With many of you are gearing up around the start of a new academic year we thought we'd indulge in a little future-gazing. This week we talk with Futurist and Angel Investor Matt Ward from The Disruptors.fm podcast. With a background in building and selling ecommerce platforms, and as a podcaster interviewing the leaders in the disruptive space, Matt has a unique take on what the future holds. Which current Sci-fi-Esque developments will be transformational and disruptive? Which technologies should you be keeping a development eye on as a digital marketer? Matt shares his compass on the future that technology is taking us to. Under discussion are many of the usual suspects for digital crystal ball gazing but we'd argue you won't have heard about them talked about and inspected quite the way Matt does. Our future-gazing takes many different turns. Driverless cars, Augmented and Virtual reality ( exactly when these things become mainstream?) The future of e-commerce and how it will evolve. How can smaller startups compete with big online sellers and players? Are the future of social media and blockchain platforms interwound? Finally, as an angel investor, we pick Matt's brains on what he looks for in any investment. If your dream is to create and sell your disruptive solution and retire on the proceeds, we think you will want to hear what Matt has to say. It isn't always the idyllic dream so often portrayed. Useful Links Matt Ward  Find Matt on Twitter Listen to The Disruptors Podcast Hear more about Angel Investing in early-stage tech startups with Matt's other podcast,