Technology Pioneers 2012

Technology Pioneers
2012

World Economic Forum
September 2011

Contents
Foreword 05

Technology Pioneers Report 06

Profiles of the Technology Pioneers 15

Technology Pioneers Selection Committee 29

Acknowledgements 31

Partners 32

Technology Pioneers 2012 | 3

Attention-grabbing headlines dominated newspapers,
blogs and tweets in the first half of 2011 – from the
earthquake and tsunami in Japan to the popular
uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa and
riots in London. Worrisome unemployment figures,
the Fukushima nuclear accident and Internet security
breaches, among others, have brought us a complex
array of challenges, which impact our lives and that of
our communities no matter where we live.

But where there are challenges, there also lie

Foreword opportunities. Poised to capitalize on these
opportunities are entrepreneurs who detect unmet
business or societal needs, and apply focus and
passion to address those needs.

The World Economic Forum is pleased to present
in this report the 25 Technology Pioneers for 2012.
These innovative companies, by their visionary and
entrepreneurial nature, are well positioned to address
some of the world’s challenges. From making the
Internet more secure for businesses to providing health
diagnostics to rural populations with limited access
to adequate infrastructure, the Technology Pioneers
selection committee – comprised of entrepreneurs,
investors, academics and technology experts – has
chosen a leading group of young companies in the
areas of information technology and new media,
energy and environment, and life sciences and health.

Noteworthy among this year’s selection, is the number
of companies with products that cater to poorer,
underserved populations, as well as companies which
offer innovative financing models for businesses and
individuals. Additionally, and continuing last year’s
trend, a large group of companies is active in the
clean-tech sector, suggesting that there is no slow-
down in innovation and funding for developing cleaner
sources and more efficient uses of energy.

The World Economic Forum would like to thank
its Partners and all the members of the selection
committee. It is this unique group of individuals,
and the combination of their contributions, which
makes the Technology Pioneers award truly unique.
We congratulate the 2012 Technology Pioneers
and welcome them to the World Economic Forum
community.

Robert Greenhill
Managing Director and
Chief Business Officer


The disruptive impact of technology can either be
interpreted as a dangerously destabilizing force or
as an open door for creative change. In either case,
there are winners and losers. It is difficult to ignore
the disruptive aspects of technology in 2011. The
bankruptcy of Borders, the US bookstore chain,
was testimony both to the growing proliferation of
e-readers like the iPad and the Kindle, and to the giant
conglomerate’s failure to adjust to market changes
quickly enough. It also raised serious questions about

Technology
the future of the giant bricks-and-mortar discount
chains when consumers can easily compare prices
and order on line. Blockbuster, which had built its
movie rental business on the ability of its networked

Pioneers
computers to predict which movies were likely to be
the most popular, suffered a similar fate. This time it
was the consumer shift to watching streaming videos
online. Conventional TV and cable companies also

Report 2012
felt the pressure. Sony Pictures, which had cashed
in on the growing fascination with gaming online and
had turned out to be a major hit with its PlayStation
network, was forced to suspend operations for a
month in April because it had not taken sufficient
security precautions to protect its network. LulzSec, a
group estimated to be six youthful hackers, cracked
into Sony servers and stole passwords and confidential
information concerning a million customers. Clean-up
and insurance costs from the debacle were estimated
at more than US$ 170 million.

The most noticeable disruption of the year, however,
has been the political turbulence that swept across
North Africa in January and February, leading to the
banishment of informal “presidents-for-life” in Tunisia
and Egypt.

The political turbulence in the Middle East and
elsewhere underscores that easy access to mobile
phones, the Internet and social media have created
a new political landscape, essentially by providing
the public with the tools needed to organize and
express frustration at unresponsive political structures.
In the past an authoritarian regime might have
censored news accounts of political dissent but that
is increasingly difficult to do in a world in which any
bystander with a cellphone can videotape what is
happening and broadcast graphic images to the world
or blog his version of events over the Internet. In a
globally interactive world, everyone is connected to
everyone else. No man is an island, and sooner or later
everyone is accountable.

6 | World Economic Forum

The US State Department, which readily approved From a strategic perspective, the graphic demonstration
Africa’s pro-democracy demonstrations, adopted of the enormous cost of a nuclear accident has led to a
a different tone when WikiLeaks began exposing reassessment of the attractiveness of alternative fuels,
thousands of potentially embarrassing classified smart grids and wind power. But the lesson is that with
military and diplomatic secrets dealing with US policies so many variables in play, no one can really tell with any
towards Iraq and Afghanistan over the Internet. Despite certainty at this point which technology will eventually
a concentrated campaign to stop the renegade press emerge triumphant. The ultimate message in 2011 is that
releases, WikiLeaks continues to broadcast embarrassing nothing about the future is certain.
material.
Although change tends to be unnerving, it also inspires
Seen more broadly, technology is not only creating a wide creative solutions. Many of the most innovative
range of new possibilities for business, it is also providing companies got their start during periods of instability.
new opportunities for amateur anarchists, criminals and When things are moving smoothly, there is no incentive
extremists as well. In a sense, the dream of technology to try something new, especially when there is a strong
empowering the common man is fast becoming a reality. likelihood that the idea will not work. When trouble looms
But what individuals decide to do with their newfound on the horizon, there is a greater need for innovation and
power is harder to predict. A hunger for democracy a fresh approach.
and self-expression over the Internet can just as easily
degenerate into uninformed populism. What all these The rapid acceleration of technology that is now taking
events have in common is that the effect of technology place coincides with the three greatest challenges that
is difficult for any one person, organization or group to affect the world today: the effects of climate change,
control. The world is facing more than a new paradigm overpopulation and the growing realization that many of
shift. It is facing a paradigm that is in constant evolution, the earth’s resources – especially oil and water – are finite
and the evolutionary process is clearly accelerating. and may be reaching their maximum peak limits. Each of
these threats is likely to lead to increased instability unless
In this dazzlingly, fast-moving, new era, planning for the solutions can be found to the problems they present.
future is a risky business at best. Only a year ago, most
experts were convinced that nuclear power was the The World Economic Forum’s programme to select
only economically affordable alternative to fossil fuels. Technology Pioneers began in 2000 and has since
The tsunami in Japan changed that. Besides causing selected more than 400 companies, many of whom are
enormous casualties, when it destroyed one of the in the start-up phase, developing prototypes and new
company’s main nuclear power plants the unprecedented technologies that are testing the frontiers of our current
tidal wave cut off a significant percentage of Japan’s knowledge and pushing the envelope of possibilities.
electricity. The catastrophe was a visible demonstration
This year’s Technology Pioneers have each focused on
to the entire world of just how costly the uncontrolled
a significant challenge confronting the global community
meltdown of a nuclear plant can be.
today and responded with an ingenious solution to a
Soon afterwards, Switzerland and Germany both decided specific problem. While the specific contribution may
against any future development of nuclear power and cover only a small part of the spectrum of problems
began looking for alternative solutions. The loss of confronting the global community, each of these
electricity forced much of Japan’s manufacturing industry companies shares one thing in common: they force us to
to curtail operations, having a ripple effect around the look at the future in a fresh, enterprising manner.
world. Companies outside Japan that had depended on
The current selection covers all aspects of technology
Japanese components for their own manufacturing were
development from Internet security to clean tech,
forced to make a rapid reassessment both of just-in-time
accessibility to improved healthcare, new solutions for
delivery strategies and the vulnerability that resulted from
more efficient transportation, cost effective tools for
over-reliance on the global supply chain.
development and innovative approaches to including
excluded populations in the world’s financial network. All
of the companies selected were nominated by their peers
for their pioneering approach in finding new solutions.


