Back to the Future 2025 Time Machines, Humanoid Robots, Trade Revolutions

The Transatlantic Post | Love Letter N°40

Dec 31, 2024

Back to the future 4 : info ou intox ? - 1 Mag by Mag — Source: IMag

Welcome to The Transatlantic Post an editorial on innovation and international growth. With occasional British satire. By Kajal

Dear TP reader,

Last weekend, I watched Back to the Future Part II. The film was released in 1989 and its characters Marty McFly and Doc Brown travel to the future date of October 21, 2015. The film's depiction of the future included imaginative and futuristic predictions like hoverboards, flying cars, video calls, biometric scanners and fax machines (!)

It is fair to say some of the future predictions were confined to pure science fiction but others were spot on. The film also catapulted the DeLorean car (aka the Doc’s time machine) to fame. Few know the story of the DeLorean, it is a fascinating and cautionary tale of entrepreneurship, foreign direct investment and government incentives. More on that below in our top 5 story picks of the year.

Another reason I bring up Back to the Future is because the year end is a time for future predictions lists to land en masse in our inboxes. In 2016, when I first started writing the Transatlantic Post, the concept of humanoid robots might have sounded crazy but we are now perhaps on the cusp of a robotics revolution.

Nvidia the company that produces the global gold standard chips for AI computing is betting on robotics to drive future growth. It plans to launch its “Jetson Thor” computing platform in 2025, providing the processing power needed to bring sophisticated humanoid robots to life. Just imagine if you could have delegated all that Christmas shopping and cooking to your own in-house humanoid robot?

This year was also a breakout year for AI and AI-specific chip manufacturing which redefined world trade patterns. And despite rising geopolitical tension, global trade reached an unprecedented $33 trillion - a $1 trillion increase from 2023. Human ingenuity found its way out of one supply chain disruption after another to keep the wheels of open trade turning. Spain's olive oil crisis was a case in point. It sent the price of olive oil skyrocketing before the crisis was averted.

2024 also saw increased geopolitical fragmentation and in tandem shifting global power dynamics with new trade routes emerging, most notably between Africa and Asia, and between the Middle East and India. I have written much about the latter two markets in this year’s editons including India a 21st Century Superpower and MEINA Paving the Streets with Gold.

The global influence of both regions is set to gather pace given their economic momentum and sheer size of capital pools. Today, sovereign wealth funds in the Gulf manage $4.9 trillion and this is set to increase to $7.3 trillion by 2030. Also by 2030, India will be the second largest economy after the USA with 77% of their population under 44. The tides are turning quickly.

On a final note, this year there have been a few professional highlights. Working with the London School of Economics and a Ukrainian Government delegation to help their investment and reconstruction efforts and continuing to support and educate high-growth businesses to expand to the UAE and US. A thank you also to other partners we worked with including The Entrepreneurs Network and LSE IDEAS to launch our new website and serviceofferings this year.

As I shared in a recent LinkedIn Post, Growth Hub Global had its 8 year anniversary in December this year. For those of you thinking about starting businesses, make 2025 the year you take the leap, there has never been a better time to innovate.

I continue to be grateful for the opportunity to support innovative companies to grow internationally. In 2025, I will be looking at how new frontier technologies will shape trade and investment and how to embed AI to better support companies expand to new markets. In the meantime, wishing you all a very happy 2025!

“Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window” P. Drucker

Sincerely, yours,

// 1 // The Story of the Back to the Future Delorean Time Machine

In 1978, John DeLorean chose Belfast, Northern Ireland, as the manufacturing site for his futuristic DMC-12 sports car, he wasn't just building cars – he was promising jobs and hope to a community torn apart by sectarian violence. With £100 million of British government funding, DeLorean set out to prove that business could succeed where politics had failed.

The Dunmurry factory quickly became one of Northern Ireland's largest employers, creating 2,500 manufacturing jobs in an area with 30% unemployment. Beyond direct employment, it stimulated local businesses supplying parts and services. Local pubs and shops reported increased trade, and housing demand rose in nearby neighborhoods as workers relocated closer to the plant.

Despite initial optimism however, Delorean's venture collapsed by 1982, just 28 months after production began. Poor sales, management issues, and John DeLorean's legal troubles led to bankruptcy, leaving workers jobless and the British government with massive losses.

Although the car was later made famous in the Back to the Future films, it was too late to rescue the company and the associated potential long term economic benefits to Northern Ireland. It serves as a cautionary tale to the promise of foreign direct investment and due diligence in vetting potential investors to new regions.

// 2 // The Rise of AI Semiconductor Manufacturing

Early 2024 saw unprecedented investment in semiconductor manufacturing, particularly for AI-specific chips. Major investments flowed into chip manufacturing across Japan, South Korea, and Europe. This represented a significant shift in global supply chains as countries worked to reduce dependency on any single-region for manufacturing.

