core sector communique

World Economic Forum Announces Technology Pioneers 2010

• 26 visionary companies in the fields of cleantech, health and information technologies/new media chosen
• Selected by an independent committee of technologists, venture capitalists, academics and media leaders
• US-based companies top the list, followed by Europe, India and Israel. A Brazilian company features for the first time as a Technology Pioneer.  

Geneva, Switzerland, 3 December 2009 – The World Economic Forum announced today the 2010 class of Technology Pioneers. The 26 companies selected as Technology Pioneers 2010 represent the most innovative start-ups from around the globe that will have a critical impact on the future of business and society. These innovators will join the wider World Economic Forum community for the first time during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2010 in Davos-Klosters, in January. The Technology Pioneers 2010 are active in areas such as cloud computing and open source application management, social networking, financial inclusion through telecommunications, genome sequencing, responsive implants and wireless patient management solutions, waste remediation, fuel cell technology and the production of energy efficient building materials. This year, the Forum witnessed a substantial increase in the number of cleantech and energy-related companies applying for the award, as well as in the overall percentage that were selected as Technology Pioneers compared with previous years. This suggests that the concern surrounding the environment and climate change coupled with the “green stimulus package” is driving resources and top innovation in this area. The identification of the Technology Pioneer companies is the result of a vigorous selection process for which the Forum received more than 300 applications from around the world, and that were evaluated by 58 global technology experts. The 2010 class covers four continents, with 18 of the 26 companies hailing from the US and the rest from Brazil (for the first time featuring a company in the Technology Pioneer award), Germany, India, Israel, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom. The selected companies are in alphabetical order: Amiando, Amobee, Aura Biosciences, BioFuelBox, Bloom Energy Corporation, Boston-Power, Care Electric Energia, CollabNet, Corventis, Dilithium Networks, Epuramat, eSolar, Innovid, Lehigh Technologies, Metabolix, MicroCHIPS, Obopay, Pacific Biosciences, Playfish, Proteon Therapeutics, RingCentral, Serious Materials, StreamBase, Twitter, Ushahidi and VNL. The entire list of Technology Pioneers, with their profiles and video interviews with their CEOs, can be found at http://www.weforum.org/techpioneers. To be selected as a Technology Pioneer, a company must be involved in the development of a life-changing technology innovation and have the potential for long-term impact on business and society. In addition, it must demonstrate visionary leadership and show all the signs of a long-standing and sustainable market leader – and its technology must be proven. Previous Technology Pioneers include 23andme (2008), Amyris Biotechnologies (2006), Dr Reddy Laboratories (2001), Google (2001), Gridpoint (2008), Kaspersky Lab (2001), Mozilla Corporation (2007), Nanosolar (2007), Recyclebank (2009) and Silver Spring Networks (2008). "Entrepreneurship, innovation and technology have always played a key role in shaping and improving society. This proves to be even more the case during times of crisis, similar to the one the world faced this past year during the biggest recession in almost a century. New companies are already planting the seeds of recovery and the next wave of growth and progress," said André Schneider, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of the World Economic Forum. The Technology Pioneers Programme is run by the World Economic Forum with guidance from its partners, Accel, Alcatel-Lucent, BT, KPMG and Kudelski Group. “We were truly impressed with the quality, quantity and diversity of the applicants this year, thereby making the selection process the most difficult to date,” said Kevin E. Comolli, Managing General Partner, Accel Partners, United Kingdom. “As president of Alcatel-Lucent's Bell Labs and as a former entrepreneur and venture investor, I recognize the social and economic benefits that can arise from information and communication technology innovations. I was extremely pleased to represent Alcatel-Lucent and contribute my insights to the team of Technology Pioneer Partners serving on the Selection Advisory Committee,” said Kim Jeong, President, Bell Labs, Executive Vice-President, Alcatel-Lucent, Alcatel-Lucent Bell Laboratories, USA. “BT has in these challenging times found it is more important than ever to focus on applying technology in new and innovative ways to drive progress and sustainable growth for the benefit of business and society,” noted J. P. Rangaswami, Chief Scientist, BT Group, United Kingdom. “This year’s Technology Pioneer award recipients have created an impressive array of technological and entrepreneurial initiatives that offer profound improvements to our collective health, energy efficiency, the environment, and the ways we work and communicate with each other,” commented Gary Matuszak, Global Chair, Information, Communications and Entertainment, KPMG, USA. “This year again, the Kudelski Group was more than proud to be involved with the dynamic Technology Pioneer Programme community. We are excited to see this year a great selection of innovators that are bringing technologies that would definitely help to rebuild a better world,” said Christophe Nicolas, Senior Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer, Kudelski Group, Switzerland.