What do we build next?

This is a recording of the Virgin StartUp MeetUp that took place in September 2020. Get your tickets to our next MeetUp from virginstartup.org/events.

Starting a business means taking on risk and creating value – but the nature of this value - and crucially why we create it – is fundamentally changing. At this Virgin StartUp MeetUp, we explored the role that small business might play in the future.

The world has seemingly changed overnight, encompassing all areas of how we do business, how we live and how we work. But how many of the changes we’re experiencing were already on the cards before the pandemic? What trends in our social lives, the climate, technology and consumerism were already in motion, and will continue long into the next decade?

Joining host Ben Keene, founder of Rebel Book Club and Virgin StartUp mentor, on the panel:

• Tracey Follows, noted futurist and founder of Futuremade
• Bruce Walker, CEO & Cofounder at innovation community FutureX, and
• James Ghaffari, Director of B Corp Certification at B Lab UK,

We took a look into the coming decade and beyond, to try and chart our predictions for what comes next. What comes next for founders, for consumers, for business and for the planet.

As we uncovered at our recent MeetUps, business “success” is being redefined in front of our eyes. The ways consumers behave and respond to brands has evolved, and brands which show inauthenticity or maligned interests will be exposed at lightning speed online. Traditional business models which have been relied upon for decades are starting to look stale; the rise of adblocking software and decline of outdoor advertising are forcing brands big and small to vie for consumer attention elsewhere on social media and new audio formats.

Sustainability has become not only a watchword for societies at large, but a sign of intent in consumers. Younger generations have grown to not only seek sustainable products and brands, but openly state that they are willing to pay more for them. A Forbes report notes that 62 % of Generation Z, who will begin entering the workforce this year, prefer to buy from sustainable brands, on par with our findings for Millennials.

If purpose is going to be at the heart of the future of business, what does this mean for how we, as founders, design startups, brands and companies which can thrive?

Virgin StartUp helps founders and future founders start and grow the businesses they’re passionate about. Our monthly MeetUp events are for founders to access invaluable advice and network with like-minded entrepreneurs. Find out more at virginstartup.org

Thanks to the support from Virgin Money, we’re able to make our MeetUp events free to attend, providing thousands of early-stage founders with the support they need to start and scale businesses in the UK.

Virgin Money are here to disrupt the status quo. They want everyone to have a much happier relationship with money. Through their brilliant colleagues, inspiring spaces and digital solutions they are doing everything they can to offer a life more Virgin. They provide a full range of banking products and services to help founders at every stage of their business journey.

#virgin #virginstartup #startups #futurism #sustainability #BCorp

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.