Modern Meadow, the NJ-based company pioneering biofabricated materials, was selected among hundreds of candidates as one of the World Economic Forum’s “technology pioneers”. Modern Meadow’s collagen-based materials enable new design and performance possibilities, and by partnering with some of the world’s most cherished and innovative consumer brands, the company aims to bring new life to the material world.
The World Economic Forum’s Technology Pioneers community are early-stage companies from around the world that are involved in the design, development and deployment of new technologies and innovations, and are poised to have a significant impact on business and society.
This year’s cohort is the most diverse ever, both geographically and in terms of gender. 25% are female-led, and a majority (54%) come from regions outside the United States and Silicon Valley, with each continent represented, barring Antarctica. There is also a wide variety in the technologies the pioneers focus on: the focus technologies include artificial intelligence, big data and internet of things (IoT), biotechnology, blockchain, autonomous vehicles, cyber security, vertical farming and other agricultural advances, decentralised microgrids and robotics. The full list of technology pioneers can be found here.
Following the selection of Modern Meadow as Technology Pioneer, CEO Andras Forgacs will be participating in the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions. This meeting, also dubbed “Summer Davos” will be held in Tianjin, China, September 18-20. Many Pioneers will also attend the Annual Meeting in Davos, in January 2019, and continue to contribute to Forum initiatives in the course of the next two years.
“We welcome Modern Meadow in this diverse group of technology pioneers,” says Fulvia Montresor, head of Technology Pioneers at the World Economic Forum. “Modern Meadow 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.”
“Being acknowledged by the WEF as a pioneer is a confirmation that our technology is at the forefront of innovation that will transform the future of materials production,” said Forgacs. “Our biofabricated materials brand, Zoa™, is just the start of a new material era, the age of biofabrication, where we will no longer have to compromise between quality and sustainability in our products.”
The Technology Pioneers were selected by a selection committee of more than 60 academics, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and corporate executives. The committee based its decisions on criteria including innovation, potential impact and leadership. Past recipients include Airbnb, Google, Kickstarter, Mozilla, Palantir Technologies, Spotify, TransferWise, Twitter and Wikimedia.
All info on this year’s Technology Pioneers can be found here: http://wef.ch/techpioneers18.
More information on past winners can be found here.