In early 2024, Nvidia's H100 chip emerged as the gold standard for AI computing resulting in fairly significant geopolitical implications. AI capabilities became increasingly tied to national security interests, countries began viewing access to advanced chips as a strategic necessity. This led to export restrictions, particularly between the U.S. and China, forcing Nvidia to develop special chips that comply with export regulations and fuelled the already tense US-Chine trade relations in 2024.

As competition for AI chip supply increases, it will be interesting to see how this continues to shape global trade in 2025. Nvidia in the meantime is extending beyond chips to bet on a robotic future….

// 3 // 2025 the breakout year for Humanoid Robots?

Rapid advancements in AI—particularly in areas like computer vision, natural language processing, and machine learning are fuelling a robotics revolution. These advancements allow robots to “see,” understand, and respond to their surroundings with increasing sophistication.

Nvidia’s “Jetson Thor” will harness these capabilities to enable robots to interact more autonomously and seamlessly with humans and their environments. There are many sceptics that beleive humanoid robots cannot become so ubiquitous as to feature in our everyday lives. Whichever way the chips fall, it is a fascinating idea and journey to watch, take a look at the video below of a robot making your breakfast…

// 4 // The Price of Olive Oil

Below was an artwork I came across in an Italian cafe which sheds light on the cost of living crisis and prices of household staples including olive oil. The dramatic rise in olive oil prices in 2023-early 2024 stems from a perfect storm of climate and supply chain challenges. At the heart of the crisis was a drought in Spain, which typically produces about half of the world's olive oil. The summer of 2023 was Spain's hottest in 70 years. Olive trees are like marathon runners: they can handle tough conditions, but extreme heat and drought force them to focus on survival rather than producing fruit. This stress led to some Spanish olive groves producing just 20% of their normal yield.

The price impact sent shockwaves through supply chains. By early 2024, olive oil prices had more than doubled in many markets, this meant a typical bottle of extra virgin olive oil that might have cost $10 in 2022 was selling for $20-25. The crisis was ultimately averted through (1) increased imports with Tunisia emerging as an alternative supplier (2) trade policy adjustments where import tariffs were temporarily relaxed to allow for smoother inflows of olive oil from non-EU countries and (3) technological innovation where investments in drought-resistant olive varieties and more efficient irrigation techniques were accelerated.

// 5 // Record Trade Volumes and Shifting Global Trade Patterns

World Trade Organisation economists anticipate that the volume of world merchandise trade will increase by 3.0% in 2025 with trade patterns continuing to shift rapidly away from Western dominance.

Alternative currencies are also being explored to strengthen relationships with new partners and facilitate trade flows especially amongst BRICS nations as we noted in last month’s Post. The US dollar's uncertain path and US macroeconomic policy changes will continue to fuel momentum for alternative global trading currencies. Geopolitical tensions remain a top risk to trade in 2025, along with potential shifts in US policies with the threat of tariffs that could spark trade wars. The chart below highlights the trajectory of global trade over the last 5 years and its decrease from its post pandemic peak.

For those who are more curious, all the references and further reading for this edition below.

References and further Reading

Nvidia Bets on Robots to Drive Future Growth, The FT

Global Trade Update 2024, UNCTAD

5 Top Global Trade Stories of 2024, World Economic Forum

About the Transatlantic Post

A monthly editorial on innovation and international growth. With occasional British satire. Written and edited by Kajal founder and director of Growth Hub Global . Kajal has worked with more than 250 businesses to support their international growth efforts to the US, Middle East and India.

Who are our global community of readers..

Our readers are a globally minded, curious group of entrepreneurs, investors, academics and professionals across 26 countries. They are keen to learn more about the markets of the future and are predominantly based in the US, UK and Europe.

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India Special: A 21st century superpower ?

What can we learn from India's meteoric growth and leadership in technology, new opportunites in the Green Economy and the role of the global Indian diaspora

Kajal Sanghrajka

Jul 31, 2024

round gold-colored rupee coins and banknotes — Photo by rupixen on Unsplash

For more than 20 years, I visited family in Mumbai every other year. As a child, vivid memories of the scale of the inequality and streets cradled with poverty were hard to escape. While these issues have not disappeared, my recent visit revealed a different India—one that felt electrifying.

The spirit and sense of possibility, the scale of ambition were unlike anything I'd witnessed in previous years. When the UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy recently referred to India as an “emerging superpower of the 21st century” - my immediate reaction was that rather than “emerging” India has already arrived.

With a population of 1.44 billion, 65 percent of whom are under 30, and currently the fastest global economic growth, India's superpower status is not an overstatement.

