With the rapid pace of events on the web and the information revolution sparked by the Internet, it’s very easy for the technology industry to think it’s unique: constantly breaking new ground and doing things that nobody has ever done before.
But there are other sorts of business that have already undergone some of the same radical shifts, and have just as great a stake in the future.
Take healthcare, for instance.
We often think of it as a huge, lumbering beast, but in truth, medicine has undergone a series of revolutions in the past 200 years that are at least equal to those we see in technology and information.
The first stirrings of modern chemistry and biology were only just beginning in the 19th century, but by 1967, Christiaan Barnard started transplanting hearts. Similarly, it was only in the 1950s Watson and Crick discovered DNA. Less than 50 years later, the first draft of the human genome was produced. If that’s not rapid, world-shattering change, then what is?
Pharma has also faced other challenges the web industry is only now starting to realize. Products are slow to make, and drugs can take years to design, test and manufacture. Accordingly, R&D spending in pharmaceuticals is very high overall; according to the European Union (PDF), five of the world’s top 10 companies by R&D spend are in drugs or biotechnology (among traditional technology companies, only Microsoft, Nokia and Samsung feature in the list). And it’s a far greater proportion of total turnover (Pfizer spends around one seventh of revenues on research, Apple spends around one dollar on R&D for every 13 it brings in).
And where the planet’s electronics giants spend billions attempting to end piracy and patent infringement, pharmaceutical companies are rapidly adjusting to the fact that they only get 12 years before patent protection ends and other companies can introduce generic drugs. Imagine a situation where Windows 98 was already old enough to be forcibly open-sourced, and you get the idea of how disruptive that might be.
So, what does the pharmaceutical industry have to teach us?
First, be careful. Your property and ideas won’t be yours for long.
Second, while new discoveries are important, revolutions can be reliably predicted, most of the time. From the outside, Barnard’s transplants were a radical shift in surgery. From inside the profession, it was the next obvious step after previous organ transplants.
Third, the way money is being spent will inevitably change. It’s already happening: an issue addressed by the latest VC bulletin from Go4Venture, a London-based advisory group for European entrepreneurs and investors (you can sign up here). Their latest dispatch outlines the state of deal-making in Europe (more of them, but less valuable, as reflected in figures we wrote about last month), and they also point out Europe’s technology financing system is undergoing a significant shift:
[there is a] major structural change in European venture capital financing where corporates will play a more prominent role going forward. Corporates are facing a lasting ex-growth market environment (courtesy of debt-laden Western economies) and realise that internal R&D is rather expensive and just cannot cover the whole front of innovation.
For corporates, investing in start-ups has the added advantage of encouraging a more entrepreneurial culture inside and creating a stream of acquisition opportunities.
Pharma has been there before, in an early move precipitated by proprietary drugs coming off patent, and we are now seeing the pharma model spreading to other IP-driven sectors.
Spending more of the R&D budget on other companies doesn’t just mean acquisition, of course — although the startup world is very familiar with the process and it’s clearly the most common option. Just yesterday, Google spent $60 million making the slightly odd move to buy British price comparison website BeatThatQuote. It could also mean more early investment in small companies, like the $100,000 Microsoft is putting into Moscow-based anti-piracy startup Pirate Pay.
But what it does mean is, ultimately, the growth in the number of deals we’re seeing is going to get faster, and there will be more opportunities for innovative startups and smart entrepreneurs. Twinned with the aggressive, high valuation investing strategy of a company like Russia’s Digital Sky Technologies, it seems more likely than not we’ll see things explode, in Europe and elsewhere, over the next year or two.
Related content from GigaOM Pro (subscription req’d):
- A 2011 NewNet Forecast
- A 2011 Mobile Forecast
- A 2011 Connected Consumer Forecast
Businesses would be more interested in saving trees if money grew on them.Cross-posted from TriplePundit.
In 2009, I cofounded a company called CO2 IMPACT to develop high quality carbon offset projects in the Americas. While I have a Ph.D. in business, I have frequently been too focused on my values to justify the business case for a lower carbon footprint. I guess I care too much about what we are doing to the planet and what we are leaving behind for my son, Mateo.
Along the way, I have learned a painful lesson that hopefully can help other aspiring climate capitalists: Most people and most industries don't really care about the planet or climate change. They care about things that matter to their pocketbook or to their bottom line. I am of course exaggerating a bit as, for example, most of the Triple Pundit readers care about the environmental and social impacts of their activities, not just the financial.
Most of us noticed that Obama's recent rhetoric about energy efficiency and renewables avoided the topic of climate change altogether. This is not because Obama suddenly doesn't care about climate change. It is that he has learned what messaging works with the American people. Jobs, economy, jobs, oh yes, and did I mention jobs?
How we frame the issues and opportunities related to the low-carbon economy is incredibly important. Too many of us, myself included, wear our passion on our sleeves and focus on the wrong issues in trying to help engage a skeptical public to make the transition.
This is of course why Peter Byck developed a documentary, Carbon Nation, (which I blogged about recently), a climate change solutions movie "that doesn't even care if you believe in climate change." This is also the reason why I cowrote the forthcoming book, Climate Capitalism with Hunter Lovins. We hope that by removing the "debate" about climate change from the conversation and focusing on the profits, jobs, and economic growth that can be achieved by making the switch to a low-carbon economy, we might have more of an impact on public discourse and private action.
