‘Data from WHO shows that 9 out of 10 people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants. Updated estimates reveal an alarming death toll of 7 million people every year caused by ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution.’
– This was the statement in report by WHO around May 2018
“If we don’t take urgent action on air pollution, we will never come close to achieving sustainable development.”
-Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO.
This is one of the examples. There are several examples like overfishing, wastage disposal, diseases, deforestation, etc. which clearly states that we are facing Global Problems that will affect Mankind as well as Nature. If not controlled, these problems can bring the entire world on the verge of end.
Although most of the countries are aware of these problems and are taking several initiatives to improve the current situation, Only the government can’t bring a change and that’s why on an individual level we should help too. This being said that several startups are there which are honestly helping to decrease the global problems and helping to achieve Sustainable Development too.
Here, the 10 startups which are tackling World’s Most Challenging Problems:
- AeroFarms:
- When was AeroFarms founded and by whom: Founded by Edward Harwood in 2004, AeroFarms currently operates in and around Newark, New Jersey, United States.
- The problem AeroFarms aims to tackle: As the population is increasing minute by minute, day by day, the consumption rate for food is constantly a growing factor. The world’s population is expected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050. And if we try to increase the agricultural practices any close to the amount people will be needing around 2050 then it will result in some major aftermaths like deforestation, forming and spreading of deserts, and toxification of soil and water.
- What does Aerofarms do: Here comes the role of AeroFarms as it provides a sustainable indoor agriculture system which is an efficient alternative to conventional agriculture. For the purpose of growing crops, here they sprinkle water mist on air canals where the plant is supposed to grow. This way the roots get plenty of water to grow and this method saves around 95% of water as compared to conventional farming. This technology of growing plants is known as ‘aeroponics’. The company claims that they do not use toxic pesticides as their conservative growing method itself is pest free.
- Genecis:
- When was Genecis founded and by whom: Genecis is a startup founded in 2016 by Luna Yu. It is based in Scarborough, Canada.
- What problem Genecis aims to tackle: Plastics and other non-biodegradable wastes are another big global problem. It is one of the major contributors towards global warming and pollution. It causes heavy damage to the environment as a whole.
- What does Genecis do: It is a startup that converts food waste into biodegradable plastics. They reprogram bacteria to make biodegradable plastics and other biodegradables while reducing greenhouse gas emissions significantly.
They aim to maximize the use of eco-friendly PHA plastics and reduce the number of plastics from water bodies by 18 billion pounds per year. They developed a special PHBV plastic which functions the same as commonly used oil-based plastics but doesn’t come against the same environmental costs. Genecis states that after PHBV plastic’s useful life, it can be composted within a month. They also state that it degrades within a year even if it somehow ends up in a water body.
- Fenix International:
- When was Fenix International founded and by whom: Michael Lin or Mike Lin is the founder of Fenix International. It was founded in 2009 and its headquarters is in Kampala, Uganda.
- What problem Fenix International aims to tackle: Many people in Africa don’t have access to electricity. The electricity either permanently isn’t there or mostly, if it is, it will not remain there consistently. And that is why people out there can’t focus on their household work or productive work as they can’t even study at night and have to remain dependent on the availability of electricity.
- What does Fenix International do: Fenix International sells or leases off-grid solar power batteries and panels at a very affordable cost. The cost of these are even less than the widely used kerosene solutions. Solar Power batteries and panels are eco-friendly too which kerosene isn’t by far. They use high-quality technology in building this affordable equipment which can be used for Mobile Charging, Radio, TV, Lighting. They even provide easy installments on their products.
- SPRK.Global:
- When was SPRK.Global founded and by whom: Founded by Alexander Piutti in 2019, SPRK Global is a startup that aims to turn supply chain, food-waste-free. It is based in Germany.
- What problem SPRK.Global aims to tackle: Tons and tons of wastage of food occur every year and most prevailing systems fail to manage that surplus food. And this excess food somehow causes wastage of resources, emission of CO2, and whatnot. Poverty can be still seen and the surplus food can be given to the poor but it doesn’t happen.
