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Investment trends that surprised us at Hampton’s Tech Week

   Many surprises awaited us at HTW earlier this month, including the diversity of people, ideas, and products in both the development and investment stages. Among the 300+ delegates, we made several observations.

Here are a few of them:

1. Sustainability, a burgeoning investment space, is making waves with its diverse product range, from wet suits to sports technology, promising a greener and more efficient future.
2. AI systems that measure athletic potential, a tool to assist sports scouts to assess the potential of athletes without the hassle of travel. An athlete in Addis Ababa can film themselves running and send the film through the AI tool for the scout to review removes the traveling time for scouting.
3. A water purification system technology that removes water from the air for human consumption that can be mobilized for global emergencies.
4. A time management tool and decision support system that collects data to prevent the “scroll” through online movies to find the “just right” movie based on a persona.
5. There was a diversity of people from all ages and life stages. One young panelist has earned 7 patents and a Founder who is disrupting personal services at airports for individuals living with disabilities.

According to the OECD’s 2024 report “Financing SMES and Entrepreneurs 2024,” there are 33.2 million small businesses in the United States. These make up 99.9% of all US businesses and account for almost two-thirds of net new private sector jobs.

Of those, 88% have fewer than 20 employees. Small businesses employ 61.7 million people, 46.4% of all US employees, and 56 million workers are employed at firms with fewer than 50 employees (The White House, Council of Economic Advisers, 2023).

   I moderated a lively panel, Pop Culture and Tech: Shaping Society Through Innovation and Strategy with Stephen Pitt-Walker, Jason Bayuk, and Robert Blackwell Jr. 

   New York City is the city of networking and business making. Here is Stephen Pitt-Walker, Shirley Hon, and me (Maureen Farmer) at Oceana restaurant in midtown, one of my favorite places in the city for intimate business meetings.

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   Ruby, our family rescue, continues to amuse and enchant us!

Entrepreneurs, inventors, and investors gather for Hamptons Tech Week (our message from last week)

Thank you for being part of the Westgate community. I hope you find our weekly newsletter helpful as it is a labor of affection and service to you. Have an optimized week ahead. 

Maureen Farmer is a Leadership Optimization and Executive Branding Strategist for next-level executives, investors, and board nominees. 

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