Josh Kampel

I first met Alex Rodriguez at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, where investors, senior executives, and entrepreneurs gather to discuss economics, healthcare, and philanthropy. A year later, I ran into him again on the Promenade in Davos, amongst CEOs, policymakers, and world leaders convening to debate the next chapter of business, technology, and society. Celebrities and athletes are increasingly common at these global business gatherings.

At many conferences, the most meaningful conversations happen after the panels end for the day. At this year’s Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, Worth and Vested brought together a diverse group of executives from private equity, management consulting, life sciences, telecommunications, technology, and finance for an off-the-record discussion about the future of the economy and the forces most likely to shape it over the next couple of years.

Illustration: Keith Negley Now even corporate giants are turning to crowdfunding to get innovation to market faster. When crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo emerged nearly 10 years ago, they helped entrepreneurs launch products by collecting preorders from anyone who was willing to support their idea. In many cases, the approach was a last resort for people who couldn’t find investors on their own or didn’t want to take on debt.