The Next Decade of Zeros and Ones

Dr Shaun Conway -

Launching Zero 2034

This week, aboard the historic sailing ship The City of Amsterdam, docked in Singapore, the Dutch Embassy hosted a launch of the VentureRock Asia fund and our venture studios focused on Deep Tech, AI, and Impact.

Unlike traditional venture capital-funded startups, venture studios are designed to bring together experienced teams, structured processes, and focused resources to address real-world challenges. Evidence indicates that ventures emerging from these studios exhibit significantly higher success rates due to their foundational support systems and strategic frameworks guiding them from inception to scale.

Our Zero by 2034 Mission

The Zero by 2034 mission of our Impact Tech studio represents a transformative vision for the next decade of venture-building. The concept of "Zero" transcends mere elimination of negatives; it embodies the creation of infinite potential. In his 2000 work, Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea, Charles Seife illustrates how ancient civilisations embraced Zero's transformative power in mathematics and philosophy. While initially met with skepticism in the Western world, its eventual acceptance catalysed groundbreaking advancements across various fields, including calculus and the scientific method.

We find ourselves at a pivotal "ZERO moment" in history.

The ventures we build and scale over the next decade have the potential to significantly alter humanity's trajectory. As builders, business leaders, and investors, we can define ourselves as Generation Zero by pursuing ambitious goals of Zero Emissions, Zero Transmissions, Zero Waste, Zero Exclusion, and Zero Extinctions.

Accountability in this mission is paramount; we must measure, report, and verify our progress. The advent of artificial intelligence, together with Web3, can help us achieve Zero information asymmetries, creating a world devoid of knowledge gaps where every interaction is fully informed.

For me, arriving at this milestone feels like a significant life moment. My personal journey took a significant turn from leading global health initiatives as a medical doctor, to becoming a technologist with a vision for a global digital immune system for Earth and Humanity—what I termed the Internet of Impacts. Today, we have collectively operationalised an "AOL phase" of this new Internet. With advancements in Web3 and AI this is evolving into a Spatial Web of Impacts, merging physical and digital domains to enhance our capabilities. This evolution allows us to sense local impacts on social, economic, or environmental well-being and respond through intelligent coordination and verification systems.

For now, I would like to share the slides that I presented at the launch event, and in future articles we will dive more deeply into each of the Zero targets we are working towards:

Impact Venture Studio

The IXO Spatial Web Platform

The IXO Spatial Web Platform underpins our Zero 2034 Impact Tech Venture Studio, ensuring that we transition from digital zeros and ones to tangible impacts with measurable goals. For each Zero initiative, we have established specific targets that will be enabled by our technologies, ventures, and networks of devices, people, organisations, and AI agents:

  • 1 Gigaton of Greenhouse Gas avoided or sequestered through intelligent energy networks, towards achieving Zero Emissions.
  • 100-Day responses to new pathogen variants, from genomic sequencing to disease intervention through intelligent disease prevention networks, towards achieving Zero Transmissions.
  • 1 Gigaton of production outputs not ending up in landfills, rivers and oceans, by implementing intelligent supply chain networks, towards achieving Zero Waste.
  • 1 Million young people mobilised through intelligent networks of people participating in the Green Economy, towards Zero Exclusions.
  • 1 Million Hectares of land protected and regenerated through intelligent bioregional networks working towards achieving Zero Extinctions.

Embracing the Possibilities of Zero

Setting ambitious goals is essential; embracing Zero opens doors to infinite possibilities for future generations. A world characterised by Zero Emissions could lead to environmental rejuvenation; Zero Waste could foster sustainable economies; and Zero Exclusion could unlock human potential universally.

Through the Zero 2034 Impact Tech Venture Studio, powered by the IXO Spatial Web Platform, we are not merely making promises; we are actively constructing a reality defined by measurable change.

A Call to Action for Investors

The time for action is now. Sophisticated investors, policymakers, and technologists play crucial roles in shaping this future. Join us in spearheading this revolution—one grounded in trust, transparency, and transformative impact. Discover how you can contribute at IXO World and help forge a future defined by Zero.