During his recent visit to India, the UK Foreign Secretary also emphasised the UK-India "Living Bridge" representing the 1.7 million people of Indian heritage in the UK, who make exceptional contributions to British life. This influence extends far beyond the UK; globally, the Indian diaspora is playing a pivotal role in shaping India’s growth story, particularly through its technological leadership. 1

India’s Pioneering Technology Roots and leading force in digitisation and AI

After gaining independence from the British, the Indian government prioritised science and technology in its economic planning, establishing numerous research institutions and promoted higher education. Today’s Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT’s) are globally renowned for the high quality of their graduates.

Following economic liberalisation in the 1990s, India experienced a surge in foreign investment and growth of the technology sector. Indian software giants such as Infosys and Wipro emerged during this period, laying the foundation for a leading tech ecosystem now recognised worldwide.

Many of India’s young, tech-savvy workforce migrated to Silicon Valley in the 1990s, and today, Indian-born CEOs like Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai are at the helm of Microsoft and Alphabet. This diaspora, now around four million in the U.S., is among the most educated groups, with approximately one million working as scientists and engineers. Their influence has significantly reshaped the global technological landscape. 2

As the world’s fastest-growing economy, India is on track to become the third largest by 2030. The country’s rapid digitisation positions it well to lead in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other tech-driven advancements across sectors such as mobility, energy storage, and batteries. India also graduates between 500,000 and one million engineers annually, providing a significant talent pool for AI and new technology advancements, especially at a time when other nations face talent shortages.

One piece of research that highlights India’s technological might is its adoption of AI that stands at 57%, compared to 26-27% in the U.S. and UK. This is a key factor behind India becoming a leading destination for AI-related foreign direct investment, with major companies like Microsoft, Deloitte, and IBM announcing significant investments. 3

For India to realise its ambitions of continued economic growth, future-proofing its economy through investment and development in technology will be crucial. The global Indian diaspora will undoubtedly play a vital role in this ongoing narrative.

Goodness Gracious Me and the Global Indian Diaspora….

As the Economist noted last year “India’s diaspora is bigger and more influential than any in history”. With more than 17.5 million Indians living abroad, the UN declared this to be the largest diaspora in the world. This global influence can be partly attributed to the high value placed on education, intellectual achievement, and a strong work ethic within Indian culture. 4

That emphasis on education cannot be overstated. I remember watching the perfectly relatable Goodness Gracious Me (a groundbreaking British comedy series portraying British -Asian culture) which detailed Indian parents discussing their son’s imcomprehensible B grade. For the record, during my teeenage years, it was also unacceptable to come home with a B.

Beyond academics, the Indian diaspora soft skills are rooted India’s diverse and dynamic environment. Vinod Khosla, an Indian American businessman and co-founder of Sun microsystems, once commented that India’s unique environment “gives Indian-born managers the ability to navigate complex situations, particularly when it comes to scaling organisations”.

Economic contributions of the diaspora deserve a special mention. In the UK, Indian diaspora-owned companies in the UK have combined revenues of £36.84 billion, employing over 174,000 people. 5 The Indian diaspora is the largest in the Emirates with 3.5 million Indian nationals living in the UAE in 2021 (India's Ministry of External Affairs) and work in sectors including finance, education, and health, as entrepreneurs, and labourers.

While in the US, the Indian-born Silicon Valley CEOs are also part of a four million-strong minority group and about a million of them are scientists and engineers. From Microsoft’s Satya Nadella to Vimeo’s Anjali Sud their economic impact and influence is growing.

These extensive global networks will continue to foster multi-lateral business partnerships, trade, and investment opportunities for both international and Indian companies. While the tech sector has been a dominant force, the Indian diaspora is also poised to influence India’s burgeoning Green Economy.

Growth Opportunities in India’s Green Economy

India, like many countries, has set an ambitious path to achieve net zero emissions by 2070, driving significant innovation and investment in the green economy. However, the scale of the challenge is immense. According to the CEEW Centre for Energy Finance, India will require a staggering $10.1 trillion in cumulative investments to meet its 2070 target.

With a 40+ year time horizon and $10 trillion price tag, where do you start? At COP26, Prime Minister Modi communicated a 5 point plan “Panchamrit” towards India’s Net-Zero emission target. 6

In early 2023, New Delhi launched the National Green Hydrogen Mission, allocating $2.3 billion to stimulate commercial green hydrogen production. This hydrogen strategy is part of a broader ambition to achieve energy independence by 2047—a formidable goal given that India currently imports over 40 percent of its primary energy needs and is the world’s third-largest energy consumer. 7

I recently attended a webinar hosted by the India Global Forum on Green Hydrogen, which shed light on both the opportunities and challenges in reducing emissions. Anvesha Thakker, Partner in Clean Energy at KPMG India, highlighted the critical need for government policies and incentives to foster technological adoption, particularly in industries like steel, and to support upskilling for the green economy.

