Innovators have to be very optimistic to believe they can create new technologies that will shake up a market. So it shouldn’t be any surprise that the high tech business leaders Xconomy writes about are looking forward to big things to come in 2011.
But these people—from diverse backgrounds in high tech, life sciences, and clean energy—have specific and clear views about what they expect will really work, and what they aren’t counting on, in the year ahead. To draw out some of the insights these folks have, we did an informal poll of sorts right before Christmas, in which we asked some of our Xconomists and other contacts to write short guest editorials about the biggest surprises in their field over the past year, or the top trends or innovations they expect to see in 2011.
We ended up with a great mix of perspectives from people in all five of the regions—Boston, Detroit, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle—where we cover the most innovative segment of the local economies. Since we spaced these posts out like clockwork once or twice a day for the past month, we thought it would be worthwhile to bundle all the posts here for a handy reference if you missed one along the way. Enjoy.
One Big Cancer Story from 2010, and Four Trends to Watch in 2011 (David Lacey, Amgen, January 14, 2011)
Five Innovations to Look for in Algae Biofuels (Stephen Mayfield, UC San Diego, January 14, 2011)
Five Predictions for Technology in 2011 (Ken Myer, University of Washington, January 13, 2011)
Top Things to Look for in Wireless in 2011 (Mark Lowenstein, Mobile Ecosystem, January 12, 2011)
Trend Spotting: The Top 9 Rise & Falls We See in the Year Ahead (Larry Bock, USA Science & Engineering Festival, January 11, 2011)
Surprises of 2010, and What to Look for in 2011 (Don Runkle, CEO of EcoMotors, January 10, 2011)
Top Four Cleantech Headlines to Watch for in 2011 (Michael Butler, Cascadia Capital, January 10, 2011)
Some Prognostications on Biotechnology in 2011 (Kleanthis Xanthopoulos, Regulus Therapeutics, January 7, 2011)
Less Changey, But Still Hopey About 2011 (Bob Nelsen, Arch Venture Partners, January 6, 2011)
Two Politically Laced Predictions for 2011, and One More About Energy (Bob Metcalfe, Polaris Venture Partners, January 6, 2011)
Five Technology Trends to Watch in 2011 (Steve Hall, Vulcan Capital, January 5, 2011)
Five Things to Look for in the Coming Year in Healthcare/Life Sciences (Sue Siegel, Mohr Davidow Ventures, January 5, 2011)
Vaccine Innovations That Will Expedite Access for the Next Generation of Treatments (James Baker, Jr., University of Michigan and NanoBio, January 4, 2011)
How 2011 Will Unfold in Healthcare (John Steuart, Claremont Creek Ventures, January 3, 2011)
Five Popular Predictions for 2011 That Don’t Gibe With Reality (Michael Greeley, Flybridge Capital Partners, January 3, 2011)
The Top 10 Ways 2010 Changed Mobile Apps (Krishna Subramanian, Mobclix, December 31, 2010)
Half and Half: My Take on 2010 and 2011 (Russ Mann, Covario, December 31, 2010)
Top Five Biotech Surprises/Innovations of 2010, & Five Trends to Watch for in 2011 (Tony Coles, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, December 30, 2010)
Xconomy Man of the Year for 2010, Plus a Gigantic Energy Prediction for 2011 (Bill Aulet, MIT’s Sloan School of Management, December 30, 2010)
The Top 3 Technology Surprises of 2010, and Six Predictions for 2011 (Tom Alberg, Madrona Venture Group, December 29, 2010)
Northern California’s Top Five Biotech Innovation News Stories (Gail Maderis, BayBio, December 28, 2010)
One Surprise in the Auto Industry in 2010 With More on the Road Ahead (David Cole, Center for Automotive Research, December 28, 2010)
Vaccines Top List of 2010 Innovations (Larry Corey, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, December 27, 2010)
