This past week, it was Global Grand Challenges Week at Singularity University. We are here to work on one (or more) of the Global Grand Challenges: Education, Global Health, Poverty, Food, Water, Security, Energy and Environment; so we spent the week learning more about these challenges from people that work in the field to solve them.

It was a intense and also “depressing” week. While we are in one of the most exciting moments in the history of human kind, big challenges lie ahead and I have to admit that the areas of energy, climate challenge and global health worry me the most. We are reaching a tipping point and all these grand challenges are more connected than ever. Climate change is already having a huge impact on global health, food and water. As a result we’ll probably see an increase in poverty, although in the past 20 years “we” were able to take a billion people out of poverty, mostly due to the rise of China.

I came here to work on a project focus on Education, but I’m currently having second thoughts. Both Global Health and Poverty are very interesting to me and I might develop a project in the intersection of these 3 areas. Will see ;)

This week, we had also the opportunity to meet:

- Naveen Jain, the founder of InfoSpace, Intelius and Moon Express. He’s a super energetic entrepreneur and very inspiring as well.

- Keith Ferrazi, the author of “Never eat alone” and the founder and CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight, a research institute and strategic consulting firm focused on relational, collaborational and behavioral sciences based in Los Angeles. This was one of the highlights of the week for me. Keith is an amazing motivational speaker, very straight to the point and aggressive and makes you think about your approach to your professional life.

- Christopher Fabian is a technologist and mobile designer who runs UNICEF’s Innovation Unit and was recently selected by Time Magazine to be on the Time 100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The impact of technology, specially mobile phones, in developing countries is amazing and everyday they are saving lives by simply sending a text-message.

Finally, on Thursday, I experienced one of the most transformative days of my life. Had the opportunity to go to a Police Station in a poor neighborhood in San Francisco and meet some local teenagers that are part of a gardening program. Talking with these teenagers, hear their problems and see their energy and will made me think about my own life and the years to come.