“Innovation: image the future and fill in the gaps.” – Brian Halligan
The world is constantly undergoing changes. In the early 1900s, the automobile began gaining traction in the U.S. It wasn’t until later in the 20th century that it became common within U.S. households. Along the way, the automobile influenced the development of many new businesses such as suburban shopping malls, superstores, and auto insurers.
In the relatively recent past, we have seen new technologies spring to life. Companies like Motorola and Nokia were leaders in the early days of the cellular phone, while Apple is the dominant player today. Podcasting and e-commerce are two other technology innovations which are fairly new and still growing.
Imagining the Future
As investors, it’s not enough to understand the businesses of today – we must also be thinking about technology innovation and what the business landscape might look like down the road.
We have previously discussed industries we follow closely and believe are susceptible to considerable change, such as education and healthcare. In addition, we monitor the rise of new trends such as independent labor and social commerce.
Taking it a step further, we can begin thinking about which companies are best positioned to ride these waves of technology innovation and capture value.
Companies like Facebook are making advancements in e-commerce by integrating the shopping experience with social media. On the other hand, companies like Fiverr continue to build out a services platform unlocking human productivity.
Twitter: @_SeanDavid
The author or his firm have positions in mentioned securities at the time of publication. Any opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author, and do not in any way represent the views or opinions of any other person or entity.
