The World Economic Forum has announced 100 new start-ups joining its Technology Pioneers Community with three of the firms being from Kenya.
The three Kenyan companies include Access Afya – a high-quality healthcare for the global mass market, Pula Advisors – an insurance and technology company providing comprehensive insurance solutions and Sendy- a company building fulfilment infrastructure for e-commerce and consumer brands
A statement to newsrooms on Tuesday indicates that the World Economic Forum list is full of young and growing tech companies with the 2022 cohort forging new paths in healthcare, food production and more with cutting-edge technologies.
This year’s intake includes Emerge, which is improving virtual interactions through the development of a device with tactile effects for users at virtual gatherings. Ampd Energy is reshaping the construction industry by pioneering battery energy storage systems, and Alife is supporting healthcare advances by using artificial intelligence to improve the success rate of IVF.
“The 2022 cohort of Technology Pioneers is already bringing great changes to industries around the world,” said Saemoon Yoon, Technology Pioneers Community Lead, and World Economic Forum.
Yoon said that by joining this community these emerging tech leaders can continue to show not only the impressive tech advancements within their firms but also how their companies are helping to build a better future for us all.
For the first time, over one-third of the selected firms are led by women, well above the industry average with 2022 Tech Pioneers based in 30 countries – with Viet Nam, Rwanda and the Czech Republic represented for the first time – this year’s cohort is shaping industries around the world.
In Mexico, for example, microTERRA builds on-site water treatment systems with microalgae that transforms wastewater into a sustainable protein source and clean water. Luxembourg’s Mission Space develops a satellite-based space weather intelligence system. In the United States, Bonumose is transforming global food systems with its technology to support the affordable production of healthy alternative sugars such as tagatose and allulose.
Following their selection as Technology Pioneers, this year’s companies will join an impressive group of alumni that include many household names, such as Airbnb, Google, Kickstarter, Mozilla, Spotify, TransferWise, Twitter and Wikimedia.
The 2022 cohort will also be invited to participate in World Economic Forum workshops and events and high-level discussions during their two years in the community.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
