Singularity Business Models: The link between lean startups and exponential change

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Singularity University describes itself as “a vibrant innovation and impact engine that generates leaders and start-up companies with the ability to positively impact the lives of a billion people within a decade”.

Apostle of lean startups Eric Ries recently joined Singularity University as the chair of its Entrepreneurship track.

In this video Ries is interviewed by entrepreneur Vivek Wadhwa about the link between startups and the Singularity, asking him about how to students at the university can scale their initiatives.



Ries says that his approach is to make startups scientific. However in a startup there is very little historic data and no reliable way of forecasting. This requires doing experiments and making decisions based on the results.

Harnessing exponential technologies – which is the domain of the Singularity – fits exactly in this space. From small beginnings you need to find what has the potential to grow exponentially.

Some years ago when I was asked to speak at an event on the Singularity, I thought that I would most like to speak about Singularity Business Models. I registered the domain SingularityBusinessModels.com (which we have not yet launched as a website), but unfortunately I wasn’t able to get to the event.

Crowd Business Models is a central theme for me, both in my speaking and writing and also how we are building the companies in AHT Group.

Since crowds are an extension our capabilities, they enable us to scale our ventures. However more is required for exponential growth. That is part of the next phase of what I will be working on.

Going even further is the domain of Singularity Business Models. There are number of ways we can think about this idea. These are business models that facilitate the Singularity. However they are also business models that will function effectively through the Singularity.

Many of today’s business models will not survive disruptive change. However some of today’s models, and perhaps some more that we are creating, will survive and thrive through extraordinary change.

Let us invent, test, and scale those business models.