Our sixth edition of Alloy — a reference to the melding of multiple metallic elements to yield a stronger product — appropriately brings together stakeholders from across sectors who are solving big problems through venture building to learn from and get inspired by one another's work.
Nearly 200 corporate executives, entrepreneurs, university innovation leaders, state economic development directors, policymakers, and venture capitalists came together to share and absorb actionable venture-building ideas and advice from peers in other industries.
Our content touched on a broad range of topics, including:
- Transformation occurring in the agriculture, energy, healthcare, and defense spaces from industry leaders, including technology startup founders like Chuck CEO Todd Thomas
- How creating policies that lead to strong public-private partnerships enable local and state government agencies to collaborate with corporations on meaningful community initiatives
- What small cities and states not historically deemed technology startup hubs can do to become attractive entrepreneurial ecosystems through venture building and venture studios
- The mindset it takes for today's entrepreneurs to build world-changing companies that positively impact society from Founders Podcast host and business expert David Senra
This is just a sample of the many lively sessions that took place.
One of the elephants in the room throughout the day, though, was the meteoric growth we’ve seen in artificial intelligence over the last 24 months and the impact it will have on everyone’s business.
“If you are leading an organization, it’s important to recognize that problems are inevitable, but also that all problems are solvable, as long as you have enough knowledge and wealth, and that every solution creates new problems that must then be solved," High Alpha Innovation CEO Elliott Parker shared in his opening keynote at Alloy 2024.
One way enterprises are solving problems at their companies today is by taking advantage of AI.
As Elliott detailed in his talk, AI adoption will only continue to increase at scaled organizations in the coming years. But demand for human ingenuity, counterintuitively, is also going to rise in the years ahead.
“The organizations that understand how to harness human ingenuity are going to be best positioned to accumulate knowledge and accumulate the wealth needed to solve the tricky problems coming our way that automation won’t be equipped to address,” according to Elliott.
"Entrepreneurs can’t do it alone," said Elliott. "They need customers and investors to bring their solutions to the masses. We need more collaboration among large organizations, venture investors, and startups to take on the greatest challenges in energy, agriculture, healthcare, defense, and beyond.
"Each year we host the Alloy Venture-Building Summit as a convener of the leaders who are taking on big problems and are making tangible impact," Elliott continued. "In bringing together industry leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs we can unlock new opportunities to build together."
