So You Want to Start a New Company? Here’s Why It Must Be an Existential Innovation
The world doesn’t need more apps—it needs solutions to civilization’s greatest challenges.
👋 Hello! My mission with Beyond with Yon is to ignite awareness, inspire dialogue, and drive innovation to tackle humanity's greatest existential challenges. Join me on the journey to unf**ck the future and transform our world.
“Make no small plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized.” — Daniel Burnham
So, you’re ready to start a company. You’re full of ambition, ideas, and a vision for building something impactful.
My ask: THINK BIGGER.
The world doesn’t need another food delivery app, a slightly better CRM, or the 15th iteration of a social media platform. What it needs are companies solving the challenges that will define the future of humanity.
Climate change is accelerating.
AI is outthinking us.
The global food and energy systems are stretched to their limits.
Pandemics are a persistent threat to global health.
The companies that solve these challenges won’t just make billions—they’ll shape the next century.
If you’re going to start a company, make it an existential innovation—one that addresses humanity’s greatest problems and pushes civilization forward.
Here’s why—and how to do it.
Let’s start with the basics: What is existential innovation?
It’s the kind of bold, ambitious problem-solving that addresses civilization-scale challenges:
Reversing climate change.
Building AI that benefits humanity.
Revolutionizing healthcare through biotech.
Creating sustainable food, water, and energy systems.
Expanding humanity’s footprint beyond Earth.
These are the kinds of problems that will determine the future of our species. And they’re where the biggest opportunities lie.
In my recent essay, The Existential Innovation Revolution, I wrote:
We are on the cusp of a civilization-level transformation. The industrial revolutions of the past created billion-dollar industries, and the next one will create trillion-dollar ecosystems.
The problems we face today are bigger and more complex than ever before:
The planet is warming at a rate that threatens billions of lives. The transformation of the global economy needed to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 would be universal and significant, requiring $9.2 trillion in annual average spending on physical assets.
Artificial intelligence is advancing faster than regulations or safety mechanisms can keep up, posing both immense opportunity and existential risks.
The global healthcare system is buckling under rising costs, aging populations, and persistent pandemics. Ninety percent of the nation's $4.5 trillion in annual healthcare expenditures are for people with chronic and mental health conditions.
The old way of thinking—incremental improvements, marginal gains—isn’t enough. We need moonshots, not bandaids.
Let me be clear: Solving civilization’s biggest challenges is simply good business. Just look at the scale of the biggest markets to emerge over the next decade:
Climate Tech: The clean energy transition is expected to generate over $10 trillion in economic opportunities by 2050.
AI & Quantum Computing: The AI market is projected to grow to $1.8 trillion by 2030, and Quantum Computing is on track to create up to $850 billion of economic value by 2040.
Biotech & Longevity: The global biotechnology market is growing at 13% annually and will reach nearly $4 trillion by 2030. Longevity startups alone are attracting billions in funding.
Space: The space economy is expected to hit $1.8 trillion by 2035, with lunar mining, satellite manufacturing, and space tourism leading the way.
The companies that tackle existential challenges will dominate these trillion-dollar industries.
People don’t want to work for companies that make marginal products anymore. They want to work on problems that matter. Let’s look at the data:
70% of Gen Z and Millennials say they want their work to have a meaningful impact on society. (source)
Top engineers, scientists, and operators are leaving Big Tech to build or join startups in AI safety, fusion energy, and biotech.
If you’re building something bold, you won’t just attract talent—you’ll attract the best talent.
So, what does it mean to build a company that tackles existential challenges? I suggest every founder and aspiring entrepreneur should look at these three characteristics:
1/ Your company solves a civilization-scale problem.
Your idea should address a problem that, if solved, changes the trajectory of humanity.
Examples:
AI Alignment: Ensuring artificial intelligence is safe, ethical, and aligned with human values.
Fusion Energy: Creating unlimited, clean energy to power the planet.
Xenotransplantation: Solving the organ shortage crisis with genetically engineered animal organs.
I encourage you to ask yourself: If my company succeeds, how will the world be different in 50 years?
2/ Your company pushes the boundaries of technology.
Existential innovation requires breakthroughs, not just incremental improvements.
Examples:
Using CRISPR gene editing to cure genetic diseases.
Developing quantum computing algorithms to revolutionize cybersecurity or drug discovery.
Creating self-sustaining habitats on Mars to make humanity multi-planetary.
The best ideas often sound impossible—until they’re not.
3/ Your company requires interdisciplinary thinking
Solving big problems means combining expertise from multiple fields.
Examples:
Fusion energy requires physics, engineering, and materials science.
AI safety requires computer science, philosophy, and ethics.
Healthcare breakthroughs require biotech, data science, and behavioral psychology.
Bringing together people from diverse backgrounds will help tackle problems from every angle.
If you’re thinking about starting a company, there’s never been a better time to focus on existential innovation:
Capital is flowing: Investors are pouring billions into climate tech, AI, and biotech.
Tech is maturing: Tools like CRISPR, quantum computers, and AI are moving from the lab to real-world applications.
The world is watching: People are demanding solutions to global challenges—and they’re willing to pay for them.
The next decade will define the industries, technologies, and companies that shape the next century.
The world doesn’t need another startup chasing a quick exit or building a slightly better app. The world needs visionaries.
If you’re going to start a company, make it matter. Build something that:
Solves a problem no one else is willing to tackle.
Pushes the boundaries of what’s possible.
Inspires people to believe in a better future.
The companies that solve existential challenges won’t just make money—they’ll define what it means to live in the 21st century and beyond.
The question isn’t whether you should build something big.
The question is: Will you choose to?
Thanks for reading,
Yon
Connect with me on Linkedin and X.
AI assistants were used to help research and edit this essay.