The ultimate listing of ground-breaking tech startups, as recommended by the founding editor of WIRED UK David Rowan
I was lucky to get a ticket to the annual conference hosted by Verve Search, an outstanding London SEO marketing agency. From PR outreach email writing to successful campaign dynamics, the whole day event was packed with talks and tips, delivered by some of the most extraordinary journalists in the UK, including the keynote speaker, founding editor of WIRED UK, David Rowan.
David’s one-hour finale titled “Why true innovation comes down to mindset and culture” was a truly eye-opening experience. By introducing an array of companies with the latest technology and innovation, he showcased how much tech is integrating into businesses and our day-to-day lives since we are already half way into 2019. According to David, the most innovative companies come down to mindset and culture. They are agile, disruptive, embracing tech, open to diversity, has nearly zero hierarchies…and “every sector is affected including tech, science, design and architect.”
As a Chinese citizen myself, I feel challenged to catch the latest trends in my home country. So I found David’s recommended creative start-ups truly inspiring. Below are 10 companies/services I picked out of the bunch for someone who’s also craving to be in the know:
- Lilium Jet personal air taxi – if you think Uber was a leap of faith, think again;
- Zipline drones that deliver medicine or..your children to your door;
- AI Living Portraits. AI brings Mona Lisa to life ranging from the world-famous classic portraits to a Trump selfie (however the latter doesn’t require much of retouch for laughs) – watch video;
- Amazon Go 3-year-old and running “Just Walk Out” tech makes check-out free shopping possible – watch video;
- Soulmachines Emotionally responsive CGI customer service speaking different languages, aka bankers who actually understand humans;
- Xiaomi The Chinese phone company refuses to be compared with Apple. Actually, WIRED’s 2016 March cover story on founder Lei Jun put Xiaomi under the spotlight on the Chinese web and led to a series of interesting debates;
- NoPhone The placebo to your phone addiction – was $37,000 now $12, ah I need this! – watch video;
- Heywood Hill Book shop in Mayfair delivery service that sends the world bespoke books – watch video;
- e-Residency Immigration as a service launched by the Estonian government to embrace the world (fyi, UK HO) – watch video;
- Heston Cue Smart Cooking It’s time to upgrade your sous vide kit with this video guide recipe app (and cooking top) as you could whip together the latest Michelin recipes at home – watch video.
David Rowan’s new book “Non-Bullshit Innovation: Radical Ideas from the World’s Smartest Minds” is all about innovative thinking inspired by the companies alike.
While you missed this year’s conference, don’t worry! Join Europe’s largest meetup group Outreach Digital for more talks like this. Our future topics are to cover the most cutting-edge digital trends, followed by networking opportunities with amazing people working in tech. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to stay updated!
The next talk is delivered by Greg Jacobs, Senior SEO strategist at Found on Tuesday, June 25, featuring ” How to build authority through data-driven content?”. Grab your early bird ticket here for free! (or £5 Friday, June 20 onwards).
Written by Junjie Dou – connect on LinkedIn.