Exploring possible futures with Platform Leaders
The pace of change and innovation that we see with platforms is not only exciting today, but also carries powerful potential for the future. Platform Leaders provides the framework for diverse communities to come together and explore these possibilities.
Practitioners, policymakers, academics and investors from all over the world were in attendance at the June 2022 Platform Leaders conference. As attendees have come to expect from a Platform Leaders event, the sessions were both thought-provoking and engaging, drawing comments in the live chat such as, “[This was] my favorite Platform Leaders segment to date!”
In particular, practitioners were well-represented at the event, which speaks to the appetite among platform entrepreneurs for exchange and dialogue. Across disciplines, experts of all stripes are considering how platforms are shaping our day-to-day lives – and how they will do so in the future.
User-centricity, sustainability and Web3
Imagining the future potential of platforms was a theme revisited throughout the conference. Frédéric Montagnon, Co-Founder and Chairman of Arianee, sat down for a keynote conversation with Laure Claire Reillier, Platform Leaders Co-Chair and COO of Launchworks & Co. Frédéric painted a vivid picture of how platforms are already utilising Web 3.0 technologies and encouraged his fellow practitioners to play and experiment.
The Designing User-Centric Platforms session welcomed industry-leading panelists from Alphabet, Columbia Business School, the Competition Market Authority and the Behavioural Insights Team. We heard about the necessity of thoughtful choice architecture and how – perhaps counterintuitively – the right amount of friction can actually help users make better decisions.
We also heard from platform practitioners who are building toward a more sustainable future for our planet. The Scaling Sustainable Platforms panel brought together experts from the world of high-growth, VC-backed startups to discuss the opportunities and challenges for environmentally-focused platforms – from raising funding to scaling teams.
Conversations for today – and for the future
As Benoit Reillier, CEO of Launchworks & Co and Platform Leaders Co-Chair, observed in his closing remarks, major transitions do not happen overnight. “One thing we’ve learned from the past wave is that you don’t just flick a switch. Things will coexist; traditional businesses, existing web platforms and Web 3.0 innovations will coexist for years to come,” he said. “I’m sure it’s a topic we’ll revisit in the future.”
Catch up on the conversation
Exploring possible futures starts today. Watch for more information on the Platform Leaders website and subscribe to the newsletter to get updates as they’re published.