a decade, but
recently have launched tools for
our creators to help them get dis-
tribution on YouTube. We decided
to become friends with YouTube
as this was solving a problem that
our creators had."
43
Page Title •
IQ@THEIEGROUP.COM
44