A group of billionaires have pledged one billion dollars to fund radical new energy technologies. Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV) is an investment fund that aims to accelerate energy innovation and disrupt the energy industry. This Bill Gates brainchild managed to secure a host of high-profile investors, including Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Jack Ma, and Michael Bloomberg – and they’ve just announced their First Seven Investments.

This is a great example of a phenomenon that has accelerated the pace of change and served as an engine for exponential progression. Technology has created a generation of techno-philanthropists (such as Bill Gates) who are using their billions to try to solve seemingly unsolvable problems such as hunger and disease. In doing so, they are driving an acceleration across the Science and Technology curve – which in turn hastens the realization of emerging future scenarios. This dynamic coupled with the overwhelming number of Building Blocks available to innovators is fueling potential advancements in human development. However, the lack of governance has some concerned about the Opposing Forces of Innovation – the unintended consequences of exponential progression. As with everything in life, balance is required: enable the human development attainable through rapid advances in science and technology – while mitigating the risk of unintended consequences.