Global Trends in How We Spent Time in 2024

Here are the latest global trends in how people used their time.

  • Sleep like 🇿🇦 (South Africa)
  • Personal care like 🇫🇷 (France) – 107 minutes
  • Charity work like 🇮🇪 (Ireland) – 132 minutes
  • Eat & Drink like 🇫🇷 (133 minutes), 🇬🇷 (Greece) (128 minutes), 🇮🇹 (Italy) (127 minutes), 🇪🇸 (Spain) (126 minutes)
  • Work like 🇵🇱 (Poland) – 229 minutes (Average)
  • Study like 🇰🇷 (South Korea)
  • Shopping & Housework like 🇰🇷 (South Korea) – 89 minutes (Lowest)
  • See Friends like 🇦🇹 (Austria) – 82 minutes
  • Watch TV like 🇲🇽 (Mexico) – 66 minutes (Lowest)
  • Total Leisure time like 🇳🇴 (Norway) – 369 minutes

As we all know, the countries with the best food tend to spend the most time eating!

Unlocking African Market Potential

Perspective is Key!

When I asked fellow Google for Startups collaborators about the first words that came to mind with the association with the image of Africa. 

So important for African entrepreneurs to include the massive markets and opportunities into their mindsets.

If I Wasn’t an Entrepreneur, I Would Have Been a Teacher

My personal story always used to include… “If I wasn’t an entrepreneur I would have been a teacher.”

Yesterday I was preparing for my Sales presentation (and facing an empty workshop and Zoom room) as part of the ‘Knowledge’ component of our engineering growth for entrepreneurs of scalable companies program. 

I realized I was now that ‘teacher’ or as one of my entrepreneurs I’m mentoring told me ‘guru’ in Hindi.

Mentor, Coach, Advisor, Teacher, Manager, Leader, Mother, Father or Guru. 

They are mostly the same. 

My question is “Who is the teacher and who is the student?”

Impact of COVID-19 on Startup Funding

A few people have asked me how startups/scaleups have been impacted during the past 9-months. 

Here is my general perspective: 

  • If a startup/scaleup has been luckily funded before March more funding has been available and lots more helpful hands-on mentoring by their angels or lead funders. 
  • If you were a lucky startup/scaleup in a ‘covid accelerated’ industry funding has not been a problem. 

In fact in our world we have seen an increase in funding over the past 6 months with a very healthy pipeline for the next 6 months. 

  • Early stage startup entrepreneurs without experience of economic valleys (2000 internet bubble, 2008 sub-prime, 2020 Covid-19) and without a mentor struggled 

However in most cases if they ask for help, have a good team, are technically brilliant and most importantly are coachable they have pulled through stronger with regular accountability checkins. 

*Much as in Leadership; You get wartime leaders and peacetime leaders.

The same is true for Entrepreneurs. 

Bottom line though, more funding across the board (Angel, Seed, Series A & B) needs to flow to the right place and opportunities in our industry.

ARK’s Big Ideas: Innovation Driving Economic Growth

ARK Investment Management LLC’s “Big Ideas 2024” report outlines ten major emerging technologies that are expected to significantly impact the global economy and transform various industries.

Key Emerging Technologies

  • AI: Revolutionizing productivity across industries, with generative tools driving efficiency.
  • Public Blockchains: Disrupting finance with decentralized systems and smart contracts.
  • Multiomic Sequencing: Unlocking new health insights and reducing drug development costs.
  • Energy Storage: Enabling broader use of renewable energy and electric vehicles.
  • Robotics: Enhancing manufacturing and logistics with expanding capabilities.
  • Electric Vehicles: Sales projected to grow significantly by 2030, driven by cheaper batteries.
  • Autonomous Mobility: Transforming urban transport with self-driving vehicles.
  • Drone Delivery: Revolutionizing logistics, with billions in projected revenues.
  • Cryptography: Boosting digital security and blockchain growth.
  • Orbital Aerospace: Advancing space exploration with reusable rocket technology.

ARK’s research shows these technologies could accelerate global GDP growth from 3% to 7% annually, with disruptive innovation’s market value growing from 16% to over 60% of global equities by 2030.

Transforming Industries with Generative and Autonomous AI

Generative AI and Autonomous AI lead the way, transforming industries with independent decision-making capabilities and creative innovations.

Adaptive AI and sustainable technology gain traction, focusing on dynamic responsiveness and eco-friendly solutions.

Total Experience (TX) emerges as a top trend, blending customer, employee, and user experiences to improve satisfaction and engagement.

Human-Centric Security technologies, such as AI TRiSM and cybersecurity mesh, prioritize user trust and data protection.

Several technologies from previous cycles, including health passports and social distancing tech, have faded in relevance, while AI-powered tools, AI-augmented development, and responsible AI remain critical to growth in 2024