When CO2 IMPACT first started promoting our services to the market, our messaging focused on our ability to help companies reduce their emissions and generate extra revenue by selling the carbon offsets into the market. My opinion now is that was definitely the wrong message. We now focus on showing how companies can save money, or make more money, by engaging in energy efficiency, fuel switching, or methane capture projects. Oh yeah, and by the way, you can make some additional revenue from offsets to improve the project return on investment and grow your "green" brand at the same time.
Take our coal mine methane projects in Colombia. There have been two explosions from excessive gas in underground coal mines in Colombia this year killing 26 people. Last year, more than 200 miners were killed in similar explosions. While there are socially responsible mining companies who are absolutely concerned about the health and safety of their employees, the best arguments to get clients to embrace coal mine methane capture projects are financial. Mitigate operational risks of explosions, gain access to the methane as a cheap, green energy source, reduce their operating costs from ventilation systems (if you drain much of the gas, there is less ventilation requirements), and, oh yes, reduce their climate impact and gain additional carbon offset revenue.
Think Latin American coal mines are the only companies who care more about their bottom line than their impact on climate change? North American companies, except for a few notable exceptions, are the same way. Many recent articles in Triple Pundit have rightly recognized Walmart for its recent transition to being a climate leader. Does anyone really think that Walmart is doing this because they have suddenly become treehugging liberals? I don't think so. They are doing it because they are saving money. And lots of it. And Walmart, yes Walmart, won the Aspen Institute's 2009 Corporate Energy Efficiency Award [PDF] because of this commitment.
GE has made major efforts to promote their low-carbon green solutions. Sure they use their campaign to build their green credentials, but mostly they are doing it to generate more green bills. The Ecoimagination program is generating more than $18 billion per year in revenues for GE.
In conclusion, my point is for all of us who care about the planet and want to be part of the transition to the low-carbon economy, we need to focus more on the economy part, and slightly less on the low-carbon part. That is the fastest way to get to 350 parts per million.
BenchCraft, LLC announced that it'll debut its Concert Series, a whole new line of recliners with an integrated sound product, at Huge Stage Marketplace on October 17-22, 2009. Concert Series recliners aspect two built-in stereo speakers plus a subwoofer made particularly to build a full collection of sound. It has tactile motors that could possibly vibrate with the sound or be put into use independently like a massage method, and separate controls that allow for particular person adjustments to be built to the volume, bass/treble, in addition to the tactile/massage aspect. The program, which will possess a commencing total price point of $699, will even involve a mini audio jack so users can connect to their many different audio sources (i.e. iPods, MP3 gamers, cell phones, and many others.). To that finish, Sinning noted that Berkline may also be introducing in pick out motion
bench craft company reviews
furniture its new eCoupled technological know-how option--a wireless charging station for electronic units such as cell phones, MP3 gamers, and laptops. Formulated by Fulton Innovation, it eliminates the have for electrical power cords by creating an electromagnetic conduit combined with an intelligent command model that regularly monitors electrical power flow so a variety of products from various manufactures can cost at the same time. eCoupled technologies is also protected for digital products mainly because it delivers only the quantity of energy
bench craft company reviews
desired to keep a machine at peak vitality amounts, so there is no threat of overcharging. Although the quantity of devices compatible with this technology is limited, Berkline expects that alot more and much more brand names will move toward incorporating the capability to connect towards the eCoupled function
The Bench Craft Company presents no excuses for that very hard do the job and perseverance that they commit themselves to so that you can retain on their own because the leader in nationwide onsite golf program house
bench craft company reviews
advertising. No excuses for giving their customers along with the most thorough protection for their bench craft company reviews marketing dollar if it be locally or nationwide. No excuses for furnishing golf course properties the most seamless plan for producing excess profits while in the most non-intrusive manner, although enhancing the superior of your amenities plus the encounter of their golfers on their residence. Bench Craft is committed to staying the best and then the main at what they do, marketing on golf program bench craft company reviews venues.
In an age wherever no one
bench craft company reviews
desires to get responsibility for anything, Bench Craft makes itself fully accountable for your good results of their marketing consumers, that is why their clientele and nicely as Bench Craft continuously working experience nutritious progress prices and revenue margins. A corporation can't be any longer
bench craft company reviews
prosperous than their purchaser, so its goal of Bench Craft to produce a number of that any client receives the very best doable venue for presenting their users
bench craft company reviews
items and companies, if it be locally or nationally. This dedication to high quality is what sets Bench Craft aside from its competitors, and dollar for dollar would make its advertising merchandise many of the most invaluable with the market.
The golf programs bench craft company reviews that Bench Craft Company works in concert with, receive services and programs at no value. Bench Craft Company product sales group instantly funds this strategy for every golf program by getting sponsors for every product. Local vendors and gamers with the neighborhood acquire sponsorship priority and golf program management works carefully with Bench Craft to recognize prospective sponsors. Bench Craft’s remarkably successful
bench craft company reviews
procedure gives you golf programs a cost-free of cost substitute that also eliminates expenditures as a result of layout alterations, program modifications, theft and vandalism.
As staying a definite extra advantage, every course is guarded below a $3,000,000 liability policy. The organization can accommodate virtually every single golf program. Also, Bench Craft Company functions collectively with all branches on the Armed Forces, not to mention state, county and city golf programs. This collection of golf courses gives you Bench Craft’s clients together with the most detailed protection of golf course properties inside United states.
The forward
bench craft company reviews
considering Visionaries at Bench Craft Company designed a procedure that garners the consideration and participation of not simply its personal sales workers, but the sponsors, golf course management and therefore the membership and patrons. There is just one Bench Craft Company, don’t drop for rip off plots by imposters running a rip-off.
bench craft company reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment