Prophets and Profiting: how to anticipate the future and stay relevant ever after, 20 November 2019 NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator, London
Keynote speech by Dr Lida Hujić and networking opportunity to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week
What's the next big thing? If you are an entrepreneur, you want to be it. If you are an investor, you want to be the one who's put their money on it. But, innovation is a risky pursuit. How do you separate a fad from a disruptive idea that is a game changer? Lida may well have an answer to this perennial challenge. Introducing the-first-to-know innovation diffusion model, a new spin on the widely applied 'innovation diffusion', it is designed for sniffing out small signs of big change early on. Originally intended for consumer-centric innovation, its application is wider as it helps anticipate cyclical change in societal patterns. The novelty is its focus on the innovator, the first category on the innovation diffusion curve, which precedes the early adopter. They are the influencers, who influence influencers. Innovators only constitute 2.5% of the population but they are indicators today of what's going to be big tomorrow. As a start-up, your business may chime with what's hot among the 2.5% in which case, the future is bright. But, if not, keep an eye on them to be on trend. If you're looking for a sound investment, then let this robust model inform your choices. Either way, discover a universe where the future has already happened.