Making the Internet Secure for ironic twist, one of CloudFlare’s former clients turned out
to be the hacker group, LulzSec, a vote of confidence in
Business CloudFlare’s approach.

DoubleVerify, another of this year’s Tech Pioneers,
Hacker schemes once discounted as playful pranks
performs an alternative approach to CloudFlare by
have drifted to the dark side and Internet security is now
dispatching software robot inspectors across the Internet
a field that no one can afford to ignore. LulzSec’s cyber
to probe for malware that may have been surreptitiously
attack against Sony Pictures was, according to the
inserted into a site without an advertiser’s knowledge.
“hactivists” who launched it, an early warning of the cost
of not taking security seriously. LulzSec, derived from As more and more traffic shifts to cloud computing,
the expression “Laughing out loud at security”, uses the US-based Appirio provides tailor-made strategies for
slogan, “Laughing at your security.” Its complaint was that companies, equipping them to take maximum advantage
Sony had not bothered to encrypt sensitive details about of the multi-access possibilities through networking
its customers. offered by the cloud. Dropbox, whose servers effectively
double as cloud-based hard drives, has succeeded in
As it turns out, Sony was only the most noticeable
making cloud technology so seamless that most users
recent victim in the growing wave of cyber attacks and
are not even aware they are on the cloud.
prankishness. American Express, Visa and a number of
major banks experienced similar attempts to break into
their security. After numerous attempts to penetrate the
servers of the US Defense Department, the Pentagon
announced that it might treat future attempts as acts of Looking for Hidden Patterns and
war.
Creating an Operating System for
Mocana, one of this year’s Tech Pioneers, has not only Cities of the Future
mastered the kind of attacks that LulzSec engaged in but
has already begun looking ahead to the next generation
of cyber security. A network, like a chain, is only as In retrospect, many events from the financial crises to
strong as its weakest link, and Mocana is focusing on the political upheavals, and even Al Qaeda’s attack on New
estimated 20 billion smaller networked electronic devices York’s World Trade Center, might have been avoided if
ranging from cellphones to iPads that are in use today, information that was already readily available had been
which constitute easy entry points for cyber predators collated and interpreted correctly. One of the greatest
trying to invade a network. obstacles to accurate analysis today is data smog: too
much information in too many places in too many shapes
Most of these devices rely on low-powered integrated and forms. Palantir Technologies’ specialty is connecting
circuits with a simplified architecture that is not powerful the dots. Its object models for finance and government
enough to handle conventional PC security software. provide a ready-built architecture to detect and analyse
To complicate matters different manufacturers rely on evolving trends by seamlessly integrating information to
different operating systems. In response, Mocana has make it accessible to a wide variety of users. The result
pioneered the industry’s only device-independent Smart is more effective decision-making that accurately reflects
Device Security platform. The system is built around a real life situations.
small, ultra-fast encryption engine that requires hardly any
power and can function equally well with more than 35 Energy-conserving smart buildings are in vogue these
operating systems. days but to make cities function efficiently the trick is to
analyse and act on information coming from thousands
CloudFlare, a California-based company, takes a different of sensors that cover every aspect of a functioning city
approach. Its “intelligent network” employs innovative on a continuous basis. This requires a network able to
algorithms to strip parasites, viruses and other predatory handle a data flow vastly greater than the Internet. Living
malware from the data stream of clients who route PlanIT is blazing new ground in developing the strategy
access to their websites through CloudFlare’s 12 servers and network technology to do just that. It has partnered
scattered around the world. CloudFlare’s technology with key players, including Cisco and Microsoft, and
not only protects its clients’ security but also speeds up is currently working on a prototype city of the future in
Web operations. As attempts to penetrate CloudFlare’s Portugal.
defences become more sophisticated, the network
adapts its defences to each attack and communicates
that knowledge to all the members on its network. In an


Developing a Cleaner Source of restaurants. When the stove’s popularity began driving up
the price of pellets, the company developed a technique
Energy for producing pellets locally from a variety of sources. It
plans to sell more than a million stoves in India within the
The sun is the most prolific source of energy but until now next three years and will then market to other developing
photovoltaic solar panels have been too expensive for countries, especially in Africa. While the stove, which
solar-produced electricity to be cost-effective. Currently, produces three times the heat and produces far less
solar-produced electricity accounts for less than 1% of emissions than conventional stoves, will make cooking
US energy needs. 1366 Technologies, a Tech Pioneer far more affordable than kerosene or liquid propane
that takes its name from the average amount of solar alternatives in poor communities, it can also play an
power measured in watts that strikes a square metre of important role in reducing emissions that are dangerous
the earth’s surface in a year, is developing a revolutionary both for health and the environment.
process that promises to dramatically reduce production
When it comes to determining what kind of gases may
costs. Instead of sawing through blocks of silicon to
be contributing to global warming, the leading pioneer in
produce the razor thin wafers required by photovoltaic
the field is Picarro, which aims to be the world’s leading
cells, the company’s innovative approach directly moulds
manufacturer of laser-equipped gas spectrometers.
the silicon much the way glass is made. The company
Picarro’s system can be placed in the back of a car
predicts that cost savings will eventually make solar
and map a city’s gas leaks in a week or so. Recent
power economically viable.
surveys of San Francisco and Boston revealed invisible
Tech Pioneers Joule Unlimited and Solazyme are plumes of methane, a major component of natural gas,
developing strategies to use genetically altered microbes hovering over the cities. Methane is 20 times as potent
to produce transportation fuels. Joule Unlimited’s system a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide, so controlling
pumps ordinary waste along with a highly synthetic leaks as more countries turn to natural gas should be a
microorganism and large quantities of carbon dioxide into top priority. Picarro is designing advanced systems to
transparent pipes exposed to direct sunlight. Relying on determine emissions at the regional and national level.
photosynthesis, the microorganisms can produce ethanol
and diesel fuel at a projected cost of US$ 50 a barrel.
Joule is running a prototype installation covering 1,200
acres in Arizona and plans to eventually scale it up to
5,000 acres.

In contrast to Joule’s process, which avoids reliance on
biomass, Solazyme employs micro-algae and a wide
variety of photosynthetic plant sugars derived from a
wide range of feedstock. Solazyme’s approach uses
standard industrial fermentation equipment. Its microbes
are fermented in darkness. The company employs an
accelerated process that it calls “indirect photosynthesis”
which produces fuel within a few days. Solazyme is
already providing fuel to the US Navy for testing in ships,
vehicles and aviation.

In much of the developing world, fuel used for heating
and cooking constitutes another major source of
emissions. India-based Tech Pioneer First Energy Private
Limited has developed an extremely efficient stove that
runs on pellets of compressed agricultural residue. The
stove’s efficient design produces three times the heat of
conventional stoves. The idea was originally developed
by Bangalore’s Institute of Technology in India. The
least expensive of these stoves sell for just over US$
20 and a kilogram of fuel costs just a few cents. At
least 485,000 households in India have already bought
the consumer version, and 2,500 enterprises have
bought the professional model designed for hotels and