These challenges are not unique to India; many countries are navigating the complex balance of policies, incentives, and financing structures. Given that a global green transition will be impossible without India, cross country innovation and collaboration are crucial to solve these challenges.

The UAE-India partnership stands out with UAE committing $75 billion in sovereign funds to India in October 2021 to promote clean energy. As part of a 2030 roadmap and strategic partnership, the UK and India established the Green Growth Equity Fund (GGEF), each committing $120 million to boost private sector investments in infrastructure projects in India. This fund has since expanded to $720 million8

And beyond macro policies and larger capital investments, there is also momentum building at the grassroots. The UK-India Tech Start-up Fund is a £38 million directed towards technology for climate action, agriculture, and health which will hopefully lead to more breakthrough innovations.

The final word…

India’s present and future is bright. Despite recent surprises of lower majorities for Prime Minister Modi in the Indian elections, the country continues to stand out for its macro-economic stability and long-term growth potential. Recent historic achievements, including hosting the G20 summit and becoming only the fourth country to land on the Moon, only add to its well deserved superpower status and I’m sure, many more moonshots to follow.

“A nation's strength ultimately consists in what it can do on its own, and not in what it can borrow from others” Indira Gandhi

Sincerely, yours,

Postscript..

I will be taking a short break in August during the UK Bank Holiday and plan to be back with a new edition to the Post and a co-editor in chief in waiting. Announcement to follow in September, in the meantime, wishing you all a great Summer and thank you for reading.

About the Transatlantic Post

An editorial on innovation and international growth. With occasional British satire. Written and edited by Kajal founder and director of Growth Hub Global . Kajal has worked with more than 250 businesses to support their international growth efforts to the US and MEINA regions. Subscribe below.

Email and subscribe notes

You are receiving this email because (1) you previously received the Transatlantic Post, from 2016 and have stuck with me as readers for several years (2) we worked together/crossed paths in 2022/2023 and spoke about growth in the USA, Middle East, India, as well as other international growth led conversations.

We take your privacy seriously and your information is not used in any other way except to send this monthly email. If you prefer not to receive it, you can unsubscribe at any time.

References and Further reading

Foreign Secretary Travels to India to cement Strong Partnership on Tech, Climate and Growth, UK GOV

Why Indian Born CEO’s dominate Silicon Valley, BBC

Top AI statistics 2024, Team GPT

The Staggering Economic Impact of the Indian Diaspora, BBC

New report quantifies Indian Diaspora’s Contribution to the UK Economy, Economic Times

India’s Transition to a Green Economy Presents a $1 Trillion Opportunity, WEF

India - The New Global Green Hydrogen Powerhouse?, Harvard Kennedy School

UK–India development partnership summary, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office

2024 to be or not to be global?

The Transatlantic Post | Love Letter N°37

Kajal Sanghrajka

Jun 30, 2024

Welcome to The Transatlantic Post an editorial on innovation and international growth. With occasional British satire. By Kajal

As a British author of a global newsletter, it was only a matter of time before I dutifully unleashed a Shakespearean Title post. A question that repeatedly arose in my mind after hearing our politicians remarks on trading and immigration.

A few days ahead of the UK election, the Labour Party have voiced a desire to improve the trading relationship with Europe and “do trade deals around the world” as well as a determination to reset Britain’s global image. There is a proposal to hold an investment summit in the first 100 days of Government to attract foreign investors.

This may prove a trickier operation as Europe swings to the far right and signals its rejection of globality. Resetting images, enticing the world’s best companies to see the UK and indeed Europe as an attractive place to invest - this need more than summits and handshakes after prolonged periods of political uncertainty.

As we look ahead to the second half of 2024 and whether we can preserve our sense of being global, a quick mid year recap.

A 2024 Mid year recap….

For those of you that missed earlier editions of the Transatlantic Post this year, I have written about the markets to watch in the East across sectors as well as relevant policies that will impact growth in years to come.

At the turn of the year, we focused on "The Next Decade of Growth ," particularly the UAE and India, and how their increasing trade may impact East-West trade. The IMF growth projections by region offer a sobering and stark view of the economic challenges that lie ahead.

In February, we noted the increasing influence of the Middle East in MEINA at DAVOS. By 2026, Gulf trade with Emerging Asia is expected to exceed that with advanced economies, and by 2030 will be worth US$757bn, almost doubling the value in 2021.

This is a significant geoeconomic shift that our future elected leaders will need to grapple with. How do the West remain relevant and compete for critical trade and investment? Very few candidates appear to be addressing this in recent political debates.

