Demo Day 2022: It Takes All of Us

With democracy at risk, the global economy wobbling, climate negotiations failing, and war testing the world’s resolve, a word began surfacing late last year in the opinion pages of major papers like The New York Times and the Financial Times to describe the state of things: polycrisis. A polycrisis, per the Cascade Institute, is “any combination of three or more interacting systemic risks with the potential to cause a cascading, runaway failure of Earth’s natural and social systems that irreversibly and catastrophically degrades humanity’s prospects.”

In the face of such bleakness, we turn to creativity and beauty, imagination and hope. As we enter 2023, our most incisive leaders understand that our immense challenges can be overcome if we’re audacious enough to push forward, together. Last week at Emerson Collective’s Demo Day 2022 event, 13 visionary problem solvers with expertise fighting the thorniest societal challenges spoke about their work, their visions for a more just world, and their triumphs. Ranging from a healthtech startup founder to a pathbreaking photographer to a voting rights attorney, every speaker challenged the audience to do more in the face of the polycrisis—and delivered messages overflowing with optimism and hope. After experiencing Demo Day 2022, allow us to suggest three words to counter the doomsayers: proximity, inclusivity, and audacity.

From Emerson Collective’s Demo Day 2022