Revolutionizing Motors Used in Working for Development
Transport
The underlying message from the political upheavals
in North Africa last winter is that people are not willing
In a zero sum game, cutting fuel consumption in half
to wait indefinitely to have a viable standard of living.
is roughly equivalent to doubling the amount of fuel.
According to most estimates, more than a billion people
Tech Pioneers EcoMotors International is developing
currently live in absolute poverty on less than US$ 1.25
a groundbreaking engine that promises nearly twice
a day; more than twice live on less than US$ 2 a day.
the efficiency of conventional automobile engines. The
Several of this year’s Tech Pioneers are pioneering
design employs modules, each of which consists of two
technologies to help the poorest sectors of society.
cylinders on opposite sides of a drive shaft. Each cylinder
contains two opposing pistons, which provide double A major problem is water. India and China account
the normal compression and only need to travel half the for nearly 40% of the world’s population but only have
distance for combustion. The modules can be stacked, access to less than 11% of its water (This according to
and turned off when the additional power is no longer Indian professor Brahma Chellaney in his latest book:
necessary. Water: Asia’s New Battleground). DripTech, a California
company with offices in India and China, is developing
Protean Electric’s design places a small, pancake-shaped
irrigation systems that make farming practical in parched
electric motor in each wheel of the ca, and relies on
areas that were previously unable to sustain crops. Drip
electronic circuits to synchronize them. Prototypes have
irrigation has been in use for a long time, but DripTech’s
been installed in a Ford F150 pickup truck and a Volvo
specialty is to streamline the manufacturing process,
Sedan. Speeds up to 100 miles an hour are possible and
reducing the number of components needed so that
the vehicle can easily cover a range of around 100 miles.
the system is affordable to poor income farmers. More
Depending on how much power is needed, the motors
than simply conserving scarce water supplies, DripTech
can be installed in only two wheels or in all four. An
enables previously unusable land to be cultivated for a
advantage in the design is that Protean’s motors can be
profit, thus spurring economic development throughout
added to current conventional gasoline or diesel vehicles
the community.
that can then rely on the electric motors for short range
trips, and easily switch over to a standard gasoline motor Until recently the poorest sectors of India’s population
for longer trips. The motors eliminate the need for a drive had little access to modern banking. FINO (Financial
shaft and gearbox and, since the torque is distributed Inclusion Network and Operations) has been changing
directly to the wheels, they are ideally suited to rapid the dynamics of microfinancing by introducing electronic
acceleration. systems that make administering micro loans and other
banking services efficient enough to be economically
sustainable in rural areas. Today, Tech Pioneer, FINO, is
a market leader with a 30-million customer base and a
staff of 2,500 employees based in Mumbai. By reaching
a section of the population previously ignored by banking
services, FINO has succeeded in developing new
markets and opportunities.

Another of this year’s Tech Pioneers from India, Attero
Recycling (Attero means “waste” in Latin), is taking
aim at the surge in environment-threatening toxic
waste that is resulting from India’s booming electronics
industry. India currently has more than 400,000 tons
of e-waste and expects to double that amount in the
near future. The company’s highly automated plant, the
only comprehensive recycling installation of its kind in
India, can currently handle up to 36,000 tons of e-waste
generated in 20 Indian cities.


Accessible Communications in Making High Quality Healthcare
Remote Parts of the World Available to Everyone
The Irish firm, Altobridge, is creating mobile phone Medical testing is a critical factor both in the prevention
communications in places so remote that they were and diagnosis of disease as well as in deciding where to
previously considered too uneconomical. Altobridge’s allocate scarce resources. The poorest countries in the
platform “Local Connectivity” takes the burden off of developing world often lack trained personnel to carry
mobile phone core networks by managing local traffic out standard tests, which are also often too expensive
within the remote network avoiding any need for a for cash-strapped health ministries. Tech Pioneer,
“backhaul’ satellite link to the company’s central core Boston-based Diagnostics For All hopes to change that
network. The company’s “Data at the Edge” system situation by pioneering medical testing that uses a special
makes mobile phones cheap enough to be affordable photoresist paper. Medical test strips, roughly the size of
in cash-strapped developing countries. Altobridge’s a postage stamp, rely on the capillary characteristics of
revolutionary Remote Contiguous Communications unit paper to draw a small drop of blood, urine or other body
can be backpacked overland into remote areas and used fluid into contact with chemical agents that change colour
to establish a local mobile phone network within minutes depending on the specimen examined. A technician
in disaster situations. with basic training can interpret the results based on the
strip’s changing colour. It is possible to carry out more
In a similar vein, Electro Power Systems, also a Tech sophisticated tests by layering the paper strips on top
Pioneer, has developed a revolutionary fuel cell that of each other. Critical tests for chronic diseases such
effectively recharges itself and provides emergency as diabetes can cost as little as a few pennies, and
backup power to cellphone towers in difficult locations, the paper can be burned immediately eliminating any
eliminating the need for costly maintenance. biohazard. One of the company’s most brilliant moves
was to establish itself as a not-for profit from the start,
investing royalties into expanded research. It is currently
developing a test to help African countries check on
whether antiretroviral drugs used in controlling HIV/AIDS
are causing liver damage.

In a similar vein, Tethys Biosciences is developing
sophisticated biomarkers, which can be used to predict a
patient’s potential vulnerability to certain chronic diseases,
such as diabetes, well in advance of actually contracting
the disease. The tests provide an early warning which
is crucial in recommending preventive measures. The
precision diagnoses made possible by Tethys’ products
also help doctors focus their time and resources by
pinpointing which patients genuinely need attention. The
added edge helps expand access to medical help by
more accurately determining where it is actually needed.

At the other end of the spectrum, Tech Pioneer Biocartis
is making sophisticated molecular testing and DNA
analysis accessible to a larger population in developed
countries. Biocartis’ prototype enables a technician
to perform sophisticated molecular testing and DNA
sampling on a simple console in a doctor’s office or small
lab. The results are transmitted electronically to a central
facility for expert interpretation. Previously, this type of
testing was restricted to large centralized labs that had to
handle large batches of specimens to be cost-effective.
Biocartis’ technology promises to make the latest medical
analysis accessible to a much larger population.


More Accessible Financing to Putting Fun Back into Education
Entrepreneurial Pioneers
Teachers often complain that their students are
more interested in playing video games than actually
Many good ideas never get off the ground simply
studying. Tabula Digita’s founder and Chief Executive
because they are too offbeat or lack the scale needed to
Officer, Ntiedo Etuk, decided to take advantage of the
attract the attention of traditional venture capitalists. In
phenomenon by creating computer games that actually
many cases, private individuals might be willing to make
teach the fundamentals of mathematics, literature and
a low-cost investment in a promising idea, but often the
other essential subjects. Tabula Digita initially targeted
entrepreneur does not know whom they are. Kickstarter,
public school systems, with roughly three-fourths of its
which has pioneered the concept of “crowd funding”,
sales targeted at lower grade levels and the remaining
realized that the key to changing that situation is to
fourth aimed at high school students. The company
establish a platform for linking people with good ideas to
is now expanding into the consumer market outside
potential investors. The Kickstarter website serves as a
school, and games on its website can be played for free.
public bulletin board for innovative projects. Anyone can
An advantage of the idea is that children can compete
submit a proposal, with an estimate of how much funding
with each other. The games include opportunities to win
will be needed and a deadline for project completion.
rewards for achieving different levels of proficiency. The
Potential sponsors contribute money through Amazon
actual rewards are paid to the student by parents or
Payments.
relatives. The company earns a profit from selling its own
A similar strategy for direct loans is offered by Lending accessories pegged to the rewards, or by a commission
Club. The potential borrower submits a proposal and from other companies who make sales based on the
Lending Club responds with a suggested interest rate, rewards. Because the games are competitive, the
based on the borrower’s credit rating. Potential investors students are likely to continue playing them after school
create a portfolio with the company and decide in which hours, effectively doing homework without realizing that
loans they want to participate. If a borrower defaults, they are actually studying.
the lender only loses the portion of his overall portfolio
that went to that specific loan. Lending Club sets strict
requirements on the credit worthiness of potential
borrowers, so the risks are reduced. Lending Club lets
borrowers get preferential interest rates because its
streamlined approach eliminates much of the overhead
in conventional banking. Individual investors are able to
get higher returns for their investment than they would be
likely to get from a bank.


