The culture of Barcelona draws people from around the world. With incredible buildings, great food and amazing night life, Barcelona attracts 32 million tourists per year. With a population of approximately 1.6 million people, the streets are an endless stream of foreign selfie takers and food connoisseurs. Barcelona is also home to La Sagrada Familia … More 4 Ingredients That Put Barcelona On The Startup Map
A little while ago I went to the Knowledge Into Action Forum, which was run by ABIS (Academy of Business in Society) and hosted at the Unilever training centre. The focus was collaborating on how to drive innovation by putting sustainability at the core of business and research practices. The day was a mix of … More Polymateria: Redesigning Plastic to Solve The Plastic Epidemic
Portugal has bounced back pretty strongly from the global financial crisis, with employment going from about 16% in the peak to just over 6% today. The streets are bustling with tourists which has great implications for the economy, but challenges for locals. About 20% of their GDP comes from tourism so the country needs tourists, … More Sustainable Travel Guide: Portugal
“The only way to change the future is to disrupt the present.” – Basically every visionary person at some point in history The Australian National Outlook 2019 was released earlier this week by the CSIRO along with 20 partner organisations. It is a report that models Australia’s future to 2060 focusing on social, environmental and … More Australian National Outlook 2019: A Drifting or Dynamic Future For Australia?
On the streets of Portugal you would never really know that under 10 years ago they were bailed out by the European Union during the peak of the global financial crisis. People seem happy and when you look at the numbers, it tells a compelling story of growth. Portugal’s unemployment rate has fallen from 17.4% … More 5 Portuguese Lessons for Building a World Class Startup Ecosystem
The Lisbon Investment Summit’s (LIS) slogan is #nobullshit. There are so many conferences that entrepreneurs, investors and corporates which lead to little more than stroking of egos and exchanging business cards. LIS 2019 was quite the affair. Over 2 days, about 1500 attendees packed into a former naval rope-making factory in the touristy suburb of … More Is the Future of Capitalism and Democracy a Ticking Time Bomb?
Where do the bounds of social and environmental issues start and end? For some, it is addressing climate change. For others, it is reducing poverty. However, in some cases it can be more nuanced. What happens when a business engages freelancers on an ongoing basis and doesn’t pay them for their services under the guise … More No Free Work: How a Business Became the Face of Freelance Equality
On the world map, Latvia is located on the east coast of the Baltic Sea and has almost 2 million inhabitants. This is about half the size of Melbourne in Australia! It is nestled in the Baltic states between Estonia and Lithuania and they all have one thing in common. Their populations have all been declining … More Latvia’s Innovative Approach to Economic Growth
Data today can be used to improve as well as hinder society. With large companies dominating data from our devices, it is important we create new networks that add value to society. Instead, they can help generate more equitable outcomes for people, place and the planet. There are some exciting emerging models of using data … More SynchroniCity: The EU’s Plan to Build the Ultimate Smart City Network
I had heard about Finland’s progressive culture and positive action on climate change. However, it wasn’t until I was on the ground and hearing from locals about clean tech, partnerships and new business models that I got a true sense of it. When I met with Tiina Kähö, Executive Director of Helsinki Metropolitan Smart and … More How Innovative Partnerships Can Transform Cities
Planet B Insights 