TRANSFORMBASE 2024: a masterclass in investing and adopting frontier technologies
From the metaverse to quantum computing, TransformBase’s esteemed speakers, featuring industry leaders, innovators and visionaries, delved into the worlds of business, investment, and technology, and, vitally, their intersection. Held on the 27th of June 2024, guests were invited to the renowned Northeastern University London campus, for a day brimming with activities; presentations, breakout sessions and forming collaborations, to name but a few.
The day commenced with a welcome from Eric Van der Kleij and Daniel Doll-Steinberg, co-founders and partners at EdenBase. Why now? This was the question Eric posed to Daniel. Why is now the time for TransformBase and investment into frontier technologies? The answer, which can be seen in the video linked here, is more deeply explored in Daniel’s new book, Unsupervised: Navigating and Influencing a World Controlled by Powerful New Technologies – a must read to acquire a deeper understanding to this fundamental question.
TransformBase Focus: Investment
Sessions were opened with a keynote presentation from Alex McCracken, Managing Director of Innovation Banking at J.P. Morgan, who set the scene by sharing with us where J.P. Morgan is strategically allocating its funds, and highlighting trends and emerging themes in deep technology.
Off the back of this, delegates participated in the breakout session, The Challenges and Opportunities of Deploying Capital in Frontier Technologies, led by Chris Hill (MD, EdenBase), together with Sheetal Mehta Walsh (Founder & CEO, University of Alberta AI Innovation Fund), Marcus Stuttard (Head of AIM & UK Primary Markets, LSEG) and Eze Vidra (Managing Partner, Remagine Ventures). It covered every stage of Frontier Technologies, from seed to growth to exit.
The output of this breakout was brought back to the main stage with a wind-up panel session on Investing in Frontier Technologies, moderated by Satesh Melwani (Head of Advisory Board, EdenBase) alongside Jez San (Investor & Pioneering Entrepreneur), Arian Alikhani (Partner, EdenBase), Charles Lorenceau (Founding Partner, ACE Ventures) and Marcus Stuttard. Delegates were left with a deeper understanding of how one invests in start-ups applying frontier technologies, both to generate profit and to mitigate potential threats posed by rapid technological shifts.
TransformBase Focus: How are People Using Frontier Technologies
The use of frontier technologies in fostering genuine environmental progress was initially looked at in the breakout session Authentic Environmentalism: Balancing Goals and Reality, by Viola Jardon (Accelerator Programme Director, CISL), Sahin Cagayan (Co-Founder & CEO, Faradai), Nikhil Chougley (Head of Carbon Markets & Sustainability Solutions, Reframe Capital) and Sunil Lalvani (Founder & CEO, Project Maji).
The session How are Frontier Technologies Shaping the Future of Healthcare was then explored by Andrew Humphries (Cofounder, The Bakery London), Dr Marian Daryouzeh (Senior Executive, Healthcare & Lifesciences, EY), Reza Motallebzadeh (Professor of Medical Sciences, UCL) and Dr Geoff Mullan (Director, humanpeople). It reached the conclusion that frontier technologies are poised to transform healthcare, giving new possibilities for diagnosis, treatment and patient care. Whether these innovations are accessible to all is where one of the key risks lies, and we need to ensure the use of frontier technologies does not broaden the health divide.
This was followed by the breakout session Pioneering Digital Assets in a Frontier Technology Powered World, led by Lex Sokolin (Mangaing Partner, Generative Ventures), together with Amelie Arras (Sales & Marketing Director, Zumo), Stefania Barbaglio (Founder, Financial Fox) and Benjamin Nudel (Analyst, Archimed Capital). What happens when reality become digital? This was the enquiry that this valued group of practitioners and experts interrogated.
Delegates were then treated to an exclusive presentation by Allie Gillon-Livesey (Head of AI Strategy, J.P. Morgan). J.P. Morgan is at the forefront of recognising the potential value that frontier technologies hold and have created a dedicated AI department, with over 2,000 employees globally, to help inform their clients on how to best utilise AI and frontier technologies in their respective companies and assets. Allie shared with us some of the tips she has learnt which can help in the journey to embracing this technology, specifically about how to get the most value out of AI.
TransformBase Focus: Next Generation Talent and Skills
We were honoured to have Lord Karan Bilimoria (Chancellor of the University of Birmingham and Founder & Chairman, Cobra Beer), Sheetal Mehta Walsh, Eric Van der Klejj and Mary Ludden (Senior Vice President for Global Network and Strategic Initiatives, Northeastern University) on the keynote fireside, Helping Shape the Next Generation of Talent - Education, Experiences and Investment. Talent is crucial when exploring how to effectively and sustainably deploy frontier technologies, and each speaker highlighted the pioneering actions they are taking to encourage the next generation of talent. Lord Bilimoria made a clear call for the new government to get it right, by investing in education.