What Pioneering Is All About
All of this year’s Tech Pioneers have succeeded in getting
funding to develop promising prototypes. In some cases,
they are already registering success in the marketplace.
When it comes to pioneering, however, a readiness to
try new ideas and think outside the box, experimenting
with new approaches and concepts whose success is
less than guaranteed is what counts the most. The world
is changing, and change requires new solutions, not
merely a repetition of what has worked in the past. These
pioneers are just that – pioneers. Like any explorers, they
have ventured into uncharted territory with no certainty as
to what they will find. Like any advance scout, their job is
to point us in new directions and to make us see things
in a different way. Like the explorers who help to chart the
new world, they are in a sense heroic. Whether their ideas
eventually pan out or not, they will at the least give us a
preview of what the future possibly has to offer.


Profiles of the Technology
Pioneers
Index Twenty-five companies have been selected as the
World Economic Forum’s Technology Pioneers 2012.
Information Technologies and New Media They come from three main categories: Information
Technologies and New Media, Energy and Environment,
Altobridge Limited 16 and Life Sciences and Health. Candidate companies are
Appirio 16 nominated by Members, constituents and collaborators
of the World Economic Forum, as well as by the larger
CloudFlare 17 public. A selection committee, comprised of top
DoubleVerify 17 technology and innovation experts from around the
world, reviews all candidate companies and makes a
Dropbox 18 recommendation to the World Economic Forum, which
Financial Inclusion Network then takes the final decision.
and Operations Ltd (FINO) 18
Technology Pioneers are chosen on the basis of the
Kickstarter Inc. 19 following criteria:
Lending Club 19
1. Innovation: The company must be truly innovative.
Living PlanIT SA 20 A new version or repackaging of an already well-
Mocana Corporation 20 accepted technological solution does not qualify as
an innovation. The innovation and commercialization
Palantir Technologies 21 should be recent. The company should invest
Tabula Digita Inc. 21 significantly in R&D.
2. Potential impact: The company must have the
Energy and Environment potential to have a substantial long-term impact on
business and/or society.
1366 Technologies 22
3. Growth and sustainability: The company should
Attero Recycling 22 demonstrate the potential to be a long-term market
leader and should have well-formulated plans for
Driptech 23
future development and growth.
EcoMotors International 23
4. Proof of concept: The company must have a product
Electro Power Systems SpA 24 on the market or have proven practical applications of
First Energy Private Limited 24 the technology. Companies in “stealth” mode and with
untested ideas or models do not qualify.
Joule Unlimited 25
5. Leadership: The company must have visionary
Picarro Inc. 25 leadership that plays a critical role in driving the
Protean Electric Inc. 26 company towards reaching its goals.
Solazyme Inc. 26 Finally, the company must not currently be a Member
of the World Economic Forum. This criterion applies to
Life Sciences and Health the parent company; thus, wholly owned subsidiaries of
large firms are not eligible.
Biocartis SA 27
Diagnostics For All 27
Tethys Bioscience 28


Information Technologies and New Media Information Technologies and New Media

Altobridge Limited Appirio
Mike Fitzgerald, Chief Executive and Co-Founder Chris Barbin, Chief Executive Officer
Location: Tralee, Ireland Location: CA, USA
Number of Employees: 132 Number of Employees: 280
Year Founded: 2002 Year Founded: 2006

Altobridge Limited. Telephone: +353 66 719 0210 Appirio Telephone: +1 650 268 99112207
Kerry Technology Park Email: info@altobridge.com Bridgepointe Parkway, 3rd Floor E-mail: cloud@appirio.com
Tralee, Co. Kerry Website: www.altobridge.com San Mateo, CA 94404 Website: www.appirio.com
Ireland USA

Altobridge’s innovative technology makes Appirio enables companies to navigate
GSM mobile phone networks affordable today’s complex cloud computing
in remote areas ecosystem

Altobridge’s Data at the Edge™ and Local With more than 800 cloud computing providers
Connectivity™ solutions optimize network operations currently in the marketplace, deciding how best to
and substantially reduce the power requirements employ this new cost-saving technology requires
for mobile phone systems in developing countries. expert strategic insight. In this context, Appirio acts
Altobridge’s technology helps cut the “backhaul” as both broker and solution provider to more than
connection between a mobile phone carrier’s local base 5,000 companies, including 200 leading enterprises,
station and its core network by up to 50%, dramatically employing cross-cloud technology. To avoid having
reducing costly satellite time. It does this by substantially to master the intricacies of cloud computing from the
increasing the functionality of local networks, particularly start, Appirio offers clients access to an extensive
when it comes to calls within the network. An additional asset library that draws on experience acquired during
advantage of Altobridge’s approach is that it significantly 800 cloud computing projects. Appirio also develops
reduces data congestion on the network and speeds specific applications that enable software from different
service delivery. companies to work seamlessly together. A recent
software package lets enterprise customers create their
Altobridge’s lite-site install, solar-powered, mobile own iPad and iPhone applications on a nearly click-and-
base station can be trucked into remote areas and drag basis, without needing to master the IOS operating
will support a network of anywhere from 100 to system. In another example, Appirio was able to build
1,500 mobile phones. The company’s man-portable a cloud-based CRM (customer relations management
communications solution, the Remote Contiguous programme) for Starbucks in just four weeks, based
Communications unit (RCC), designed for government on a SalesForce.com software framework. Starbucks
use and especially for emergency personnel, can used the website to encourage customers to donate
provide local mobile phone services within five minutes time to public service. In addition to saving corporations
of being deployed in areas that no other mobile phone the expense of maintaining their own in-house design
can reach. The RCC is light enough to be hand carried teams, Appirio’s access to the cumulative experience
over difficult terrain. Altobridge’s pioneering work in and problem solving approaches of a constantly
pushing the envelope of mobile phone networking evolving expert community means that it is constantly
technology has enabled it to develop cutting edge ahead of the curve in developing pioneering cloud-
solutions that major mobile phone network competitors based solutions in a rapidly changing global market.
have licensed their own operations.



CloudFlare DoubleVerify
Matthew Prince, Chief Executive Officer Oren Netzer, Chief Executive Officer
Location: CA, USA Location: NY, USA

CloudFlare Telephone: +1 650 319 8930 DoubleVerify Telephone: +1 212 631 2111
665 Third Street, Suite 207 E-mail: info@cloudflare.com 575 Eight Ave., 7th Fl. E-mail: info@doubleverify.com
San Francisco, CA 94107 Website: www.cloudflare.com New York, NY 10018 Website: www.doubleverify.com
USA USA