In March, for International Women’s Day we looked at Two global growth paths - the one with women and the one without. Countries in the East and West with more inclusive policies to protect and accelerate women’s economic contribution could add trillions to their economies. Although there is progress, there is still a long way to go.

The green economy across the East and West holds more promise as does the opportunity for global collaboration to solve our pressing climate issues. In “The Clean Energy Goldrush” we focused on the energy transition and global clean energy investment. Recent bilateral R&D efforts, climate tech innovation and funding partnerships between the East and West are for now a bright spot.

In our May edition, we covered the intersection of artificial intelligence and life sciences in You and AI are going to Live Forever (a twist on an Oasis song for those that didn’t see it!). Whilst it has hard to escape any conversation on AI, some of the most positive and pivotal changes will be how AI could transform healthcare to become both more efficient and equitable.

A global view from London Tech Week…

This month I attended London Tech Week. a conference that pitches itself as the global tech ecosystem coming together. Truth be told, it certainly felt like the world was under one Kensington Roof. Some of this year’s key themes included empowering entrepreneurship, Green Innovation and AI.

As the notion of globalisation has never felt more under threat than in 2024 - at London Tech Week, I witnessed a strong desire for continued global collaboration despite the environment of increased protectionism, trade barriers and geopolitical tensions.

Interestingly, right in the centre of the pavilion were IBM flanked by Ukraine to the left and Dubai to the right. Within two hours, I met with Qatar Research Development and Innovation Council, Dubai Department of Economy, the Cyprus Ministry of Commerce, The Hungarian Innovation Agency, the Japan External Trade Organisation and Innovate UK.

A whirlwind tour from Europe to Asia and Middle East also revealed how fiercly competitive the world has become to attract top businesses to their regions. Some countries emphasised tax incentives, their strategic location, and favorable regulatory environments.

More compelling, however, were those that presented specific value propositions for various industry sectors, such as a world-leading program in renewable energies. The focus on innovation clusters and the resulting knowledge diffusion and specialisation are often key factors for companies considering international investments.

Looking ahead in 2024….is the idea of being global dead?

This week, I spoke about this idea of leading with innovation clusters at the Future of Trade Panel hosted by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). At their Future of Economy conference on Thursday 1, the BCC CEO Shevaun Haviland reiterated how optimistic and ambitious businesses across the country to grow but Governments need to engage:-

“Government must work in partnership with business to create the right environment for economic growth. ….Our plan is to build an economy that has the green transition at its core, with a workforce fit for the future, living in thriving local places and powered by businesses that are globally facing and digitally enabled”

The Chambers recently released the “Global Britain Challenge Report” 2 which covers a number of ways to remain open and promote trade and investment from the UK. This includes concluding Free Trade Agreements with India and the Gulf Cooperation Council aswell as taking a targeted sector approach to accelerating investment.

Over the last two years in the UK, I met pioneers in life sciences, cleantech, energy and fintech with ambitions plans to grow internationally. They are clusters and sectors in which we have differentiated innovation in particular from our university spinouts.

British Chambers of Commerce Future of Trade Panel

From the grassroots, globalisation is far from dead. While our governments bet on election dates and call each other suckers and losers, pioneering businesses will get on with the job to solve global problems through innovation. Hearing their optimism, ambition, and desire to engage globally highlights the growing divide between current political discourse and the business community.

What is changing, however, is the way in which this is done being mindful of geopolitical risk. A recent article by McKinsey “Can your company remain global and if so, how? 3 highlights shifting strategies of larger companies to de-risk growth and taking a systematic approach to build “geopolitical resilience”. It is worth a read to understand how business leaders are preserving global roots despite the challenges.

With more than 60 countries and nearly 50 percent of the global population heading to the polls in 2024, our future leaders and their policies will play a crucial role in determining whether we can unlock economic growth through advancing global trade and investment, rather than retreating into divison and protectionism.

Last night, as I watched Coldplay at the Glastonbury Festival, featuring collaborative acts from Nigeria to South Korea, I felt more optimism for our musicians to inspire global unity than for our politicians. Whatever the rest of 2024 holds in store, watch this space...

“It has been said that arguing against globalisation is like arguing against the laws of gravity” Kofi Annan

Sincerely, yours,

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About the Transatlantic Post

Email and subscribe notes

You are receiving this email because (1) you previously received the Transatlantic Post, from 2016 and have stuck with me as readers for several years (2) we worked together/crossed paths in 2022/2023 and spoke about growth in the USA, Middle East, India, as well as other international growth led conversations.

We take your privacy seriously and your information is not used in any other way except to send this monthly email. If you prefer not to receive it, you can unsubscribe at any time.

