The World Economic Forum named 56 Technology Pioneers, which includes the seed company start up Inari.
“We are honored and excited to be acknowledged by the Forum,” said Inari CEO Ponsi Trivisvavet. “The pioneer award is recognition that our technology is seen not only as a game-changer for our industry, but as a way to improve the lives of millions as we work to feed a growing population in the face of environmental concerns.”
Chosen from hundreds of candidates worldwide, these Technology Pioneers are early- to growth-stage companies involved in the design, development and deployment of new technologies and innovations that are poised to have a significant impact on business and society. Activities of the companies range from the use of artificial intelligence to fight human trafficking to driverless trucks and from quantum computing systems to compostable packaging, and blockchain solutions to tackle disinformation.
Inari joins other Technology Pioneers to begin a two-year journey that’s part of the World Economic Forum’s initiatives, activities and events, bringing cutting-edge insights and fresh thinking to critical global discussions. Check out the full list of 2019 Technology Pioneers here.
“We’re excited to welcome Inari to this year’s innovative class of Technology Pioneers,” said Fulvia Montresor, head of Technology Pioneers at the World Economic Forum. “Inari and its fellow pioneers are leaders in using novel technologies to transform their industries. We see great potential for these next generation companies to shape solutions to global challenges and improve society for years to come.”
Inari has already achieved key milestones with two such efforts. Its technologies have been proven at field-level trials with higher-yielding gene-edited tomatoes, and in the lab, with new diversity introduced simultaneously through five natural genes in corn.
The achievement in corn is a particularly important breakthrough for plant scientists as Inari works to develop crops that offer superior performance while requiring fewer inputs, including chemical fertilizer and water.
“Multiplex editing is a significant advancement in the evolution of plant breeding,” said Jennifer Doudna, co-discoverer of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology and a member of Inari’s Scientific Strategy Board. “It creates opportunities to address complex issues that have hindered scientists for decades.”
This year’s 56-member group of Technology Pioneers was selected by a committee of academics, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and corporate executives, based on criteria that included innovation, potential impact and leadership. Past recipients of the award include Airbnb, Google, Kickstarter, Mozilla, Palantir Technologies, Spotify, TransferWise, Twitter and Wikimedia.
