May 1, 2017 / Fortune Asia / Volume 175 / Number 6 / The Future Issue

SECTION

FEATURES
This Is the Future
Optimists crave it.
Pessimists fear it.
Whatever your outlook, there’s a good chance you’re fascinated by the future. In this issue we’ve identified 32 companies devoted to transforming the world around us in the coming years.
PAGE NO. 25

THE FUTURE OF HEALTH
Prepare for the Digital Health Revolution
By SY MUKHERJEE
The business of medicine is ripe for disruption. Here are 21 companies-and 34 bold leaders-using technology to reinvent it.
26

THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL SOCIETIES
Welcome to Tomorrow Land
By VIVIENNE WALT
In the tiny European nation of Estonia, virtually every process is digitized-and the startup scene is thriving. What can the world’s largest economies learn from one of its smallest?
38

THE FUTURE OF STARTUP INNOVATION
Wanted: Fresh Solutions for Age-Old Problems
By the FORTUNE staff
How you eat, dress, log in, save, and interact with others-it all could change. We found seven small companies that challenge the status quo and give us a look into the future.
46

THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE
China’s $43 Billion Bid for Food Security
By GEOFF COLVIN
ChemChina’s acquisition of ag-tech giant Syngenta is part of a broader strategy that could change food supplies and costs worldwide.
56

DEPARTMENTS

FOREWORD

4 Seeing Tomorrow
Here are the visionaries who are building the next generation of everything.
By CLIFTON LEAF

BRIEFING

5 Goodbye, Unicorns. Hello, IPOs!
Silicon Valley used to avoid the public markets. Now IPOs are back-because many startup founders desperately need them.
By ERIN GRIFFITH

8 Wagering on Policy
What prediction markets can tell us about Trump’s next moves.
By ANNE VANDERMEY

10 Hollywood’s Search for a Blockbuster Algorithm
A growing number of tech startups are trying to craft the perfect formula for a box-office winner.
By TOM HUDDLESTON JR.

11 Uber’s Africa Push Hits Roadblocks
The ride-sharing giant’s latest struggles on the continent make its stateside squabbles look downright tame.
By TOM JACKSON

13 Is Craft Beer All Froth?
Boutique brewers changed the way America drinks, but they could be headed for a hangover.
By JOHN KELL

FOCUS

VENTURE
14 How I Got Started
For Jeff Sinelli, founder and CEO of Which Wich Superior Sandwiches, success is in the bag.
Interview by DINAH ENG

TECH
16 TED Goes Corporate
The purveyor of ideas is providing more and more services to big companies. But it’s a strategy that poses risks to the brand.
By LAURA ENTIS

18 Securing McAfee
CEO Chris Young shares his plan for the aging cybersecurity company’s revival.
By MICHAL LEV-RAM

PURSUITS
19 Executive Travel
Tips for doing business in Buenos Aires, the cosmopolitan capital of South America’s second-largest economy.
By ADAM ERACE

INVEST
21 Stocks That Dodge the Buyback Blues
The President’s tax reforms could set off a stampede of share repurchases. Yet such deals don’t always pay off for investors.
By RYAN DEROUSSEAU

FORUM
24 Lessons in Uber’s Rough Ride
In the wake of sexism allegations at the well-funded transportation company, Silicon Valley rethinks its pursuit of rule-breaking results.
By ERIN GRIFFITH

BACK PAGE

LAST BYTE
64 Picturing an H-1B Overhaul
Critics want to reform the controversial visa program. A visual analysis of the latest stats.
Text by BRIAN O’KEEFE; graphics by NICOLAS RAPP

CORRECTIONS
A Boom With a View (April 1) misstated Tala’s loan delivery rate-200,000 loans totaling $8.5 million per month-and founding date: 2011. Fortune regrets the errors.

ON THE COVER: ILLUSTRATION BY MOLISTUDIO

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