CloudFlare’s intelligent network DoubleVerify provides tools designed to
accelerates Web traffic over the Internet restore public confidence in business
while deftly dodging abusive bots, forced to operate in a global net
crawlers and denial of service attacks environment increasingly exposed to
swindlers, malware and cyber theft
CloudFlare streamlines its members’ Web traffic through
a dozen servers around the world, optimizing the As more and more business goes online, cyber crime
data stream in the process while shielding it from the is becoming vastly more sophisticated. Phishing
parasites and predators that increasingly contribute attacks, Trojan horses and ultra-sophisticated worms
to Web congestion. On the average, websites that and software viruses are the net equivalent of an IED
join the CloudFlare community and use its intelligent (improvised explosive device). They strike unexpectedly
network operate at double the speed of conventional and they are increasingly costly. A cyber attack not
Internet traffic. No hardware or software changes are only hurts its target but also inflicts wounds on any
necessary. The only requirement is a domain DNS unsuspecting advertiser who may be linked to the
change that directs traffic to CloudFlare’s servers. The infected site and whose reputation becomes associated
adjustment usually takes less than five minutes and with the attack. DoubleVerify’s solution to the problem
a member can drop out at any time. The company is a series of groundbreaking verification tools that
emphasizes that it is not a hosting service and that any guarantee the reliability of a site. It combines pixel
website that opts out of the system remains online with tracking technology with “Virtual Visitors” that explore
all its data intact. The government of Turkey recently every aspect of an online site and analyse its structure
signed up with CloudFlare to keep its election website to guarantee against external malware.
from melting down from the expected surge in traffic
and as an added protection against denial of service DoubleVerify is particularly effective at scanning iFrames,
attacks. CloudFlare notes that as the Internet evolves a Web structure that enables advertising agencies and
its system automatically shares the new information brokers to nest millions of third-party ads on millions
with everyone else in the community. As the Web of websites on a daily basis. Normal pop-up blocking
faces new challenges, CloudFlare’s intelligent network systems can prevent these ads from reaching a site. As
evolves along with it, becoming progressively smarter in a result, the usual see-through rate which determines
protecting its members’ interests. advertising fees can linger in the dismal 30% to 60%
range. DoubleVerify’s technology, which is unique in
being able to penetrate to more than three levels of
iFrames, has a see-through rate that runs higher than
95%. By guaranteeing the reliability of sites, DoubleVerify
not only restores the confidence of potential customers
and advertisers, it is also accelerating the development
of the net as a powerful marketing environment.



Financial Inclusion
Dropbox Network & Operations
Drew Houston, Chief Executive Officer Manish Khera, Chief Executive Officer
Location: CA, USA Location: Navi Mumbai, India

Dropbox Telephone: +1 415 986 7057 Financial Inclusion Network & Operations Telephone: +91 22 4161 3466
760 Market St #1150 Email: press@dropbox.com Plot 38-39, Sector 30, Sanpada West Email: info@fino.com.in
San Francisco, CA 94102 Website: www.dropbox.com Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra 400705 Website: www.fino.co.in
USA India

Dropbox connects the cloud to everyday FINO’s integrated financial technology
life platform makes modern banking
accessible to the poor in India
Anyone who has lugged a heavy laptop home on a
daily basis can appreciate the advantage of temporarily Microfinancing is a powerful tool empowering the
storing a day’s work on a cloud server for easy retrieval poorest sectors of developing countries to improve
at home. Dropbox is a pioneer in the business. It not their economic status; keeping track of millions of small
only offers easy storage of files, programs, photographs, loans is usually too labour intensive and costly for large
personal notes and a wide range of other material but financial institutions to bother with. The breakthrough
it also provides a common space for colleagues to technology developed by FINO (Financial Inclusion and
share material that is being developed on a collaborative Network Operations) is fast changing that equation
project. Its ability to operate on nearly every operating not only enabling previously excluded populations
system platform makes it one of the easiest methods to have access to financing and traditional banking
today for transferring material from one computer to services but also opening up potentially lucrative new
another, or from a desktop to a cell phone. To minimize markets for the financial sector. FINO’s electronic
connection time on the Web, Dropbox synchronizes payment platform packages provide microfinancing
only those aspects of an ongoing job that have actually opportunities to more than 30 million customers at
changed and guarantees that every time you access 15,000 transaction points in 300 districts across 24
your information, you are looking at the latest version states in India. Its product suites include savings bank
regardless of which computer you are using or where accounts, recurring deposits, loan products, remittances
you happen to be. In a sense, Dropbox can substitute and insurance products. The company stands to profit
as a WiFi-connected hard drive that is instantly on from the growing use of business channels by the Indian
and geographically omnipresent. In pioneering on the government for disbursement of subsidies. Estimates
cloud, credible security is even more important than are that up to 100 million mostly rural households
the ability to synchronize, and Dropbox prides itself on in India are effectively excluded from basic financial
guaranteeing Internet privacy. Dropbox now counts services. With its pioneering technology demonstrating
some 25 million loyal customers, and its large user that the financial inclusion of rural households can
base, which is becoming increasingly comfortable with be profitable, FINO has begun to attract the interest
the cloud, is likely to be a major asset in the future as of outside investors, including the Blackstone Group
the company continues to push for consumer use of which put up US$ 33 million for a minority stake in the
cloud technology. company. Fino has not only demonstrated the viability of
a previously ignored market, but it has also contributed
to an important step forward in the development of
India’s rural population.



Kickstarter, Inc. Lending Club
Perry Chen, Chief Executive Officer Renaud Laplanche, Chief Executive Officer
Location: NY, USA Location: CA, USA

Kickstarter, Inc. Telephone: +1 646 596 9536 Lending Club Telephone: +1 650 482 5231
155 Rivington St Website: www.kickstarter.com 370 Convention Way Email: pr@lendingclub.com
New York City, NY 11238 Redwood City, CA 95124 Website: www.lendingclub.com
USA USA

Kickstarter’s innovative crowd-funding Lending club bypasses traditional
platform lets the public in on venture banking to pioneer peer-to-peer
capital funding for imaginative projects financingt

Kickstarter’s formula looks simple enough; yet, it opens Lending Club streamlines its financial services over the
a new door for both the public and a wide assortment Internet to create a direct link between creditworthy
of artists and entrepreneurs to fund small, but interesting borrowers and potential investors. By stripping away
projects. Anyone with a good idea can submit a the red tape and bureaucratic hurdles that normally
proposal to Kickstarter. The applicant states how much accompany traditional bank loans, it is able to reduce
money is needed and the deadline for completion. processing costs and offer loans at rates considerably
Kickstarter publishes the information on the Web and cheaper than competing banks. Rates are based on
takes a fee that amounts to 5% of the money raised. creditworthiness; applicants can sign up in minutes
Amazon Payments handles the receipt and disbursal to get an immediate quote on how much interest they
of the funding and also takes 3% to 5% as a fee. If the are likely to be charged. Investors establish an online
minimum target is not raised, the money is returned. portfolio and decide where they want to invest. Lending
The advantage to artists and would-be entrepreneurs Club makes a number of tools available to lenders, and
is that Kickstarter acts only as a broker and has no the risk of a loan not being paid is reduced because
ownership of the project. It also makes it clear that the lender only buys a small portion of each loan, and
it cannot guarantee that the project will actually be the lender’s portfolio is likely to cover a large number
completed. That is left up to the investor to decide. of different loans. If a borrower defaults, the loss is
Kickstarter is merely there to make the connection, minimalized by spreading the cost over a large number
but that connection can be a significant contribution. of investors, and Lending Club also has arrangements
Many good ideas never see the light of day simply from with debt collection agencies to make certain that
a lack of financing. Often the public would be ready to the loan eventually is repaid. Lending Club’s greatest
support an idea, or simply take a long shot investment protection, however, is its stringent selection process for
on a small scale, if they only knew about it. By putting borrowers. Only around 10% of loan applicants meet
these groups together, Kickstarter shines a spotlight on Lending Club’s exacting standards. By pioneering a
potentially profitable opportunities both for culture and significantly more efficient way of connecting borrowers
the economy that until now have largely been ignored. and lenders, Lending Club has both expanded the
availability of capital to keep business moving and set a
new standard of efficiency for financial institutions.



