September 27, 2025

Climate Week’s Marketplace of the Future Hires & Inspires DSI-ers

“What might we create if we give ourselves full permission to envision the ideas, products, services that collectively form a model of a healed planet? This is what The Marketplace of the Future is all about: a collective vision of our sustainable future.” – Marketplace of the Future

Marketplace of the Future asks us to imagine a future where we collectively put climate first; asks us to imagine a future full of services, ideas, and goods that are results of a healed planet; asks us to imagine a future where joy and care for the Earth is innate.

Marketplace of the Future was founded by MFA Design for Social Innovation alum, Amer Jandali (MFA DSI ‘16). Marketplace of the Future is “a world’s-fair-style, family-friendly expo including live jazz, food, drinks, panel discussions, and dozens of climate-forward companies.” This year they celebrated their ninth year closing out Climate Week NYC! Major.

This year, MFA Design for Social Innovation sent four of our second year students, Diana Liu, Yajá Mulcare, Hao Jie Sim, and Candice Walker to attend Marketplace of the Future 2025. They crossed paths with Amer, and DSI alum who now work at Marketplace of the Future, Yuki Han & Katherine Shen. Here are the students’ takes!

What was your favorite part of Marketplace of the Future this year?

Diana Liu: Meeting the creators/vendors and learning about what they do.

Yajá Mulcare: This was my first time attending MOTF. I think my favorite part was seeing so many climate initiatives, especially those closely related to my thesis topic.

Hao Jie Sim: My favourite part was the flower wreath-making session organised by Milpa. Through making flower wreaths, it was a calm corner of making and crafting amidst the bustle of MOTF. Through the activity, I got to learn about Milpa and their efforts to unify bioregions with their comprehensive directory of food systems.

Candice Walker: Panel Discussions on the 9th Floor – Project Drawdown presents… Rewriting Narratives from Brick City to the World: Climate Solutions Rooted in Newark. The panel featured an impressive group of dedicated individuals who passionately pursue issues that many overlook or turn a blind eye to regarding their community. I was particularly struck by the concept of rewriting narratives. This entire panel and its topic aligned closely with my thesis and research, and I was able to gather valuable insights and make important connections.

How did Marketplace of the Future reflect what you’ve learned at MFA DSI thus far?

Diana Liu: It’s inspiring to learn about what others are doing in the field, and the diversity of their innovations/interventions. It reminds me that as a community, we can always leverage each other’s work and collaborate with each other.

Yajá Mulcare: MOTF showed me the power of community-led work. Compared to what I’m learning at DSI, I noticed a lot of the co-creation aspects – actively asking others to participate and become more involved. At one table, I participated in writing a letter to an elected official for more energy-efficient tools in NYC homes.

Hao Jie Sim: MOTF reminded me of the power of convening “bright spots” in social change to cross-pollinate ideas. Simply walking through the festival exposes me to all the innovators who are leading the charge in the climate space, ranging from batteries to farm directories to recycled plastic fashion to art, and so on. In one of our faculty members, Marc Rettig‘s lessons, we learn about hopeful monsters (organisms with a profound mutant phenotype that have the potential to establish a new evolutionary lineage). I saw MOTF as a gathering of human hopeful monsters, people, and organizations experimenting toward a sustainable Earth.

Candice Walker: MOTF as a whole reflects what I’ve learned in DSI in many ways. It embodies the art of gathering for a common purpose, intention, and interest. It emphasizes the desire to create a better future driven by spirit, rather than by mere desire, all for the common good of life and all living beings.

And lastly, how did MOTF make you think about your work at DSI? Did it make you think differently about anything, add anything to your train of thought?

Diana Liu: It’s nice to see that we are not in a vacuum, and there are so many people working toward similar goals out in the world. It gives me more ideas to see how social innovations are implemented in real life.

Yajá Mulcare: MOTF showed me what’s possible out there in the world. I was encouraged to explore more ideas and think broadly in terms of how I can get people to gather and participate. I originally came to MOTF as inspiration for my Fast Track project, but I came out of it with possible contacts/connections for my thesis topic.

Hao Jie Sim: It sparked thoughts about connectivity and shared resources. My team’s project focuses on encouraging play in older-adult communities, and MOTF made me wonder: how might we create a similar platform that brings together stakeholders to share knowledge and tools for designing play in communities? The festival underscored how access to collective wisdom can help communities flourish.

Candice Walker: MOTF encouraged me to think more deeply about being solution-oriented in collaboration with rather than in spite of perceived hindrances or blockages.

PHOTO COURTESY OF Hao Jie Sim.