The 2021 Momenta Predictions are out!

2021 kicks off with new optimism related to a recovering economy and relaxing of pandemic restrictions once the worst of the “second wave” passes. Vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer are being administered by the millions, while additional vaccines from J&J and AstraZeneca make their way through accelerated trials. With a new administration set to take hold in the U.S., expectations for additional fiscal stimulus are boosting market sentiment (despite growing concerns over frothy valuations for high growth companies).

We are definitely seeing acceleration of digital transformation and the realization of secular shifts that have been underway for years. When Marc Andreessen wrote “Software Is Eating the World” in 2011, the ideas articulated in his op-ed piece have played out – and with software companies dominating the latest crop of high growth startups (71% of the Deloitte Fast 500).  

However, the reliance on software comes with new risks. The massive SolarWinds hack discovered in December appears to have been one of the most severe on record impacting both private and public sector with approximately 250 U.S. Government agencies. Information security will remain a critical priority with ever more compelling rationale for hackers to target vulnerable systems

Each year Momenta looks back, takes stock of the present and looks ahead at the new technologies and digital trends likely to impact the way we work, the way businesses operate and the most exciting digital innovations ahead of us.

We highlight five Foundational Technologies which we categorize as Building Blocks of the future:

• AI and Machine Learning Everywhere
• IoT - Connecting the Internet of Everything
• 5G – Moving Data Bigger and Faster than Ever
• Critical Infrastructure - Cloud Computing
• Blockchain Maturing in 2021.
  
  

These enabling digital technologies are at the heart of a wave of innovative applications and services that will transform how we communicate and collaborate, how we do business, how we connect buyers and sellers across vast marketplaces, how we educate our children and train our workers, and how we bring new efficiencies and conveniences to existing business processes.

We explore three significant themes that are shaping
how we work:

• The shift from centralized workspaces to an embrace of a remote workforce
• The continued adoption of robotics and automation
• The ascendence of employee wellness as a corporate priority with the values of an increasingly millennial dominated workforce
  
  

We also examine where we are going - and how we’re going to get there – in light of three compelling trends:

• The rise of plentiful, cheap, and clean energy sources.
• The surging growth of Electric Vehicles 
• The exciting developments around the emerging space economy exemplified by companies like SpaceX.  
  
  

The word “unprecedented” was used repeatedly to describe the events of 2020, but the reality is that that description is likely to apply to 2021 and the rest of the decade as well. Traditional industry has been steadily embracing information technologies over the past three decades, but the pandemic was the digital acceleration, foot on the gas pedal, that no one expected. For all of us, it’s imperative to keep a firm hold on the steering wheel to ensure a secure, sustainable and abundant future ahead. 

Momenta delivers digital innovation, growth and leadership across energy, manufacturing, smart spaces and supply chain. As deep Digital Industry Practitioners, we can help you grow in ways no other company can through one-stop advisory, M&A, executive search and venture capital services. Feel free to schedule a call to explore your company's digital potential.