References and Further reading

The Future of The Economy, Keynote Speech BCC CEO

Global Britain Challenge Report, British Chambers of Commerce

Can your company remain global and if so, how? , McKinsey Quarterly

You and AI are going to live forever

The Transatlantic Post | Love Letter N°36

Kajal Sanghrajka

May 31, 2024

Welcome to The Transatlantic Post an editorial on innovation and international growth. With occasional British satire. By Kajal

Revolutionizing Biomarker Discovery: The AI Advantage in Biopharma | ItSoli

For those of you that remember the halcyon days of 90s Britpop, you will know that this is an adapted title of a much loved Oasis song. Some of you may have read about Silicon Valley's obsession with immortality in its various forms, call it age-hacking, eternal youth, defying death - the fads are ridiculous and plentiful.

Take Bryan Johnson, a tech multi-millionaire that strives to reverse his age from 45 to 18, his company website Blueprint reads like a fictional Hollywood tagline “Death is now our only foe - battle gear is here” or simply by signing up their newsletter you can “be the next evolution of human”. I’ll remember to add that tagline to the next Post.

Thankfully, there are underlying segments of these age-defying quests that do hold promise - especially those applying AI in healthcare. As these technologies evolve beyond the billionaires row, there is real potential help us live healthier and longer lives, reduce health inequality and support more sustainable healthcare systems.

Tectonic demographic shifts and healthy ageing…..

The global longevity and anti-ageing market will reach $183 billion by 2028. 1 By 2030, a staggering 2.1 billion people will be over 60. At the same time, fertility rates continue to fall rapidly in major world economies (see chart below for England) creating a so-called demographic timebomb - Governments need urgent solutions.

Countries around the world are employing macro policies to help positive ageing and maintain healthy populations with varying degrees of success. There are the reactive fertility policies - here is a $740 monthly stipend - have a baby! (Korea). Have some more maternity leave - have another baby! (China).

Incentivising women to have babies falls flat against a backdrop of lack of funding in maternal health and support in the workplace, motherhood career penalties and rapidly rising childcare costs. Policies need to address root causes. As Martin Wolf accurately notes in his Op-ed From the baby boom to the Baby bust 2 “It is essential, in the modern world, to help parents, especially women, combine careers with children”.

Slightly more promising are long overdue positive ageing policies that challenge beliefs and attitudes around the over 65 age group. Such policies acknowledge this age group’s ability and motivation to contribute to society and are more effective when combined with healthy ageing investment and advancements (Japan).

Yet many policies still carry a lack of urgency with half-baked solutions despite the tectonic demographic shifts that have been occurring for some time. Countries that embrace new technology into their policies to advance healthy ageing will have the lead to establish a more equitable and resilient path forward for their senior citizens.

AI healthcare innovation at the heart of change…

Opportunities for AI and healthy ageing are limitless - AI touches nearly every part of our healthcare ecosystem. Below is a snapshot of AI applications across the spectrum from drug discovery to cancer vaccines and includes a mapping of the vast number of companies, investors and hubs in each sub-sector.

AI application to preventative care and precision medicine using genomic data is one area where I have seen critical and accelerated innovation to support longer, healthier lives.

The UK is a leader in the field of Genomic Medicine. Genomics looks at the complete genome – that is, all of your DNA from genes to 'junk' – to get a clearer picture of how it can affect our health. AI-assisted genome analysis and its predictive capabilities can support a more proactive, personalised healthcare journey. Imagine being able to identify your high-risk disease areas and administer interventions before any chronic conditions appear in your late sixties?

In a report titled the "A New National Purpose: Innovation Can Power the Future of Britain." 3 Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and Lord Hague called for the UK to establish a "national laboratory" to test out AI and for countries to put their unmatched wealth of national health data to work to harness the global artificial intelligence revolution in health care.

Last year, I co-hosted an “Innovation in Genomics” event panel with healthcare ThinkThank PPP and genomics experts. Part of the conversation centred around diversifying and sharing genomics data from leading national programs to support the prevention of rare and chronic diseases. To Blair and Hague’s point, the benefits of cross-country collaboration to multiply health data analysis cannot be understated.

The UK for example has pioneered the 100,000 genome project which seeks to improve patient care in particular for rare disease and cancer with NHS data. The USA’s All of Us program is building a diverse database that can inform thousands of studies on a variety of health conditions.

In the Middle East, the UAE launched the ambitious Emirati Genome program - a study which aims to explore the genetic makeup of Emiratis, using advanced DNA sequencing and artificial intelligence technologies that ultimately aid in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. The program already incorporates the UK’s Oxford Nanopore Technologies - a global leader in genome sequencing.

