When you ask business leaders to step back and imagine the world in 20 years, an interesting thing happens. They think outside their immediate sector. They talk about solving the bigger problems of society. And, if they’re from New England, they place the region’s contributions in the context of global concerns.
None of this is new, but it is important. Boston’s innovation legacy amounts to a lot more than the sum of individuals’ efforts in fields like technology, healthcare, and education. It amounts to being able to think critically about the future—and then working collaboratively to help create it.
That’s the broader mission of Boston 2035, our full-day innovation conference tomorrow (Wednesday) at Babson College. We’ve put together a speaker lineup and program that will be inspirational, surprising, and, we hope, productive when it comes to making connections and building relationships that matter. We still have room for a few more attendees, so if you haven’t registered yet, you may do so here.
We reached out to our speakers to get their quick predictions on life in 2035. Here are a couple more contributions. First up is Tom Erickson, the CEO of Acquia, one of Boston’s fastest-growing software companies (and a prime candidate for an IPO). He is one of those leaders who’s thinking about how Boston’s strengths across different sectors can help improve society:
And next up is Abby Speicher, the CEO of a startup called DARTdrones. I know, there are a lot of drone companies these days. But someone has to train people to fly them, right? Speicher’s company is an FAA-certified drone pilot training academy (founders pictured at top). Here’s her prediction:
Intriguing. Does that mean we will actually fly to work? Or that we will telecommute via drones? You can find out Wednesday. Either way, avoiding Kendall Square at rush hour, or 128 any time, would be a significant improvement in quality of life.
Ashley Gentile contributed to this report.