The breakout that derived from this was The Future of Education and Skills, led by Professor Scott Wildman (Dean of Northeastern University) which focused on learning in a tech-driven world, the evolving job and skills demand, and subsequently how we adapt to deliver the talent needed to succeed. Guests found the breakout ‘particularly poignant’, specifically the ‘predicted impacts on coding, which highlighted the rapid pace of evolution and therefore the need to adapt our learning focus’.
We were then treated to a glimpse of what the future might look like, with a fireside chat between Eric Van der Klejj and Kevin Zhang (CEO & Founder, MixZ), which painted a picture of the next decade of growth in London, powered by a potent fusion of Eastern and Western culture and technology exchange.
With immersive technologies set to revolutionise the primary interface between humans and frontier technologies across a multitude of sectors, Andrea Abram’s (Founder & CEO, PHYGICODE), Georgii Vysotskii (Co-Founder, Gracia Al) and Mike Charalambous (CEO, Threedium) addressed how this future could look like, in the keynote fireside Beyond the Boundaries: XR & Experiential Technologies. Threedium and Gracia Al then both showcased their groundbreaking technology, showing 3D rendered luxury goods in the exhibition centre and in the breakouts.
TransformBase Focus: Privacy and Identity in an AI-Powered World
This particularly relevant and important topic was explored in multiple sessions throughout the day, kicking off with the keynote fireside Protecting your Identity: Privacy and Data in an AI powered world, by Areiel Walanow (Managing Director, Finserv Experts), Marta Piekarska-Geater (Executive Director, FIDL), Emmanuel Hadoux (Co-Founder, Scrive) and Ussal Sahbaz (Managing partner, Ussal Consultancy). The panel focused on the risks posed by Large Language Models (LLMs) on our information environment; that LLM-fuelled disinformation acts like a plague, spreading and infesting digital spaces with AI-generated content which could go viral, and that over time, LLMs could overshadow credible media outlets, undermining our access to reliable news and challenging the sustainability of media business models. It wasn’t all pessimistic though, as the keynote finished on the potential solutions to AI’s harms to privacy and security, leaving the audience feeling appropriately cautious about what they see and believe, but also sufficiently prepared to protect their privacy and recognise what is true and what is not.
Marta Piekarska-Geater then followed this up with a presentation and Q&A breakout session, Quantum Computing and the Future of Cybersecurity: Imperatives for Startups, Enterprises & Investors, which outlined the impacts of quantum computing on cybersecurity, its vulnerabilities and post-quantum cryptographic solutions. Audience members gained insights into future-proofing strategies and investment opportunities in the evolving quantum landscape.
TransformBase Focus: Regulation
Understanding the regulatory environment was an overarching theme, prevalent in every panel, keynote and breakout session. Our regulatory partners provided insights into the future of technology regulation, and how it will shape the development and deployments of technologies from a UK, European and international perspective.
Building Trust and Sustatainbale Practices in Frontier Technologies was explored in the keynote by Philippe van Caenegem (Investor & Advisor, and Former Managing Partner of Strategic Innovation, Salesforce), Robert Fenner (Partner, Taylor Wessing), Daniel Doll-Steinberg and Sabine VanderLinden (Co-founder & CEO, Alchemy Crew). This panel investigated how we ensure the transformations generated by frontier technologies provide the most benefits for the greatest number of people, with Robert Fenner showcasing examples from clients at Taylor Wessing.
The topic was further analysed in a highly anticipated breakout presentation and Q&A from Michael Borrelli (COO, AI & Partners), Defining the Next Era of Frontier Technology Regulation. He discussed the challenges of balancing innovation with oversight, the importance of international cooperation, and the potential impact of regulations on businesses and consumers.
All the keynotes and breakout sessions came to one clear conclusion; whilst it is unclear who should be responsible, there is a definite need for establishing these regulations.
Format
Following last years success, TransformBase 2024 continued the successful format of short, punchy keynotes, from our ‘rockstar’ speakers, followed by more in depth breakout sessions. This allowed participants to gain a broader understanding of key topics, which they could then form opinions on and discuss in the longer, more intimate breakout sessions. This format was recognised by attendees as an absolute triumph, with the snappier panels appreciated as ‘powerhouses’, and the following breakout rooms, in the words of one of our delegates Ozgur Kaplan (Founder & CEO, DLT HUB CIC), ‘created an amazing inclusive space’ where ‘diverse perspectives’ could be heard. Thank you to all those who gave feedback last year, and to those who continue to give it now, this input guides how we progress TransformBase.
Conclusion
What we learnt at TransformBase makes us the best informed we can be for today, and taught us to hone our mindsets to be able to continuously adapt to a rapidly changing frontier technology world. All in all, TransformBase demonstrates the importance of being proactive in shaping the world we want to live in.
A special thank you to J.P. Morgan and Cobra Beer for lubricating the discussions and budding collaborations in the networking drinks following the event. We must also thank our sponsors, shown below, and Northeastern University, who altogether made the event possible. But most importantly, we thank everyone that attended TransformBase and made it the sensation it was.
See you next year!
