In 2021 we encountered numerous challenges such as health concerns, overpopulation, and climate change. Even though the year lowered our heads and left us in a place of confusion and sadness, we must view the future with anticipation and hope. Here are five companies paving the way to an increasingly connected, environmentally sustainable, and innovative future.
Tesla
Founded in 2003, Tesla is the world’s leading company in sustainable energy. During the pandemic and the steepest market crash since 2008, Tesla stock sustained a continuous growth rate, reaching all-time highs in February 2021. Tesla stock has eclipsed what many thought possible, climbing to $1100 per share before the stock split. After closing at $891 on Aug 24, 2022, Tesla implemented a stock split by paying a dividend of two shares for each share held after closing. The share price began trading at $297 the following day. Tesla is pushing the boundaries and showing us that the once-popular thought that gasoline cars are better than electric may not only be flawed but slowly yet eternally changing. Much like the car, the mission is to accelerate the world towards clean transport and greener energy production. With products ranging from solar panels to storage systems to electric vehicles, Tesla is driving the world towards a sustainable future.
Coinbase
A space that often falls between technology and finance has created controversy. Bullish investors view the space as a step toward the future, while bearish traders struggle to see the value in the assets. Cryptocurrency is a substitute for fiat currency that has garnered attention from all angles. The space promotes decentralization through the lack of central issuing and regulatory authority, allowing holders and the general market to dictate the value of coins and digital assets such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The underlying technology, blockchain, has been adopted by several companies such as NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Goldman Sachs, creating a positive sentiment for the space in the long run. The technology offers user autonomy and discretion and eliminates banking fees. Still, bearish investors view such discretion as a negative since they believe it allows for illegal activities such as money laundering. The crypto sphere is still the wild west of investments but has taken a crucial step in its mission to create a decentralized world. Coinbase brought crypto to the public eye by being the first exchange to IPO on Apr 14, 2021, at a share price of $380 and a company valuation of $86 billion. However, the share price soon fell to $250 and has since tumbled to $80 per share, a staggering change of 68%.
SpaceX
Climate change, resource limitation, and curiosity have ignited the race to Mars. SpaceX, NASA, Roscosmos, China National Space Administration, and the United Arab Emirates Space Agency set out to establish a human settlement on the red planet. Founded by South African-born business titan Elon Musk, SpaceX has set out to put humans on Mars by 2026, seeming ‘highly confident that it would be able to complete such an extraordinary feat. Landing people on Mars would open a new chapter in humanity’s book, making us an interplanetary species. People on Mars may seem far-fetched but at one point, so did the internet. As we continue to innovate and technology moves forward, we may soon witness the first Mars-based civilization.
Zipline
Zipline uses drones and aircraft technology to transport medical supplies worldwide, redefining the supply chain. The story began in Rwanda and Ghana with blood and medical supplies; however, Zipline has continued to grow and is now the world-leading on-demand delivery service. They aid in both the United States and Global Healthcare while assisting in defense and disaster response. Zipline is transforming how life moves by utilizing technological advancements to reshape the supply chain, paving the way toward a more efficient future. With 2020 and 2021 bringing healthcare to the front lines, we must remember the struggling countries and companies allowing people and societies to get the help they desperately need. While healthcare was the initial focus, Zipline and drone technology are opening the doors toward a more interconnected, positive, and healthier world by simultaneously pioneering other organizations throughout the globe.
General Electric
With many companies moving towards a greener outlook, clean-tech and renewable business is the way of the future. General Electric (GE) is a company using Ecomagination to launch its vast renewable business focus. General Electric has committed to clean tech and promised to generate $20 billion in annual revenue from efficient yet environmentally sustainable equipment. General Electric has come a long way with a plan that seemed ambitious, to say the least. In 2015, GE had invested $17 billion into R&D while generating a staggering $232 billion in annual revenue, crushing their initial goal and proving that companies can excel in the business world while keeping climate change and the impacts of our environmental footprints in mind.
