Before looking to 2024, it’s helpful to reflect on the predictions for the top 3 technology and innovation trends anticipated for 2023. For the Foundry 415 community, we’ve broken this down to view the trends from both a Silicon Valley and global perspective. To see references and data sources, please see here:
Silicon Valley 2023 Trends:
AI will become increasingly commoditized and made accessible for developers through new platforms and tools (Copilot, Anthropic) allowing faster deployment across enterprise and consumer applications.
Climate tech will be a major VC/startup focus with innovations in areas like carbon accounting/monitoring, energy storage/transmission, electric aviation, and agriculture sustainability solutions attracting renewed attention and funding.
More crypto/Web3 startups will shift emphasis to hybrid models blending aspects of decentralization with pragmatic centralization amidst turbulence in the blockchain space through 2022. Hybrid web3 innovators will gain more traction.
Global 2023 Trends:
Adoption of embedded finance and open banking solutions will accelerate across APAC, LatAm, and African markets allowing more access to credit and financial services.
Telehealth and decentralized clinical trial solutions will continue growth trajectories connecting patients to care virtually including AR/VR medical tools and remote patient monitoring apps.
Supply chain/logistics infrastructure tech will remain hot given inflation and fulfillment pressures with analytics, procurement automation, warehouse robots, and electrification of transport gaining investment.
Now let’s look at what’s predicted for 2024, again Silicon Valley and global predictions are separated.
Silicon Valley 2024 Trends
Autonomous transportation platforms will expand beyond robotaxis to enable driverless delivery including drones, sidewalk robots, and self-driving container vehicles as pilots transition into commercial services.
Higher-value health therapeutics will emerge from the convergence of biotech, AI/ML, and quantum computing especially focused on previously “undruggable” disease targets and personalized medicines.
Educational and workforce collaboration tools will integrate AR/VR to drive greater engagement in corporate learning programs, higher education courses, and remote teaming.
Global 2024 Trends
Developing countries will invest heavily in “civic tech” startups providing government services and infrastructure monitoring through digital platforms as internet connectivity spreads.
Carbon removal/sequestration technology across the categories of engineered solutions, mineralization, biological pathways and direct air capture will gain support given climate pressures.
Mobile-first nuclear fusion prototypes will demonstrate enough promising capability to attract sizeable investment and partnerships, especially in Asian and European regions.
We recommend noting these trends now and adding your opinion as to which are more or less likely to occur. Join us in revisiting the list next December alongside Foundry 415 to check your accuracy.