TECH ECOSYSTEM – A WEB OF INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION

National Geographic Education defines an ecosystem as a geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscape, work together to form a bubble of life. Now, while certainly interesting, one could argue that this definition has nothing to do with the tech ecosystem we’re deliberating on, right? Wrong. Although at first glance, such a description leaves much to be desired in the way of all things remotely technological, just as many parallels can be drawn from it as antitheses. While the landscape can’t be said to be as geographic as it is virtual, it mimics its natural counterpart in its capacity for continuous evolution and incessant change. From the definition, we are also faced with the knowledge that at their core, ecosystems as a whole are a complex web of interconnected elements, whether that be the flora and fauna that make up the typical ecosystem or the well-established institutes, research facilities, and startups of the tech variation, working in tandem to give rise to innovation and inventions of likes we can’t even fathom. One of the defining principles on which the tech ecosystem is built is that every component is vital, but none is irreplaceable. As the aforementioned is a system founded on the pursuit of knowledge and innovation, every unit making it up, irrespective of how integral it may seem today, must continually push the boundaries of what’s possible, leveraging emerging technologies wherever they can to avoid being rendered obsolete tomorrow as the world and the ecosystem alike continually assimilate, expand, and evolve in turn.