Chapter 4: Where Braids have been Applied

We now turn to applications of digital braids which are already amazing in their diversity and growing daily. As we shall see, the application of braids to a myriad of purposes is the equivalent of a new industrial revolution. What was once slow, difficult and expensive to achieve is becoming faster, easier and less expensive. These advantages will continue to drive innovative uses of braids in an even wider array of applications with advantages that we are only beginning to understand. Stand by for disruption.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2017) in 2015, the nation’s 414,000 startup firms created 2.5 million new jobs according to data from the Bureau’s Business Dynamics Statistics. These young firms (those less than 6 years old) accounted for 11% of employment and 27% of job creation. Of course, startups aren’t just important to the U.S. economy; we see interest in supporting startups as engines to fuel economic growth in both developed and developing countries around the world. Moreover, successful startups that have grown into huge firms can be found everywhere, from the U.S. to China, India, and Scandinavia. Think Wipro, Infosys, Alibaba.