Living PlanIT SA Mocana Corporation
Steve Lewis, Chief Executive Officer Adrian Turner, President and Chief Executive Officer
Location: Vaud, Switzerland Location: CA, USA

Living PlanIT SA Telephone: +44 2074958968 Mocana Corporation Telephone: +1 415 617 0055
21, Ruelle des Moulins E-mail: media@living-planit.com 350 Sansome Street, suite 1010 E-mail: info@mocana.com
1260 Nyons Website: www.living-planit.com San Francisco, CA 94104 Website: www.mocana.com
Switzerland USA

Living PlanIT develops operating systems Mocana’s responds to the
for future cities “Internet of Things” with a device-
independent secure platform for smart
Energy-saving, cost-effective, smart buildings are communications
increasingly fashionable these days, but as cities
come under increasing population pressure the real
key is to develop a system that takes information from More than 20 billion non-PC devices are now connected
many smart buildings and integrates it with streams to various networks around the world. Smart devices
of other data from a variety of sensors to create an already outnumber computers by five-to-one, and
intelligent network. Designing smart city networks is the market, valued at US$ 900 billion, is growing
the specialty of Living PlanIT. The company’s Urban twice as fast as sales of conventional laptops. While
Operating System provides a common platform for highly portable and extremely useful, each smart
all the electronic components of a city to interact with device represents an entry point for a potential cyber
each other. In contrast to current computer networking predator to break into a network. Mocana’s solution
systems, an urban operating system needs to handle is a wide range of services including NanoCrypto,
and interpret a vastly greater data flow that covers a government-certified, cryptographic engine that
everything from building temperatures, lighting and extends sophisticated cryptographic capabilities to
other utilities to coordinating pedestrian and vehicle even the humblest, low-power, simplified chips used in
traffic. Living PlanIT has equipped its urban operating portable devices and works with more than 30 out-of-
system to keep permanent records that can be the-box operating systems designed to be used with
analysed to optimize functions. For instance if a traffic limited resources. Powerful cryptographic protection
accident blocks circulation, the system can immediately can be extended to just about any hand-held device;
recommend the best alternate route around the because the NanoCrypto engine is designed to require
congestion for a certain time of day. Living PlanIT’s a minimum effort from central processing units, the
technology can be integrated into the design of new system prolongs battery power in portable devices
cities or adapted to gradually modernize systems and applications. The simplicity and cross-platform
already in place in older cities. Living PlanIT has capabilities of Mocana’s encryption systems make the
created strategic partnerships with leading technology company unique in the field of network communications
companies, including Cisco, Microsoft and Accenture, protection. Even more important, the system’s ability to
and it is currently developing PlanIT Valley, an advanced guarantee secure connections for even the most basic
urban planning project in Portugal, which is a pioneering smart devices adds consumer confidence, opening the
effort at turning design concepts for future cities into door to a wide range of new businesses ranging from
practical reality. credit card payments for online shopping to computer
banking and financial services.



Palantir Technologies Tabula Digita
Alexander Karp, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Ntiedo Etuk, Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Location: CA, USA Location: NY, USA

Palantir Technologies Telephone: +1 650 815 0200 Tabula Digita Telephone: +1 917 251 8070
100 Hamilton Ave, Suite 300 E-mail: info@palantir.com 5-14 51st Avenue, 3rd Floor E-mail: info@tabuladigita.com
Palo Alto, CA 94301 Website: www.palantir.com Long Island City, NY 11101 Website: www.dimensionu.com
USA USA

Palantir pioneers an engineering-centred Tabula Digita develops video games
approach to radically change the way to engage high school students in the
data is analysed pursuit of knowledge

Data smog is a hazard of today’s increasingly Tabula Digita’s award-winning technology breaks new
interconnected world. Unexpected opportunities as ground by taking advantage of an estimated 93% of
well as the answers to seemingly intractable problems US school students who play video games. Its current
often lay camouflaged under mountains of irrelevant product, the DimensionU Learning System, covers
and distracting detail. Palantir’s data analysis platforms literacy, science, history and mathematics. Tabula
provide solutions for finance, government and Digita’s multiplayer technology was originally designed
intelligence agencies. Palantir’s finance object model for classrooms, but the company is now offering a
offers a ready-built architecture to connect the dots consumer version that can be accessed for free over
and spot trends and developing curves that provide an the Internet. A key feature is a reward system, which
essential advantage when it comes to critical decision- enables parents or relatives to pay a small amount of
making. money to the student after he passes critical points in
the game. The company makes a small profit by selling
Palantir’s software for government analysis enables accessories to students who have earned awards or
structured and unstructured data sources to be by getting a commission on products sold by other
seamlessly integrated and provides a common platform companies. Roughly three-fourths of the students
for heterogeneous users, groups and agencies to work are in lower grades, with the remaining fourth in high
together while protecting the privacy and security of the school. Ntiedo Etuk, the company’s founder, got the
information. The systems combine powerful back-end idea when he noticed that many students were bored
databases and server architecture with an intuitive by conventional teaching methods. Etuk remarked that
front-end user interface. Palantir’s products are equally most educational material is aimed at helping teachers,
comfortable with unstructured message traffic and while a greater effort is needed to equip students to
structured identity data. Palantir’s innovative approach solve problems on their own. The company’s software
clears the way to ground-breaking solutions in a rapidly is currently in use in leading public school systems in
evolving technological environment. New York, Florida, Texas and Illinois. Tabula Digita’s goal
is to remain a pioneering market leader in technology
that equips youth with the basic educational tools for life
while having fun doing it.


Energy and Environment Energy and Environment

1366 Technologies Attero Recycling
Emanuel Sachs, Chief Technology Officer Nitin Gupta, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Location: MA, USA Location: Noida, India

1366 Technologies Telephone: +1 781 861 1611 Attero Recycling Pvt Ltd Telephone: +91 120 408 7100
45 Hartwell Avenue E-mail: mbean@1366tech.com B-92 Sector-63 Website: www.attero.in
Lexington, MA 02421 Website: www.1366tech.com Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301
USA India

1366 Technologies dramatically reduces Attero Recycling pioneers a fully
the cost of silicon wafers in solar panels integrated, zero-land fill system for
handling India’s e-waste
A major factor in the cost of manufacturing solar
photovoltaic panels is that the silicon that accounts for Attero – the name is Latin for waste – has established
roughly one-half the cost of each panel needs to be cut itself as India’s first and, at this point, only fully
from solid blocks. Nearly one-half the silicon is lost in integrated, environmentally friendly processor of
the process and the precision engineering required to electronic waste. While Indian manufacturers have
cut the wafers to within a tolerance of a few microns is tended to ignore the health risks associated with
extremely expensive. 1366 Technologies’ revolutionary discarded electronic components, the situation is
new approach promises to change the equation by about to change. The Indian government is preparing
moulding the wafers directly from molten silicon. The to drastically tighten controls and future legislation can
silicon is poured into thin sheets much the way glass is be expected to move towards requiring electronics
formed. The new process makes it possible to get twice manufacturers to assume “cradle to grave” responsibility
as many wafers per pound of silicon while dramatically for their products. At the moment, Attero’s 36,000-ton
streamlining the manufacturing process. The company’s reprocessing plant in Roorkee, Uttarakhand, is the only
game-changing approach, which also involves texturing one of its kind in India. The plant handles e-waste fed
the cell surface to optimize light capture, manages to into it by an extensive logistics network servicing 20
boost the efficiency of low-cost multi-crystalline cells to major Indian cities.
roughly 18%, a rating that can usually only be found in
more costly mono-crystalline cells. The company plans The company employs a first-of-its-kind metallurgical
to begin shipping standard-sized multi-crystalline wafers process developed in its own R&D centres, combined
that are 200 microns thick by 2013. By dramatically with mechanical separation techniques developed in
reducing manufacturing costs, 1366 Technologies is collaboration with a leading US company. According
advancing importantly in closing the price gap between to Attero, India’s electronic industry is growing by 20%
solar energy and fossil fuels. a year and can expect to have generated 800,000
tons of e-waste by 2012. By 2015, India expects to
have two billion PCs and a mobile phone subscriber
base of 600 million. By then, e-waste disposal will be a
critical concern. Attero, the only company to be officially
registered by India’s Central Pollution Control Board for
the environmentally sound recycling of hazardous waste,
is uniquely positioned to lead the field.



