Strategy

Finishing my term as CEO, MaRS Discovery District

Finishing my term as CEO, MaRS Discovery District

Dear Friends … I’m now on my final countdown to completing my 6th and final year as CEO at MaRS Discovery District, and my 3rd attempt at retirement. As I reflect on my experience, I am left with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Leading MaRS has been one of the peak experiences in my life … even more enriching than […]

by × December 18, 2023 × 0 comments
My Manifesto for Canadian Innovation …

My Manifesto for Canadian Innovation …

I had the pleasure of being invited to speak on the main stage of the Sony Centre during the Elevate Tech Festival, about our window of opportunity to leverage our innovation economy to chalk up wins for Canada on the global stage.  It’s something that I am passionate about, and it is the reason why I left a very comfortable […]

by × November 7, 2022 × 0 comments
How will the global economy recover from COVID-19?

How will the global economy recover from COVID-19?

The past six months have had a catastrophic impact on the global economy and recovery will require serious collaboration between private and public sectors. It’s hard to believe, but even though many countries have been shut down for months, we are still in the COVID-19 response phase. However, I do believe the innovation economy –– where we’ve seen so much […]

by × September 13, 2020 × 0 comments
KPMG Re-Entry Show: Innovating to Thrive

KPMG Re-Entry Show: Innovating to Thrive

KPMG Re-Entry Show: Innovating to Thrive Talking about COVID-19 pandemic and how to think about the recovery while hanging out with my friends, Armughan Ahmad (President & Managing Partner, Digital, KPMG) and Dr. Kamran Khan (CEO & Founder, BlueDot). Watch the show here.

by × June 30, 2020 × 0 comments
Vintage illustration of an 'electronic car of tomorrow' driving on a city highway, with electronic display and guidance, 1950s. Screen print. (Illustration by GraphicaArtis/Getty Images)

OpEd: Cities must plan ahead for innovation without leaving people behind | TechCrunch

Transparency, data privacy and collaboration are critical to urban innovation Yung Wu OpEd (TechCrunch)  8:30 pm EDT•July 21, 2019 From Toronto to Tokyo, the challenges faced by cities today are often remarkably similar: climate change, rising housing costs, traffic, economic polarization, unemployment. To tackle these problems, new technology companies and industries have been sprouting and scaling up with innovative digital solutions […]

by × July 21, 2019 × 0 comments
Inertia Kills … Velocity Wins

Inertia Kills … Velocity Wins

Yung Wu is CEO at MaRS Discovery District. Under his leadership, the companies MaRS supports are advancing prosperity through entrepreneurial achievement. Located in Toronto, Canada, MaRS is the world’s largest urban innovation hub. Q1. When you reflect upon your career path, is there a defining moment that influenced where you are today?  I have been fortunate to have had more […]

by × February 7, 2019 × 0 comments
A cropped shot of hands painted to look like the earth

To actually change the world, Big Tech needs to grow up | TechCrunch

Yung Wu OpEd TechCrunch 4:00 pm EDT•October 30, 2018 Image Credits: Yuri_Arcurs “Fierce competitor” is one of the biggest, and most culturally ingrained, compliments that exists in sports. The same is true in the technology world. However, as competitors originating from outside of Silicon Valley rise, so do the stakes for previously unchallenged tech firms, like Uber,Facebook and Google, to enter new […]

by × October 30, 2018 × 0 comments
Here Is What Is

Here Is What Is

Entrepreneurs are different–people who see possibilities where others see limitations. But best ideas seldom win, and paraphrasing my friend Daniel Lanois in his film “Here is What is”, people would be surprised how much Creativity comes from Shit. Put into the context of how startups evolve into successful companies, it has become clear to me that the key to later […]

by × February 26, 2014 × 0 comments
Enterprise innovation cycle (the next “wave” on a Rising Tide)

Enterprise innovation cycle (the next “wave” on a Rising Tide)

Most Enterprises have taken their medicine over the past 4 years, since the big crash of 2008, and don’t have much more room to optimize performance through cuts and austerity measures alone. Our bets are that Enterprises are cautiously and selectively starting to explore CAPX and strategic investments — especially in areas that can drive customer acquisition and growth. New […]

by × August 26, 2011 × 0 comments
Long live entrepreneurs !!!

Long live entrepreneurs !!!

Perhaps a contrary point of view, but I believe that the current market and economic turmoil makes it a very exciting time to be an entrepreneur and to bet on entrepreneurs, and will eventually be quite beneficial to their businesses. Gone are the days, especially in the B2B environment, when customers can afford to ignore a “better mousetrap” (especially where they drive in-year cost reductions or productivity improvements), or make

by × April 14, 2011 × 8 comments