What world do we want? TED Talks answers
TEDxPoblenou brought together a group of entrepreneurs and inspiring people last Friday at Aticco Workspaces to share their experiences and vision on what characteristics the year 2022 must have to lead us towards a better world.
This has been the first event of the new TEDxPoblenou chapter that has kicked off its TED talks in Barcelona from our coworking space at Aticco Bogatell, on Pallars 108 street.
The event was presented by Victor Remy, Operations Manager at TheFork and licensee of the TEDx chapter in Poblenou. Under the title '2022: Year One', the conferences were divided into three thematic blocks (Life, Deep Tech & Art, New Opportunities) in which the speakers answered Remy's question: after the last two years in which we have rethought our way of life and work, what world do we want from now on, from Year 1?
A more egalitarian world
Carlota Planas Rierais a former futsal player and manages the agency Unik Team, specialized in representing women soccer players. When she was a child she had to deal with barriers that were more than barriers, they were real walls to be able to play soccer and compete. She suffered gender discrimination and, despite this, she has managed to be one of the pioneers in opening the field to other girls and women in amateur and professional soccer.
What she hopes for this 2022 is that being a woman and an elite athlete will no longer be "a utopia":
“We have the power and responsibility to change prejudices. The goal is that our children don't have to think about whether they are men or women to do what they want in life,” Carlota Planas.
A more sustainable future
Marc ColomaCEO and Co-founder of Heura Foodsat TEDxPoblenou, explained the impact that the animal food industry has on the environment. After years of environmental activism, Marc Coloma decided to "take all the anger he felt and transform it into starting a company that would contribute to sustainability".
For Marc, the year 2021 must be a year in which we are all more aware of the power we have as consumers. A power that should lead us to make more sustainable and responsible decisions.
We have to be open to the changes that will come
Juan Carlos Unzué, ex-football player and ex-football coach, shared with the audience a series of lessons he has learned from the values of the sport but also due to the process he is going through of living with the disease ALS..
For Juan Carlos, the most important thing to face the future is that we are open to changes. From his own experience, he highlights how surprised he has been by the capacity we humans have to adapt.
In addition, he highlighted values as related to soccer such as enjoying, making decisions, respect, showing vulnerability, and setting goals. Even so, he issued a small warning to the audience:
«Be careful with the goals we set that are too long-term because they take us away from valuing the present and the path towards achieving them», Juan Carlos Unzué.
A 2022 of technological advancements
Artificial intelligence and Big Data have been with us for years, revolutionizing processes and increasing possibilities. Even so, these technologies are immersed in a debate, and there are different positions on how they should advance.
To Alonzo Romero Lauro, CEO & Co-Founder at The Predictive Companythe right feeling in the face of artificial intelligence is not fear: "There will be changes and it will replace us not only in basic but also in precise tasks.There will be changes and it will replace us not only in basic tasks, but also precise ones; but it is important that we are open to adapt to change."
This is because, while it poses challenges, it also creates opportunities. One example is Citibeatsan artificial intelligence platform artificial intelligence platform created to actively listen to citizens and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainable Development Goals.. Its founder Ivan Caballero has been able to find an opportunity to put technology at the service of citizens, and according to his vision, this trend is the one that should be replicated in the future.
We have to ask ourselves questions
And art is a good setting to do so. Monica Rikić Fusté, electronic artist awarded with the Premi Nacional de Cultura de Catalunya 2021, explained that:
«Art allows creating a space for collective reflection and play. And just because it's a space for play doesn't mean it's trivial, as it allows us to approach the unknown and ask ourselves new questions.»
A future of new business opportunities
To close the session, Benoit Menardo (founder of Payflow) and Aleix Puig (Co-Founder of VICIO and MasterChef winner) talked about how getting ahead of new trends and embracing them can open up new business opportunities.
Benoit Menardo launched the Payflow platform, which allows companies to offer their staff the possibility of receiving their earned money instantly, without having to wait to get paid at the end of the month. This is what is called Earned Wage Access, a new paradigm that, in Menardo's words, unlocks many opportunities: "by seeing our money and expenses instantly, we can plan better."
Finally, Aleix Puig told how he managed, with perseverance and attention to new opportunities, to quickly reorient his business plan by starting VICIO:
“Perseverance always surpasses talent. And it is the most complex value to find in people. When things go wrong, most people throw in the towel.”