Driptech EcoMotors International
Peter Frykman, Founder and CEO Peter Hofbauer, Chief Technical Officer
Location: CA, USA Location: MI, USA

Driptech, inc. Telephone: +1 415 793 6735 EcoMotors International Telephone: +1 313 294 5701
2580 Wyandotte St. Suite B E-mail: info@driptech.com 17000 Federal Dr., Suite 200 Website: www.ecomotors.com
Mountain View, CA 94043 Website: www.driptech.com Allen Park, MI 48101
USA USA

Driptech designs revolutionary irrigation Ecomotors introduces a revolutionary
systems for small farmers in the concept for diesel motors that promises
developing world to halve carbon emissions

Global climate change and the population explosion are Ecomotors’ new “opoc” (opposed piston, opposed
combining forces to make water an increasingly scarce cylinder) architecture deftly combines the power of a
commodity. Today, the average person in the developing four-stroke engine with the simplicity of a two-stroke
world only has access to 20% of the water that would design. The motor, which can run on diesel fuel,
have been available only a few generations ago. gasoline or ethanol, employs modules, each of which is
Conservation is the fastest and most economical way of composed of two opposed cylinders, each containing
sharing water resources more efficiently, and Driptech two pistons that operate in opposing directions and are
is breaking new ground in designing easy to build, connected to a central crankshaft. The design eliminates
high-end irrigation systems for farmers in the developing the conventional engine’s cylinder head and valve trains,
world who only need to irrigate a relatively small piece which means that the motor can be significantly lighter
of land. The Silicon Valley-based company, which also than conventional models; since the pistons work
has offices in Pune (India) and Beijing (China), sees against each other, they only need to travel one-half the
affordable irrigation as a crucial step in the fight against distance of a standard piston. In short, they produce
poverty. Driptech uses standard flexible tubing, which twice the power with one-half the effort. Opoc motors
drips water directly on growing plants rather than relying can have multiple modules, and depending on power
on flood irrigation in which most of the water either requirements, modules that are not needed can be
seeps into the ground or evaporates before it reaches shut down. In addition, the engines employ an electric
the plant. The idea is hardly revolutionary, but Driptech motor that acts as a supercharger which enhances the
has pioneered a proprietary design that significantly exhaust turbocharger and thus dramatically increases
reduces the hardware required and has automated the the motor’s compression. The result is a lighter motor
manufacturing process. These improvements reduce that is nearly twice as efficient as conventional motors,
the start-up costs by 40% to 80% and produce systems while producing just as much power. While electric car
that are longer lasting and more reliable than anything motors are still trying to deal with the high price and
else that has hit the market so far. Driptech’s most unreliability of the batteries needed to provide power,
significant contribution, however, is its decision to focus Ecomotor’s opoc design promises an ingenious interim
on a segment of the population that has been largely solution until a viable alternative to fossil fuels can be
ignored until now and, yet, is increasingly critical to found.
global development.



Electro Power Systems SpA First Energy Private Limited
Adriano Marconetto, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Mahesh Yagnaraman, Managing Director and CEO
Location: Torino, Italy Location: Pune, India

Electro Power Systems SpA Telephone: +39 011 225 8211 First Energy Private Limited Telephone: + 91 20 6721 0500
via Livorno 60 c/o Environment Park E-mail: info@electroPS.it B 101 -105 B Wing Signet Corner E-mail: oorja@firstenergy.in
Torino, 10143 Website: www.electrops.it S No 134, Baner Road, Pune 411057 Website: www.firstenergy.in
Italy Maharashtra , India

Electro Power Systems’ fuel cells First Energy Private’s revolutionary
guarantee back up power in remote cooking stoves help save the
areas environment while making life more
affordable in rural villages
When a broadband or mobile phone network
experiences even a brief power outage, the loss of
communications can have catastrophic results, not Finding fuel for cooking is a major problem in many rural
just for customers relying on their cell phones and villages in developing countries. The most common
Blackberries to stay in touch but also for the phone fuel in India is wood or kerosene. Wood is often hard
company which risks being seen as unreliable. Backup to come by and in densely populated areas there is the
power, usually from diesel generators, is essential danger of stripping the local countryside bare. Kerosene
to guaranteeing continued service. The downside is expensive and often contributes to air pollution and
is that providing fuel and maintenance to remote respiratory problems. First Energy Private Ltd’s solution
installations in difficult terrain is both time consuming is an inexpensive, highly efficient cooking stove, which
and expensive. Electro Power Systems’ revolutionary burns biomass pellets, known as “oorja” that are made
new fuel cell technology makes the most of this expense from the compressed residue of agricultural by-products
and unnecessary effort by recharging automatically and rely on a radically new biomass gasification
and dramatically reducing the need for maintenance. technology developed and patented by the Indian
During normal operations, Electro Power’s fuel cells Institute of Science in Bangalore. The pellet stoves make
use standard power to electrolyse hydrogen from water it possible for an Indian family to serve a meal for five for
and recharge themselves. If the power goes off, the cell roughly one rupee per person. When the demand for
kicks in automatically and provides power until regular pellets began driving prices up, First Energy introduced
current is restored, at which point the cell begins to technology to spur production locally. Not only are the
replenish itself once again. Hardly any carbon emissions stoves three times as efficient as conventional stoves,
result from Electro Power’s manufacturing process, but they are also virtually smokeless. Estimates are that
and once the cell begins operating the only emission is the pellets cut down carbon emissions and particulates
water, which is used to generate more hydrogen when in the air by up to 70%. Operating through some 3,000
normal power is restored. Electro Power Systems has village entrepreneurs and dealers, First Energy has
the largest installed base of functioning fuel cells in sold stoves to some 485,000 households in five Indian
Europe and is developing operations in Asia and Latin states and contends that they have already saved
America. Its emphasis on maintaining close contact with around 32,000 tons of fuel. The goal is to reach one
fuel cell development in leading university research labs million households in the next three years and become a
ensures its position as a cutting edge market leader in market leader in other developing countries, as well as a
the field. significant force in the fight to control carbon emissions.



Joule Unlimited Picarro Inc.
Noubar Afeyan, Founder and Chairman Michael Woelk, Chief Executive Officer
Location: MA, USA Location: CA, USA

Joule Unlimited Telephone: +1 617 354 6100 Picarro, Inc. Telephone: +1 408 962 3900
83 Rogers Street E-mail: info@jouleunlimited.com 3105 Patrick Henry Dr. E-mail: info@picarro.com
Cambridge, MA 02142 Website: www.jouleunlimited.com Santa Clara, CA 95054 Website: www.picarro.com
USA USA

