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'NewCos' Are The Drivers Behind A Rapidly Transforming World

A "NewCo" is a new kind of organization -- one that measures its success by more than just profit. As the fully networked, information-first economy has taken hold, NewCos are creating game-changing, purpose-driven new models for business. NewCos are everywhere.
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Co-workers in a tech start up company discussing a project at a workstation using a digital tablet and a computer
Gary Burchell via Getty Images
Co-workers in a tech start up company discussing a project at a workstation using a digital tablet and a computer

The dominant conversation among leaders in all sectors of our society today, whether in business, politics, industry, science or culture, is how "disruption" and innovative organizations, empowered by the Internet, the proliferation of mobile and the exponential increase in computing power, are changing the world.

The World Economic Forum calls it the "The Fourth Industrial Revolution."

The companies behind this Fourth Revolution are the disruptors, like Uber, Airbnb, Netflix and Google. We call them "NewCos."

They are not just changing industries and the economy. NewCos -- and the creative, big-thinking people behind them -- are fundamentally changing the way business is done and, in the process, the way we all live and behave. A "NewCo" is a new kind of organization -- one that measures its success by more than just profit. As the fully networked, information-first economy has taken hold, NewCos are creating game-changing, purpose-driven new models for business.

NewCos are everywhere. Many of them you know. But many others are unknown, working in obscurity on big ideas that will soon be the next to add change to our lives. And they don't only exist in Silicon Valley. They are around the world. Companies like Xiaomi in Beijing, that is redefining the smartphone market, and others that are capitalizing on the open access that all entrepreneurs now have to the tools and technologies they need to succeed.

And they're not just start-ups. An established BigCo that is self-aware, purpose-driven and truly committed to adapting substantively to the changing world can also be a NewCo.

And they're not restricted to tech companies either. Socially progressive organizations such as TOMS or category-disruptors like Tesla Motors are also NewCos.

These are the companies to work for, to invest in, to partner with and to celebrate so that we can all make a difference and change the world for the better.

But what makes them different...really? How do we find out who they are? And, more importantly, how do we learn more about them and the leaders whose visions made them a reality?

That's where the NewCo Festival comes in. It's the brainchild of tech entrepreneur and Wired co-founder John Battelle. Since 2012, he has been showcasing NewCos like Airbnb, Twitter, AltSchool, Google, Medium, TED, PlanetLab, HealthLoop and LinkedIn, first in San Francisco but now across 24-plus cities around the world.

Instead of putting the companies on stage at an expensive conference with bad coffee and rows of "attendees" with their attention on their phones, NewCo brings the participants into the companies' natural habitats, face-to-face with the founders or senior leaders to hear their stories first-hand, to understand their purpose, to find out what really makes them different and how to participate in their success.

If you're a company that wants to help change the world and become a part of the "Fourth Industrial Revolution", then unite with others like Google Canada, G Adventures, Wattpad, soulpepper and Wealthsimple, and consider joining the Toronto NewCo Festival as a host company by clicking here.

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