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Demo Day 2022: It Takes All of Us

December 09, 2022

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

Demo Day 2023 Playlist

    • Dawn Lippert and Craig Nash standing on the stage of Demo Day 202392 min
      Demo Day 2023: Full Event
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    • Todd Park on the stage of Demo Day 20236 min
      Demo Day 2023 - Devoted Health

      health

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    • Clementine Jacoby on set of Demo Day 20235 min
      Demo Day 2023 - Recidiviz

      technology

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    • Cisco Devries on set of Demo Day 20237 min
      Demo Day 2023 - OHMCONNECT

      environment

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    • A man wearing a black sweater gesturing as he speaks taken from the bottom angle2 min
      Demo Day 2023: Garden

      about-us

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    • Harold Love Jr. on set of Demo Day 20236 min
      Demo Day 2023 - Tennessee House of Representatives

      education

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    • Conchita Cruz on set of Demo Day 20235 min
      Demo Day 2023 - Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project

      immigration

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    • Necole Muhammad on set of Demo Day 20235 min
      Demo Day 2023 - Chicago CRED

      gun-violence-reduction

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    • Nick Thompson on set of Demo Day 20235 min
      Nick Thompson | The Atlantic

      demo-day

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    • Sixto Cancel on set of Demo Day 20234 min
      Demo Day 2023 - Think of Us

      socialInnovation

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    • Sarabeth Berman on set of Demo Day 20235 min
      Sarabeth Berman | American Journalism Project

      demo-day

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    • Tim Schnabel on set of Demo Day 20235 min
      Demo Day 2023 - Switch Bioworks

      environment

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    • Ava Duvernay and Lorraine Powell Jobs on Demo Day 2023 stage21 min
      Demo Day 2023 - ARRAY

      media-journalism

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    • Trombone Shorty on the stage of Demo Day 20237 min
      Demo Day 2023 - Trombone Shorty Performance
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