Who am I and where am I going?

Sunil Malhotra - Design (fiction) | Tech (literacy) | Ecology (holistic) | Spirituality (non-dualism)

I like technology. And design.

But I like people even more. And the planet.

I have been an entrepreneur. Always.

Hi, how are you?

Since 1985 I’ve championed interdisciplinary collaboration and human-centred design. As founder and CEO of Ideafarms, which brought Industrial Design approaches to IT, my focus is on investing in simple solutions combining eastern philosophies with western scientific methods. A proven track record of startups and multicultural experience primes my ethos.

Ideafarms has done pioneering work in India, having trained over 300 Cx level executives in design thinking, a powerful disruptive innovation and radical collaboration framework. My education in Engineering and Industrial Design bolstered with over 3 decades of consulting, manufacturing and entrepreneurship experience gives the program a bite that’s sharp and sweet.

Successfully setting up, growing and running offshore capacities in India, with Continental Tires (a Fortune company), as their global business partner for niche Design-in Tech services for 10 years, has afforded me a unique set of global and local capabilities.

I’ve always believed in the power of technology — now exponential technologies — in enabling human enrichment in sustainable ways. I look at problems holistically using a combination of design, technology and societal elements. What is called systems thinking these days.

I connect dots and, more importantly, keep the human aspects of empathy, compassion and enthusiasm at the centre. Creating value at the intersection of business, technology and user experience in planet-friendly ways while enhancing an inclusive culture is what drives everything I do.

Everything created by humans is meant for use by other humans …

… therefore you can never go wrong if you keep human needs in the centre of your thinking; staying within the boundaries of ethics and sustainability, and making — Planet over People and People over Profit, your business mantra.

A spiritual orientation helps. Having championed the cause of spirituality in business for over thirty years, and helping leaders get on top of their challenges using Yogic and other practices, has enriched my journey.

I like talking to interesting people who want to solve the world’s most wicked problems using their innate human abilities. My best and most efficient interactions are two-way: I enjoy being challenged and love questions that make me “listen” deeply to where they might be coming from. My past experience won’t go away, but it sure can stand in the way of my present thinking.

Let’s talk.

I’m @sunilmalhotra
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Updated: June 2024

Current Instigations (2022 — )

1. Seeding GrandBuddys A movement that facilitates friendships between youth and seniors.
   … the old in many societies spend a considerable part of their time playing with and taking care of the youngsters, while the parents delve and spin: so that the old are returned to the sphere of eternal things not only within but without. … the young in modern societies ought to spend a part of their time teaching elders the basics of technology and rejoin them with the fun of youth: in the process they may get connected with traditions of their past. https://linktr.ee/grandbuddys

LeapGen Intro Video.mp4

2. YOGAi: Interplays of Yoga and Artificial Intelligence (2024)—

We can’t change the direction of the wind but we can adjust the sails.

Humanity is on the brink of a dramatic once-in-a-millennium shift that will challenge the very core of how we perceive the value of humanity’s perch at the very pinnacle of our evolution. Humankind’s presumed position as nature’s ultimate achievement may soon be displaced by the far greater intelligence of AI. The question we will be left to grapple with is, “What then will be the value of our species in the evolutionary scheme of things?”
Rather than focus exclusively on “what will change” in response to AI, the book offers incontrovertible and revealing insights into what will stay the same, the human quest driven by curiosity, exploration, and purpose.

Paperback edition of YOGAi

Amazon — https://amzn.in/d/02QOCvbx

3. Selected Collaborations over the years

1. Alexander Osterwalder — Business Model Generation (2009)
2. John Maeda — Design-in Tech Reports (2017/2018)
3. Salim Ismail — Exponential Transformation (2018)
4. Thomas Koulopoulos — Transportation 2050 (2018)
5. Jeff Smith — Integral Design (2018)
6. Ervin Laszlo — The Great Upshift (2023).