Speakers Juan Enriquez: Futurist

Juan Enriquez thinks and writes about profound changes that genomics will bring in business, technology, and society.

Why you should listen to him:

A broad thinker who studies the intersection of science, business and society, Juan Enriquez has a talent for bridging disciplines to build a coherent look ahead. Enriquez was the founding director of the Harvard Business School Life Sciences Project, and has published widely on topics from the technical (global nucleotide data flow) to the sociological (gene research and national competitiveness), and was a member of Celera Genomics founder Craig Venter's marine-based team to collect genetic data from the world's oceans.

Formerly CEO of Mexico City's Urban Development Corporation and chief of staff for Mexico's secretary of state, Enriquez played a role in reforming Mexico's domestic policy and helped negotiate a cease-fire with Zapatista rebels. He is a Managing Director at Excel Medical Ventures, a life sciences venture capital firm, and the chair and CEO of Biotechonomy, a research and investment firm helping to fund new genomics firms. The Untied States of America looks at the forces threatening America's future as a unified country.

In his TED Book Homo Evolutis (written with Steve Gullens), Enriquez explores the far reaches of human change, and asks: Are we done evolving?

"Juan Enriquez will change your view of change itself."

Nicholas Negroponte

Email to a friend »

Quotes by Juan Enriquez

“Those of us of a certain age grew up expecting that by now we would have Rosie the Robot from ‘The Jetsons’ in our house. And all we’ve got is a Roomba.”
Watch this talk »
“I think we’re going to move from a Homo sapiens into a Homo evolutis: … a hominid that takes direct and deliberate control over the evolution of his species, her species and other species.”
Watch this talk »
“The difference between humans and Neanderthals is .004 percent of gene code. That's how big the difference is, one species to another.”
Watch this talk »
“Since the 1940s, we've been saying there are no differences, we [humans] are all identical. We're going to know at year end if that is true.”
Watch this talk »
“It's not completely inconceivable that someday you'll be able to download your own memories.”
Watch this talk »