World Economic Forum today announced its selection of the world's 30 most promising Technology Pioneers 2016 at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
PrecisionHawk, a Raleigh-based US company that produces a drone and drone-based mapping and analytics platform, was awarded as one of the World Economic Forum's Technology Pioneers, a selection of the world's most innovative companies.
This technology means we can monitor changes in our environment for the purpose of reducing the use of pesticides or improving the yield of our farms, and enable mankind to use the limited resources of our planet ever more responsibly (PRNewsFoto/PrecisionHawk) source: PrecisionHawk
PrecisionHawk's ecosystem includes a drone, aerial data collection sensors, a data analytics platform and flight safety platform. These tools together provide actionable intelligence to businesses in a more efficient and cost effective way. The company, founded by, Ernest Earon and Christopher Dean, operates out of offices in Raleigh, North Carolina, Toronto, London and Argentina.
Companies were selected for their potential to significantly impact business and society through new technologies and advance the Fourth Industrial Revolution PrecisionHawk, which provides a drone and aerial data analytics platform was selected for its contributions to increasing efficiency and accessibility around agriculture and food sustainability. The full list of recognized Technology Pioneers can be viewed here.
PrecisionHawk was chosen by a professional jury among hundreds of candidates as one of the 30 selected companies. The result of this selection will include participation in an influential and sought-after business and political network worldwide. Ernest Earon, PrecisionHawk co-founder, is participating in the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, and many Technology Pioneers will also participate in the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2017 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.
"We welcome PrecisionHawk in this group of extraordinary pioneers," said Fulvia Montresor, Head of Technology Pioneers at the World Economic Forum. "PrecisionHawk is among those companies that help shape the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work and relate to one another. Through the platform of the World Economic Forum, it will be able to scale and share its technology and achieve a larger impact."
"To be acknowledged as a technology pioneer by the World Economic Forum is a great honor. Drones, and most importantly the information they provide, are a critical solution to increasing the work being done in agriculture, environmental protection, energy, and many others, without the huge cost or increase in footprint," said Earon. "We believe that this platform will open the doors to new networks and relationships that will help us to more rapidly integrate this new technology into existing systems and industries around the world."
As in previous years, American-based entrepreneurs continue to dominate the list of Technology Pioneers, with 22 out of 30 recipients. Other selected pioneers come from France (2), Luxembourg (2), and Canada, Israel, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The Technology Pioneers are mostly active in IT, health (medtech), food, energy, environment, financial services (fintech) and production.
The Technology Pioneers were selected from among hundreds of applicants by a selection committee of 68 academics, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and corporate executives. Notable members of the committee include Jeffrey M. Drazen (Editor-in-Chief, The New England Journal of Medicine) and Sang Yup Lee (Distinguished Professor and Director, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology). The committee based its decisions on criteria including innovation, potential impact, working prototype, viability and leadership. Past recipients include Google (2001), Wikimedia (2007), Mozilla (2007), Kickstarter (2011) and Airbnb (2013). More information on past winners can be found here.
All information on this year's Technology Pioneers can be found here.