Joule Unlimited turns to genetically Picarro pushes the envelope in
modified microorganisms to change developing the world’s highest
waste directly into biofuel with a little help performance gas analysers
from the sun
In a world increasingly conscious of the impact of
While manufacturing ethanol from biomass often greenhouse gases on climate change, the precision
seems to create nearly as many problems as it solves, measurement of gas emissions is taking on critical
the industry is far from giving up. Joule Unlimited is importance. Picarro’s wide range of high performance
approaching the problem with a dramatic new strategy. gas analysing equipment serves a wide spectrum
Instead of trying to convert conventional agricultural ranging from atmospheric scientists to local public
products such as corn or switch grass into fuel, Joule utilities. The latter is particularly relevant since hydraulic
is relying on genetically modified microorganisms, oil shale fracturing, known as fracking, has suddenly
injected carbon dioxide obtained from industrial made natural gas abundantly available. Burning natural
partners and sunlight to turn waste pumped into giant gas creates one-half the carbon emissions of coal.
solar bioreactors into a fuel that can be used without Unfortunately, natural gas is mostly methane, which is
further refinement in conventional diesel engines. The 20 times, as a greenhouse gas, as potent as carbon
estimated cost, taking into account current subsidies, dioxide. Spotting gas leaks is now a priority, and
would be roughly US$ 50 a barrel. Joule estimates that Picarro, which employs a laser-based cavity ring-down
its technology could produce a yearly yield of up to spectrometer, which can be put in the back of a car and
20,000 gallons of ethanol per acre. The trick is to modify can detect leaks on any street in a matter of minutes.
the metabolism of a specific organism, a micro-algae, A city’s gas leaks can be mapped in one or two weeks.
often known as cyanobacteria, to produce alkanes, A recent assessment by Picarro showed that Boston
a hydrocarbon that mixes readily with diesel fuel. In and San Francisco both have invisible methane plumes
contrast to other alternative fuels, Joule’s version needs hovering overhead that are 15 times the normal global
no further refining and can easily blend in with current level. As more countries opt for natural gas over
distribution networks. Joule has just leased 1,200 acres nuclear power, this type of measurement becomes
in New Mexico for a test site that can eventually be increasingly critical. Picarro has been tapped to develop
scaled up to 5,000 acres. If it works as planned, Joule sophisticated sensors that will help assess gas leaks at
will have succeeded in solving three crucial problems the national and regional level in the US. Picarro’s work
facing the world today: producing an affordable fuel of on precision laser measurements has made it a pioneer
the future, disposing of unwanted waste and finding in the effort to provide the hard data needed to move
a profitable use for carbon dioxide, one of the prime beyond polemics in the climate change debate and
suspects in the debate over climate change. develop fact-based solutions.



Protean Electric Inc. Solazyme Inc.
Robert Purcell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Wolfson, Chief Executive Officer
Location: MI, USA Location: CA, USA

Protean Electric Inc. Telephone: +1 248 740 5580 Solazyme inc. Telephone: +1 650 780 4777
100 West Big Beaver Road, Suite 200 E-mail: info@proteanelectric.com 225 Gateway Boulevard E-mail: info@solazyme.com
Troy, MI 48084 W: www.proteanelectric.com San Francisco, CA 94080 Website: www.solazyme.com
USA USA

Protean Electric puts its motors in the Solazyme’s industrial biotechnology
wheels of electric cars platform accelerates biofuel production
by micro-algae
Standard automobile design puts the motor either in
front or back. Protean Electric’s innovative approach is Solazyme’s unique contribution to the search for
to replace the bulky conventional engine with smaller cost-effective biofuels is its adaptation of standard
electric motors in each of the vehicle’s wheels. The industrial fermentation equipment to accelerate the oil-
company’s Protean Drive in-wheel electric drive system producing capabilities of micro-algae, often referred to
not only saves an enormous amount of interior space as cyanobacteria, to just a few days. Solazyme relies on
and weight, but it also reduces the strain on the engine indirect photosynthesis and a proprietary strain of micro-
by relying on each of the smaller motors to provide algae to speed the process. The system leverages
a portion of the torque required for acceleration. The a wide variety of feedstocks, including plant-based
design can easily be adapted as a hybrid extension sugars, such as sugarcane-based sucrose, corn-
to more conventional engines. Hybrid vehicles based dextrose and sugar from other biomass sources
relying on Protean’s in-wheel drive system can rely including cellulosics. The petroleum substitutes that are
on rechargeable batteries for short distance driving produced meet international industry standards and
and can also cover longer distances if needed. When are compatible replacements for marine, motor vehicle
braking the vehicle, the energy is used to recharge and jet fuels; they can be used in standard engines
the batteries. Protean Electric’s drive systems have without any need for adaptation. Current products are
already been adapted to a Volvo Recharge sedan and SoladieselRD for diesel engines; SoladieselHRF-76
to the popular Ford F-150 pickup truck, which is able for ship engines; and Solajet for military and civilian
to achieve speeds up to 100 miles an hour using the application testing. In 2010, Solazyme delivered 80,000
electric drive system and can cover 100 miles or more, litres of algae-derived marine diesel and aviation jet
depending on the batteries used. Depending on the fuel to the US Navy. It was the largest delivery in
need for power, Protean’s drive system can be installed history of a non-ethanol alternative fuel that had been
in two or four of the vehicle’s wheels. The key to making 100% produced by microbial action. The US Navy
it work is Protean’s central electronic control unit, which followed up with another order for 550,000 litres of
uses advanced software. Protean is currently working SoladieselHRF-76 marine fuel. The order put Soladiesel
with a number of major vehicle manufacturers and is firmly in the front ranks of pioneers developing
meeting all international safety standards. When scaled alternative fuels.
up for production, its revolutionary technology may have
helped define the car of the future.


Life Sciences and Health Life Sciences and Health

Biocartis SA Diagnostics For All
Rudi Pauwels, Chief Executive Officer and Founder Una S. Ryan, President and Chief Executive Officer
Location: Lausanne, Switzerland Location: MA, USA

Biocartis SA Telephone: +41 21 694 0430 Diagnostics For All Telephone: +1 617 494 0700
EPFL – Quartier de l’Innovation E-mail: info@biocartis.com 50 Soldiers Field Place E-mail: info@dfa.org
Bâtiment G Website: www.biocartis.com Boston, MA 02135 Website: www.dfa.org
1015 Lausanne, Switzerland USA

Biocartis develops a protype platform Diagnostics For All is pioneering paper-
that promises to make molecular testing based medical tests that cost only a few
economically viable for limited sample cents each and promise to revolutionize
runs and accessible to small and healthcare in developing countries
medium size labs
Diagnostics For All manufactures medical test strips
Molecular testing is expected to usher in a new era for that use the natural capillary characteristics of paper to
healthcare, but current methods are only economically expose test specimens to specific reagents that change
viable when large batches of specimens are tested in colour depending on the content. The test sample can
centralized laboratories that are expensive to operate. be a miniscule drop of blood, urine or other body fluid. A
Swiss-based Biocartis plans to simplify the process. small paper strip, the size of a postage stamp, is treated
The company is developing a console and on-site with a photoresist that makes it sensitive to sunlight and
equipment that uses amplification technology to analyse enables the etching of channels that direct the fluid to an
biological samples consisting of blood, urine, sputum imbedded solution that changes colour to indicate the
or other body fluids with specific molecular bio-markers results. By using layers of strategically perforated tape,
and transmits the results to a laboratory, doctor’s office the test strip can be built up as a three-dimensional
or a hospital. Since the system is fully electronic and model that adds several steps to the testing process.
does not rely on the tubes or bottles normally used in An early model is being developed to warn against liver
laboratories, it does not require decontamination. The damage that is one of the risks of HIV/AIDS antiretroviral
procedure is simple enough for a technician to perform treatments in Africa. To spread the technology as fast
who is not a trained molecular biologist. Depending as possible, Diagnostics For All established itself as a
on the complexity of the samples, results can be not-for-profit. Royalties are reinvested to accelerate the
available in as little as 45 minutes. Biocartis’ goal is company’s development. The simplicity and low cost
to decentralize the testing process and to make it as of the technology promises to make advanced medical
widely available as possible without sacrificing accuracy. testing available to public health services in developing
If Biocartis’ prototype can be scaled up for commercial countries that otherwise would never be able to afford it.
production, it promises to accelerate the pace of
molecular testing making cutting edge medical science
available to a vastly larger public.


Technology Pioneers 2012

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