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Tech Disruption Marks a Dawn of Rebellion

Tech Disruption Marks a Dawn of Rebellion.

Posted 07 May 2018

For true disruption and innovation to exist, there must be various points of interruption. When you can bypass an existing methodology and get straight to the biscuits- this is a disruption.

It starts with a question: how can we do this better?

Let us paint a picture. You need to reach that jar on the top shelf and you are not allowed to climb. So you find a person, that person builds ladders, so they build you a ladder, an expensive and timely process. Finding a ladder builder is not easy, you must find someone that is not going to build you a cheap and nasty ladder, one made of inferior material. Now you need someone to climb the ladder, (you know you mustn't climb it yourself) So you hire a qualified ladder climber to take each step, grab that jar and bring it to you.

Disruption is when someone makes an arm extension which you can simply use yourself, and you just grab the jar.

Why is it disruptive? Because often, there are people in between you and that jar that can profit financially from you not being able to reach it yourself. You interrupt a methodology. You leave them out of the equation. We have seen examples that this can be very positive to society. Those disrupted are forced to be more innovative; they must rethink, reinvent and recreate- in another word- evolve. When the integrity behind it is based on transparency and honesty, the process can be breathtaking.

Technology is helping us to do this very quickly, and it can be challenging to keep up with. When disruption and innovation create employment opportunities or frees up money and capital to do other things the landscape can change dramatically.

Let's put it in other terms. Someone somewhere is getting very wealthy from you not being able to reach the jar. What if the money you save on the jar reaching process, you direct towards a social enterprise? What about paying people to build orphanages or housing for the homeless? Drug rehabilitation clinics and good housing for our elderly? HELPING those less fortunate? Now there's a concept. It doesn't stop employment or business, it can redirect it in new and exciting ways. Social investing and capital venture are well on their way in Australia. An exciting concept where you can help those in real need and make money at the same time. What an idea!

You can also see why disruption can make companies and innovators very unpopular. People making money don't like it being taken away, they don't like change. It can create bullies too. But this is a whole other article!

Instead of lining the pockets for a couple of the big guys you are helping bring forward newness, beginnings, and stories that end happily for an entire community. Something to think about.

We have seen exciting examples of this type of disruption recently.

Elon Musk, one of the world's most well-known innovators, has created the world's biggest lithium batteries, the Powerpack. It is running in South Australia, and according to AEMO, it is outperforming coal, gas and hydro, with unprecedented speeds. This means better delivery of power, more sustainably sourced power, a better environmental footprint, cheaper power. Hmmm. Would you like some disruption with your cereal?

The other one is Next Address, an Australian company which has completely disrupted the real estate industry with a Bang and not a whimper in sight! They created a super selling/buying algorithm that bypasses the rest of the real estate model that exists in Australia at the moment. No ladders, no extensive and expensive marketing campaigns, to not only get people straight to the jar but to also open it. The platform directly connects buyers to sellers, to make the real estate journey more transparent to help all parties save time and money. Not wanting to leave the good real estate agents out in the cold, the team is encouraging agents to get on board, by helping customers reach the jar quickly by giving them a "power arm" without the rest of the expensive and sometimes painful song and dance techniques.

Jacob Cooper, Next Address team member, says "The disruption occurs when you flip the industry's traditional business model on its head and offer a completely different experience for that market."

Next Address has taken it one step further to offer mum and dad investors the chance to be shareholders rather than doing the whole "sell off to Silicon Valley" routine in coordination with Australian crowdfunding platform Birchal. Fintech, finance and technology is yet another disruption point, allowing "the everyday folks" the same opportunities as the "big guys."

Another example of this is Xinja, which will be a digital-only bank with no branches, recently launched successfully in Australia using the crowdfunding model via Equitise. Xinja raised over $2 million from everyday Aussies via crowdfunding in an impressive campaign.

Batteries, real estate and banks run by the people for the people, all proving their mettle in a landscape ripe for innovation and disruption. Australian DNA is threaded with forward-thinking, getting things done and striving for better, the Tech Disruption is well and truly here with a rebellion of jar openers at the ready!

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