“The pandemic has been incredibly positive for the technology industry,” says Per Roman, CEO and Managing Partner of tech industry advisory and investment firm, GP Bullhound. “People who weren’t digital citizens before have now become digital citizens.”  

From that perspective, Europe’s technology startups and scale-ups should be looking ahead to 2022 with a fair degree of optimism. But as Roman points out, while Covid 19 has been instrumental in changing consumer behaviour and encouraging hitherto slow-to-change industries to embrace digital transformation, fractured supply chains represent a much less positive elephant in the room.    

I’m talking to Roman a few days after the release of GP Bullhound’s Annual Tech Predictions Report. Drawn up with input from the firm’s network of founders and investors, the study highlights what the firm sees as the ten key trends that are set to have the biggest impact on the digital economy over the coming year.  

As Roman sees it, this year’s report is published against a backdrop of unprecedented progress in the European tech ecosystem reflecting a realisation that the continent – including the UK – is home to a growing number of globally significant businesses that have successfully navigated the journey from startup, to scaleup and then beyond. He cites the financial services industry in particular.  “You have companies such as  Sweden’s Klarna, the UK-based Revolut and Holland’s Adyen that are now operating on a global scale,” he says. “At the same time, Europe has a vibrant funding system.” 

Looking To The Future

But what of the future? After all, the purpose of the GP Bullhound report is to throw a spotlight on next year’s key trends, rather than telling us about the success stories we perhaps already know.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevorclawson/2021/12/21/shifting-trendsreport-hails-metaverse-and-blockchain-innovation-but-chip-shortages-may-hit-europes-startups/?sh=6eb9515e4743

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *