TransformBase initiative set for launch in November
A ground-breaking initiative aimed at redefining how businesses engage with emerging technologies is gearing up for a November launch in London.
Led by Eric Van der Kleij, the visionary behind Canary Wharf’s tech community Level39 and former head of the Tech City (Tech Nation) initiative appointed by David Cameron, has joined forces with Gokce Gizer Clover, who previously led the Extreme Tech Challenge – the largest start-up competition of its kind – to launch ‘TransformBase’.
The platform will create and publish five initial roadmaps to support business adoption of emerging tech, starting with its inaugural conference on Thursday November 9 at King’s Place in the heart of London.
Drawing together more than 250 business leaders, tech builders and investors, with educators and policymakers, the event is designed to tap into the ‘collective intelligence’ and actively involve all attendees.
Some of the leading figures speaking at the event include Lord Dominic Johnson, Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade; Sherry Coutu, angel investor and entrepreneur, founder of Founders4Schools and Digital Boost; Nicola McCormick, General Counsel-Media, WPP; Fabrice Beaulieu, Chief Marketing, Sustainability, and Corporate Affairs Officer at Reckitt.
The event’s agenda blends talks from thought leaders with interactive content and active audience participation, guided by more than 30 interviews with business leaders and technologists.
“The content and sessions have been designed to engage on five key challenges: integration, security and privacy, change management, cost implications, and scalability,” Gokce Gizer Clover said of the agenda.
Outputs from the event will be refined through quarterly working groups which will go on to form technology-specific roadmaps, ready for implementation by organisations, and share insights with policymakers and influential global bodies, including the World Economic Forum at Davos in January 2024.
The team behind TransformBase describe it as a platform for business leaders to “improve their understanding of new technologies and how to deploy them within their organisations”.
It will initially focus on five key emerging technologies: AI, quantum, immersive (AR/VR), blockchain, and 5G/6G by developing technology-specific business roadmaps in collaboration with business leaders, investors, founders, and policymakers.
The roadmaps will set out pathways for the integration of emerging technologies by businesses that are aligned with government policy and consider the wider implications for society.
The initiative will build on the outputs from the UK Government’s AI Safety Summit taking place on November 1 and 2 at Bletchley Park, but will include a specific focus on the implications of emerging technologies for businesses.
“In today’s landscape, every company is a tech company,” explained Eric Van der Kleij.
“Yet, many remain on the sidelines, uncertain of how to seize the transformative power of emerging technologies. TransformBase acts as a catalyst, empowering these enterprises and their investors to steer confidently toward a prosperous and purpose-driven future.”
The launch of TransformBase was inspired by co-founder Daniel Doll-Steinberg, whose recent
book “Unsupervised” champions increased citizen engagement with emerging technology. In it, he
emphasises the urgency of these discussions: “Powerful new technologies are reshaping every
aspect of our lives. We must have an open conversation on how to harness their potential for a
better society. While forums exist for discussion, what’s lacking is a platform for leaders to
translate insights into actions. TransformBase is that platform—it not only poses questions but
delivers answers.”
For further information and to book your place at the event visit TrasformBase.
