The World Economic Forum Announces Technology Pioneers 2008: Meraki Networks Selected
Mountain View, California, 29 November 2007 – The World Economic Forum today announced 39 visionary companies selected as Technology Pioneers 2008. Meraki has been selected as one of these Technology Pioneers.
The Technology Pioneers 2008 were nominated by the world’s leading technology experts, including venture capitalists, echnology companies, academics and media. The final selection from 273 nominees was made by a panel of leading technology experts appointed by the World Economic Forum. Technology Pioneers 2008 are invited to participate in the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2008 that will be held in Davos, Switzerland, from 23-27 January and in the Annual Meeting of the New Champions that will be held in Tianjin, People’s Republic of China from 25-27 September 2008.
Meraki’s mission is to bring affordable internet access to the next billion people. Meraki’s new approach to wireless networking enables service providers of all sizes, from community groups to carriers, to spread affordable broadband access around the world. Meraki’s affordable, plug-and-play wireless technology makes it simple to deploy wireless access across neighbourhoods or entire cities. Each $50 Meraki device functions as a wireless repeater for other nearby Meraki devices, enabling a small number of Internet connections to serve a large area. Meraki is currently rolling out the first of its kind large-scale community network in neighborhoods of San Francisco called “Free the Net”, by working with residents to place repeaters in the windows and roofs of their homes. With over 30,000 residents tapped into the network, Meraki is showing people around the world what can be accomplished through community efforts and coming one step closer to bringing affordable wireless Internet access to the next billion people around the world.
“We’re extremely proud to have been selected Technology Pioneer 2008 by the World Economy Forum,” said CEO Sanjit Biswas, “Meraki is focused on bringing the next billion people online by making Internet access abundant and affordable. This award is another stepping stone toward making that goal a reality and an inspiring confirmation that we’re making a difference to people around the globe.”
Technology Pioneers are companies that have been identified as developing and applying highly transformational and innovative technologies in the areas of energy, biotechnology and health, and information technology. To be selected as a Technology Pioneer, a company must be involved in the development of life-changing technology innovation and have the potential for long-term impact on business and society. In addition,
it must demonstrate visionary leadership, show all the signs of being a long-standing market leader – and its technology must be proven. Previous Technology Pioneers have included Business Objects, Cambridge Silicon Radio, Corel Corporation, Encore Software, Google, Mozilla Corporation and Napster.
The companies’ products and services include identity management on the Internet, understanding of individuals’ genetic information, robotic radiosurgery, pollution control materials, low-cost remote diagnosis solutions, virtual interface technologies, wiki-based projects and next-generation business intelligence solutions-generation business intelligence solutions.
Twenty-three of the Technology Pioneers 2008 are US-based companies. Israel and Switzerland each boast three; the United Kingdom and Sweden two each; and Canada, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands and Russia, one each. Technology Pioneers are nominated in three main categories: Energy/Environment, Biotechnology/Health and Information Technology.
The entire list of Technology Pioneers and interviews with the CEOs of the selected companies can be found here: www.weforum.org/techpioneers/2008.
“This year the World Economic Forum received a record number of applications from companies around the world to become a Technology Pioneer. From a highly competitive field, we are extremely pleased to have a community that is using innovation and technology to dramatically affect the way society and business operate and doing so in a markedly collaborative manner. We are excited to welcome the Technology Pioneers class of 2008 to the larger community of the World Economic Forum and we are looking forward to the fruits that their collaboration will bring,” said Peter Torreele, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum.
The selection criteria include:
1) Innovation. The company’s technology must be truly innovative. A new version or repackaging of an already well-accepted technological solution does not qualify as an innovation. The innovation should be recent – not more than two years old. The company should invest significantly in R&D.
2) Potential Impact. The company’s technology must have the potential to have a substantial long-term impact on business and society in the future.
3) Growth and Sustainability. The company should have all the signs of being a long-term market leader and should have well-formulated plans for future development and growth.
4) Proof of Concept. The company must have a product on the market or have proven practical applications of the technology. Companies in “stealth” mode and companies with untested ideas or models will not qualify.
5) Leadership. The company must have visionary leadership that plays a critical role in driving the company towards reaching its goals.
6) Status. The company must not currently be a Member of the World Economic Forum. This criterion applies to the parent company – thus wholly-owned subsidiaries of large firms are not eligible.
About Meraki
Meraki began in 2006, from a Ph.D. research project at MIT, with the intent of helping bring affordable access to people around the world. Starting with a single network which covered Cambridge, Massachusetts, the technology quickly spread into 70 countries around the world in less than a year. Today, Meraki networks are being built in thousands of locations around the world, connecting people everywhere from San Francisco to villages in India. Meraki is based in Mountain View, California, and is funded in part by Sequoia Capital and Google. For more information, go to www.meraki.com.
About the World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas.
Incorporated as a foundation in 1971, and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit; it is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. (www.weforum.org)
Notes to Editors:
- Go to www.weforum.org/techpioneers/2008 for the entire list of Technology Pioneers and interviews with the CEOs of the selected companies. For more specific information, please e-mail: tech.pioneers@weforum.org.
- Download print-quality high resolution photographs of the CEOs of the selected companies at: www.pbase.com/forumweb/techpioneers2008
- Nominate a company to be a Technology Pioneer 2009 at: www.weforum.org/pdf/techpioneers/nomination_form_2008.pdf. Deadline for submissions is May 2008.
Contacts:
Erika Shaffer
SutherlandGold Group
206.972.5514
erika@sutherlandgold.com
