Two key messages caught my attention at this year’s Collision conference. First, some of the best technology companies of the future are likely being created today because of this pandemic. Second, never has it been more important to pay attention to customers … to spend more time with them and really listen to their needs.
We at KPMG Private Enterprise have always believed in the tremendous possibilities for entrepreneurs and emerging growth companies and the impact these can have on society. Our current health, social and economic crises only serve to reinforce that belief. This aligns well with our longstanding strategic alliance with the Collision conference, Web Summit (Lisbon) and RISE (Hong Kong). We look forward to every opportunity to listen to founders, entrepreneurs, and CEOs about what they’re working on, and to share our own insights and perspectives on the related opportunities and challenges.
Even though we had to meet virtually this year, Collision was another great opportunity to hear and contribute plenty of fresh ideas. Despite the numerous global uncertainties, I would say there’s plenty of optimism out there. As several conference speakers said, many of the tech stars of the future were “in the room”. Getting to know them now, and watching them emerge and grow is exciting to think about.
We joined more than 32,000 innovators from around the world who welcomed the 2020 Collision conference into their homes for 3 days and 100 hours of online content from some of tech's biggest names. I heard several common themes: the vital importance of company culture, values, and purpose in bringing people together to manage through a crisis; the rise of empathic selling, artificial intelligence, sustainability, and business transformation; the future of private/public sector partnerships; and the urgency to really listen to customers and hear what they need.
On that note, I’m pleased to share some of what I heard and learned.