The World Economic Forum has unveiled its annual list of Technology Pioneers. The 61 early-stage companies are recognized for their design, development and deployment of potentially world-changing innovations and technologies, and include companies such as CUJO AI, which uses machine learning to analyse endpoint data for applications by telecom operators; Kenya's M-Tiba platform for mobile healthcare services; and mobile credit rating specialist Juvo.
The WEF highlighted that the majority (54%) of the companies come from outside the US, including many from emerging markets, and a quarter (25%) are female-led.
The aim of the annual list is to highlight businesses that can use technology for good to address societal challenges. For example, Apeel Sciences is developing plant-derived technologies to reduce food waste; Pymetrics matches talents to opportunity using neuroscience games and artificial intelligence; and Horizon State enables efficient and secure vote casting. Other companies include Bangladesh-based ME SOLshare, which democratizes energy by developing peer-to-peer microgrids; Kenyan-based CarePay, which is developing an inclusive platform for health financing and delivery in Africa; and Brazil's Agrosmart, which makes agronomic models based on genetics, soil type and microclimate data.
The Technology Pioneers will meet at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2018 in Tianjin, China on 18-20 September. Some of them will also participate in the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2019 in Davos next January. As leaders of innovation, they will be supported by the Forum’s new Centre of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and contribute to fostering the innovation ecosystem and delivering critical mass to solve global challenges.
CUJO AI's CEO Einaras von Gravrock will be participating in the Tianjin meeting, known as the 'Summer Davos'. Fulvia Montresor, Head of Technology Pioneers at the World Economic Forum, said: "CUJO AI and its fellow pioneers are front and centre in shaping the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution and we believe they will be transforming society and industry in a positive way in the years to come."
Launched in 2000, the Technology Pioneers programme has previously recognised companies such as Airbnb, Bloom Energy, Bluebird bio, Cyberdyne, Editas Medicine, Foundation Medicine, Google, Kaggle, Kickstarter, Mozilla, Palantir Technologies, Proteus Digital Health, Rethink Robotics, Scribd, Spotify, Twitter and Wikimedia. The Technology Pioneers are selected by a committee of more than 60 academics, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and corporate executives. The committee bases its decisions on criteria including innovation, potential impact and leadership.
CUJO AI is an artificial intelligence company, providing network operators AI-driven solutions. That includes AI security, advanced device identification, digital parenting, network analytics and more. CUJO AI Platform creates intuitive end-user facing applications for LAN and wireless (mobile and public Wi-Fi), powered by machine learning and real-time data.
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