As demographic shifts continue to pressure governments to adopt more sustainable healthcare policies, significant potential exists for AI healthcare innovators to scale their solutions globally. Despite barriers to cross-country collaboration on national programs due to complexities including data privacy, companies like Oxford Nanopore demonstrate the potential for global solutions as our populations age.

Blue Zones and the 100 year life…

What if the solutions to live longer and healthier lives are right in front of us and far simpler to administer than the latest AI tech? Netflix “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones” has been on my watchlist for some time. In it, author Dan Buettner explores 5 unique communities where residents often live to be 100 years or older while maintaining vibrant health.

What are the secrets? Well, it is not rocket science if you are motivated enough to walk more, you have access to good quality simple food and a strong community. Even good tea makes a difference. As with many things in life, we all have good intentions. For some the barriers to incorporating better daily habits are truly about unequal access and others simply that life or motivation gets in the way. Who better to illustrate that than Oscar Wilde below.

As the world rapidly ages, there is no panacea. It will take a combination of proactive Government healthcare policies, technological innovation and individual awareness to maintain resilient and healthy societies. We might not live forever but the forevers we do live can be exponentially better.

“To get back my youth, I would do annything in the world, except take exercise, get up early or be respectable” Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Sincerely, yours,

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Postscript: In other news…

This month, we co-hosted an event on Business Internationalisation and foreign policy with The Entrepreneurs Network and LSE IDEAS (a foreign policy ThinkTank) to an audience of growing UK businesses, policy makers and advisors. We focused on several themes including the importance of an interationalisation mindset sooner in the business lifecycle and ways in which to embrace an “entrepreneurship without borders” approach in systems and processes. Thank you to our co-hosts for the event and all that attended, you can read a recap here.

Next month we’re looking forward to London Tech Week 2024 and supporting businesses with global ambitions. Drop me a line if you will be there.

About the Transatlantic Post

Email and subscribe notes

You are receiving this email because (1) you previously received the Transatlantic Post, from 2016 and have stuck with me as readers for several years (2) we worked together/crossed paths in 2022/2023 and spoke about growth in the USA, Middle East, India, as well as other international growth led conversations.

We take your privacy seriously and your information is not used in any other way except to send this monthly email. If you prefer not to receive it, you can unsubscribe at any time.

References and Further reading

Inside the longevity industrial complex - AXIOS

From the Baby Boom to the Baby Bust, Financial Times

Innovation can power the future of Britain, The Tony Blair Institue for Global Change

The Seas Less Travelled

The Transatlantic Post | Love Letter N°35

Kajal Sanghrajka

Apr 30, 2024

brown sailboat in beach under white sky — Photo by Austin Neill

Welcome to The Transatlantic Post an editorial on innovation and international growth. With occasional British satire. By Kajal

There were two theories on Christopher Columbus, he was a skilled navigator that embarked on an audacious exploratory mission. And the second, he was a reckless but courageous adventurer setting sail with limited technical knowledge.

Between 1492 and 1504, he led four Transatlantic voyages to the Caribbean and Americas. On August 3, 1492, Columbus and his crew set sail from Spain in three ships: the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. He had been intent on finding Asia but instead landed on the shores of the Bahamas and the so-called discovery of America.

Which theory would you pick - the skilled sailor or maverick adventurer? They are not mutually exclusive of course but I would argue that the greatest of skill without the qualities of explorers and adventurers will fall short.

Plans without courage…

Explorers and adventurers often embody traits such as curiosity, optimism, and courage. Without a measure of each, even the most robust plans are prone to failure.

I've come across numerous business leaders who either make the leap to expand into new markets swiftly or miss the opportunity by waiting too long. And there are people who discuss living abroad but never take action, and others who, despite rational objections, simply forge ahead (more on taking the leap below).

Like it or hate it….have you ever wondered why you can grab a Starbucks coffee in every corner of the world? From a small coffee shop opened in 1971 in Seattle, it now has 32,000 stores across 80 countries. Incidentally, courage is one of its company values “We pursue audacious ideas beyond our comfort zone”.

That audacity included going after markets most would not dare to for a Western coffee brand - Italy with its serious coffee connoisseurs? India with its frequent chai drinkers? Part of its global ambition was understanding and adpating its products to local tastes but international expansion was rooted in the courage to aim for markets which were historically hard to enter.

Another good example is Heinz - Kethchup along with Coca Cola were two of the most recognizable US brands in the early 90s but Heinz had yet to capitalise on growth in emerging markets. Then CEO Bill Johnson expanded into China, India, Indonesia, and Latin America through a series of acquisitions as well as bringing key products to market organically. Today, non-US revenues for Heinz are around 30%. 1

When businesses do venture into uncharted waters, what has struck me most is the significant role that the mindset of CEOs, and ultimately their courage, play in shaping the eventual outcomes...

