Designing the future: Innovation and technology for businesses. Opportunities and challenges new

Driven by technological advances such as mobility, artificial intelligence, social networks and the Internet of things, companies from all industries are tracing their paths to the digital economy. The World Wide Web has given rise to new business models, such as Google, Facebook and Uber, but it has also generated cybersecurity threats, due to its inherent "trust" model. The arrival of bitcoin and its underlying technology, blockchain, entails a fundamental paradigm shift in the financial and business worlds. In this context, companies are facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities.

To get ahead, they must be aware of new technologies, pursue innovation in products, processes and marketing, and adopt digital transformation, while protecting themselves against constant cybersecurity threats and to its business models. The use of Big Data, advanced optimization algorithms and innovative technologies can help improve the quality, reliability and profitability of companies, while maintaining environmental sustainability. Eight renowned MIT faculty address the opportunities and challenges posed by digital money, last-mile delivery in urban cities, cybersecurity, millennials engagement, and commercial promotions optimization at the 2017 MIT-Ramón Areces Foundation Symposium, among other topics.

This is the first conference organized by the Ramón Areces Foundation and MIT-ILP in Spain.