4 Technologies I'm Tracking in 2022

At a moment when we're clearly in a revolution akin to the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions we read about in history class, there are SO MANY interesting technologies and products. Here are four that I find particularly fascinating that I'll be tracking and learning more about in the coming year.

1) SpaceX's Starship

The Space Shuttle carried eight astronauts and cost $1.7B (current) dollars to launch. SpaceX's next-generation rocket, Starship, can hold 100 people and is expected to cost less than $10M per launch. (And that 100 people is for a mission to Mars!!)

Starship feels like a one-step transition from propeller planes to the Boeing 747 in one leap. In May 2021 majestic silver rocket took off and landed vertically from it's launch site. Early in 2022 it will actually go to orbit, marking a major milestone in it's journey to (potentially) make space travel somewhat common.

2) Psychedelics

Unlike the other technologies on this list, Psychedelics aren't actually new. However, the scientific evidence around their transformative impact on our mental health is building at a rapid pace. And maybe more importantly, the American public is increasingly open to seeing these once-taboo substances enter our mental health toolkit.

Studies out of top research institutions like Johns Hopkins show Psilocybin (mushrooms) to be an effective treatment for major depression and, yes, drug addiction. The efficacy dwarfs what we've seen out of most traditional pharmaceuticals with far less problematic side effects. Similar studies, including Stage 3 clinical trials, are underway for MDMA and Ketamine as well.

In 2022, I'm excited to see the body of research showing the effectiveness of these drugs grow, and Americans who need them have access to these potentially magical treatments.

3) Carbon Capture Concrete

If concrete were a country, it would be the 3rd largest carbon emitter, releasing 8% of the world's carbon. And we aren't stopping building anytime soon.

Current technologies deployed in hundreds of plants worldwide reduce the CO2 emissions of concrete by 50% by infusing carbon emitted during the manufacturing process back into a new kind of concrete. Added bonus: CO2-infused concrete has extra strength.

Clearly carbon capture concrete isn't going to solve our climate problem alone, but it's the type of big solution we need.

4) Web3 (For Creators)

When I started my last company, Jumprope, I was eager to find a way to align the success of the creators on our platform with the long-term success of the company. We were dependent on them to succeed, and I wanted to give the creators who contributed the most a much deserved slide of the pie. However, in 2017, other than issue them stock options, which were hard to tie to actual value to the platform, I couldn't find good way.

Enter Web3. It's now possible to build a content platform where the ownership of the platform accrues to the creators in increments of value they create. The platform can distribute ownership stakes to creators based on value-adds like attracting a new user, creating a popular piece of content and so on.

I'm curious to see creator-owned platforms emerge, how governance on them is managed and how they impact established players like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

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What technologies are you tracking for the coming year? Even if it's just one thing, drop it in the comments.