Top 5 traits of CEO’s that have successfully gone global…..

After several years of collaborating with leaders on expansion efforts, there were some interesting common findings.

This week, I am very happy to announce the launch of our new website (a special preview for Transatlantic Post Readers), featuring a dedicated section on international growth. While I haven't delved into the specifics of the leaders' mindset just yet, I am actively refining ideas to offer more guidance in this area.

Although I'm usually sceptical of top 5 lists, I wanted to share a concise summary of my observations on the common traits of leaders that have successfully grown their businesses globally.

They get on a plane
There is little to substitute experiencing the pulse of a market first-hand. We are inclined to trust those we meet in person more than an in online interactions. In fact many cultures prioritise face-to-face interaction. Strong leaders inherently understand the need for market immersion and in-person relationship building and recognise these as essential steps to seizing new market opportunities.
“When I assumed the leadership of Heinz’s Asia/Pacific business, in 1993, the company’s revenues from that part of the world [emerging markets] were hardly a blip—and I’d never visited most of the countries in the region. I made my first trip there soon after I took the job, and it really opened my eyes….Being successful in those markets also requires that every manager—including the CEO—work hard to build relationships” B. Johnson, Former CEO of Heinz
Balance building global and tailoring local
“Glocal” is the official term for this and it is a challenging balancing act. Brands who go too far with standardised global aspects risk missing the intricacies of local preferences. Local cultural fluency is so often underestimated. Yet those who are most successful show a keen emotional intelligence in adapting to cultural and customer nuances.
"It's really good to understand what’s global and what’s not….What of your product needs to change to work and what doesn’t? J Zadeh, Airbnb VP 2
Secure buy-in from the right stakeholders early
Successful teams cut through the noise and find the anchor clients and influential stakeholders across the ecosystem often with the right guidance and support. Both in the public and private sector. Such targeted efforts not only save valuable time but also determine whether the business survives or thrives in the new market.
Move decisively by assessing the market pulse with research and data
Quite often the leaders who win drive forward with sufficient and thorough research but avoid the ‘analysis paralysis trap’. The right information combined with grassroots market knowledge provides a strong foundation for decisive and quick action.
Focus on the upside opportunities more than the challenges
In any new country, challenges will arise, for example preserving team culture, underestimating the influence of local competition, and adapting to shifts in the economic landscape. Effective leaders understand the importance of focusing solely on what they can influence. CEOs who prioritise the upside potential while managing risks can chart a sustainable path to growth.
“But generally we focus on the long term. We have learned that to succeed in emerging markets, you need to be risk aware but not risk averse…Ultimately, it’s all about courage. Are you prepared to stick it out?” Bill Johnson, Former CEO of Heinz

Taking the leap….which seas would you set sail on?

If you could move countries or expand your business, where would you go? I’ve focused this year’s posts on the Middle East (in particular the UAE) and India (A Glimpse Ahead to the next decade of growth in the East, Paving the Streets with Gold and Building Fortresses in the Sand | MEINA at Davos ) primarily because I have seen first-hand the energy, dynamism and sheer amount of opportunity for those willing to take a shot.

The Economist Intelligence Unit publishes liveability rankings of over 100 cities globally each year 3 while the World Bank Group indexes 190 countries on Ease of Doing business. Although rankings are not the basis of companies or an individual’s decision to move internationally, its worth noting the factors which influence how they compare and conclude rankings. Liveability, for example, incorporates 5 factors -stability, health care, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.

Source: The Economist

The most liveable cities still belong to the G7 countries but what is more interesting is the movement in country and city positions. In the 2023 Economist survey, Western European cities slipped down the rankings.

Civil unrest has hurt European stability ratings and they have not matched gains across other variables made by cities in Asia and the Middle East. I’d not blame anyone for sticking to the blue dotted cities above, I lived in New York and Zurich. But the upside and opportunity today is on the seas less travelled, those countries rising in the ranks and investing in health, education, infrastructure and more.

Wherever you choose to go, there are infinite benefits to being in a place you are unfamiliar with and it is worth keeping in mind the explorer’s mindset. Learning new cultures, challenging our own perceptions and stereotypes and understanding different realities are transformational experiences. There is also always the humour of nuances in language as I noted here in “Learning to Speak American English”.

For those of you thinking about it for yourself or your business, drop me a note, I’d be happy to share my experiences and encourage you to take the international leap.

"Adventure is worthwhile in itself." Amelia Earhart

Sincerely, yours,

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References and Further reading

CEO of Heinz on powering growth in emerging markets, HBR

How Airbnb expanded to 190 Countries by thinking Glocal, Forbes

The Global Liveability Index 2023, Economist Intelligence Unit

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