UNLEASHING THE BOTTOM UP

This means;

The new generation has economic, political, cultural and societal voices

and the capability to implement them

By the billions will have access to the world

with virtually all of human knowledge at their finger tips essentially for free

Will share ideas, collaborate with a true sense of empowerment

when we see people like us succeeds which means we can succeed

This means an ability to problem solve bottom up by those with

the very greatest stake in solving them

“Top down institutions -- big corporations, governments -- think of people as

problems to be solved. With new technology we unleash problem solving bottom

up, by the very people with the greatest stake to solve these problems. In this

world, people aren't problems -- they are assets to be unleashed.”

THE REAL LESSON OF ALI BABA

And we are in this phenomena's infancy

Newest technologies -- blockchain, AI, VR, genomics

while software once developed in the West, now accessible anywhere

Unprecedented ability to "leap frog" infrastructure challenges, anywhere

Massive rising middle, consuming classes in rising markets

means unique solutions for those markets that can expand in a “new global”

And unleashing of world class talent as the next billion become digital

everywhere…

There is no precedence for this in history. And yet . . .

And all I described viewed as trivial and one-sided

My travels in the Middle East

It’s a tough neighborhood — but that is all we hear about in the West

Tell that to women who historically/culturally have had limited opportunities

Tell that to a child in a classroom of 70+ students, drilled in wrote

learning barely able to keep up, graduation barely literate

The real lesson of souq.com

The real lesson of Careem

BTW, over 25% of startups in the region are run by women (much higher than Silicon Valley!)

A n d , o f c o u r s e , t h i s i s

h a p p e n i n g e v e r y w h e r e .

W h a t i s t h e l a r g e s t

m o b i l e p a y m e n t

c o u n t r y i n a g g r e g a t e

d o l l a r s ?

Which country is this?

Near every

government

interaction is

digital

3G/4G were

skipped as

the country

went to LTE

Computer

programming

is required in

schools

Everyone

under 21 gets

a tablet or

smart phone

This is, of course, happening here in South East Asia, Latin American, Eastern Europe

And there is no going back.

It is the greatest opportunity for rising societies in history.

The naysayers in government and politics

Think this is a side show to the major, 20th century machinations of geopolitics

Miss the speed of it

Miss that we are in the infancy of new technologies

Miss, in fact, that EVERY company today is a software company

Miss that EVERY problem has a software application to remedy/disrupt

Miss that we are forced to see ourselves and the world as open opportunity

We no longer need wait for a generation to change anything

We can act now

And it compels us -- government and individuals alike –

– to ask central new questions:

How will the next

decade be different

than the last?

What is a world where everyone

can transact value safely,

transparently, instantly, no

middlemen, billions of whom are

often unconnected and unbanked

today?

What human expression may

be opened up anywhere in the

world when people do not

have to labor impossible hours

for impossible wages?

What lives can be saved with instant

and affordable genetic diagnosis of

disease; cancer treatments that will

make chemo therapy seem to our

kids what blood-letting seem to us?What can happen when we

all can easily connect with

each other and

collaborate?

What IS “innovation”?

The bright shiny new thing, for sure

But putting a smart device in an individual’s hands for the first time also

The irony of the naysayers

Where are Governments in particular held accountable to the point of existentialism?

To solve issues of health, education, job creation, safety

Track record is, shall we say, lagging with traditional tools

But what happens when they embrace and unleash entrepreneurs?

The real lesson of Nafham

The play book is NOT creating the “Silicon Valley” of anything

Every great country and people will unleash their own talent in their own way

In the short run, the opening of rule of law is easy and immediate

to facilitate the free movement of people, goods, services, ideas and capital

securely allows this phenomena to take off

In the medium term, assuring access to technology and education

not only skills but in critical thinking are all foundational

Privacy, security are all serious issues and will need local ways to address it

The opportunity is here – But so is the warning –

For nation's that ignore it, with the speed of change, they risk not only

missing this opportunity, but being in a position to never catch up

It’s not that simple — the risks are real and must be engaged

“Progress has never been a bargain. You have to pay for it. Sometimes I think there's a man

who sits behind a counter and says,

Alright, you can have a telephone, but you lose privacy and the charm of distance.

Mister, you may conquer the air, but the birds will lose their wonder and the clouds will smell of

gasoline.”

Christopher M. Schroeder

Co-Founder, Next Billion Ventures

@cmschroed