- What does SPRK.Global do: SPRK Global uses AI-based technology to find oversupply in comparison with demand. It reduces food disposal costs. SPRK Global follows and believes in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals also known as SDGs. They follow the idea of a circular economy so that they can use their resources more efficiently without environmental degradation. Their AI-based online food distribution system is an eco-friendly platform to produce and procure more food for cities.
- OroraTech:
- When was OroraTech founded and by whom: OroraTech is a France based startup founded by Thomas Grübler, Björn Stoffers, Florian Mauracher and Rupert Amann in 2018.
- What problem OroraTech aims to tackle: WildFires is another unforeseen event that causes heavy damage to nature as well as the planet. It destroys several trees, plants, animals, and their homes too. In 2020, people have seen the Australian Wildfire. WildFire can be a cause of Natural Activity like rising of temperature or can be man-made.
- What does OroraTech do: ‘NewSpace Intelligence for a sustainable Earth – driven by integrity and passion’ is the vision of OroraTech. They are the first commercial supplier of infrared satellites which can help in the early detection of wildfire. They specialize in monitoring using satellite data and advance fire algorithms. They provide multiple map formats so that one can analyze potential fire risks and they also provide a feature to track fire development and analyze propagation.
- Cervest.earth:
- When was Cervest.earth founded and by whom: Cervest.earth is a UK based climate analyzing and monitoring startup. It was founded by Iggy Bassi in 2016.
- What problem Cervest.earth aims to tackle: Climate is dynamic in nature and whenever it changes, there is a chance that it may do some minor or serious damage somewhere in the world. A cyclone or tsunami may occur at an unexpected time and then if the country would not already be prepared then it can cause a lot of damage to the economy and people as well.
- What does Cervest.earth do: ‘Our goal is to empower everyone to make informed decisions that improve the long-term resilience of our planet’. This was said by Iggy Bassi. They provide valuable insights on climate volatility by their AI-based technologies and satellites. They have provided a newer and better solution to traditional weather forecasts. Climate security is a factor for planet sustainability. They monitor and can help the whole world in preparing for upcoming devastations caused by climate.
- Viome:
- When was Viome founded and by whom: Naveen Jain and Deepak Savadatti founded Viome in 2016. Its headquarters is located in Santa Clara, California.
- What problem does Viome aims to tackle: As we are developing day by day, the consumption of healthy food and a balanced diet is decreasing. People prefer to eat outside due to lack of time or for taste preferences. But what remains constant is the effect of junk food on health. Especially children are becoming overweight, obese, and even severely obese and the same goes for a significant percentage of adults. And this unhealthy body invites several diseases like diabetes, heart stroke, etc.
- What does Viome do: Viome is a startup that provides personalized diet plans for people to eliminate diseases or to remain fit. Although there are many kinds of diets available, Viome uses a new technology, which they state is most effective and efficient, they analyze the chemicals and bacteria in a person’s gut and after that, they provide them with suitable diet plans. They also check your mitochondrial health. They have an app where you can analyze yourself and the results will be shown there only.
- Rewire:
- When was Rewire founded and by whom: Guy Kashtan is the co-founder of Rewire. Rewire, a digital bank was founded in 2015 and its headquarters is located in Amsterdam.
- What problem Rewire aims to tackle: A major problem all over the globe is funding. Unfortunately, money plays an important role in education these days. Some people don’t even have access to banks. And some who have the access, banks may charge inappropriate interest rates and tricky repayment systems.
- What does Rewire do: Rewire provides a digital banking platform to people in developing countries or wherever they are. Rewire provides them with financial independence which helps them a lot in a foreign country or even in their home country. They provide their free debit Mastercard also and have a very clear and feasible interest and repayment system.
- Tree Planet:
- When was Tree Planet founded and by whom: Tree Planet was launched in 2010. South Korea based this company tackles deforestation in an interactive way. Kim Hyung-soo and Jung Mincheol were the founders.
- What problem Tree Planet aims to tackle: Deforestation is at its peak as we are developing. Humans are cutting trees down and destroying forests for land and other uses irrespective of knowing the consequences very well.
- What does Tree Planet do: Tree Planet has developed an interactive mobile game about trees where in-game purchases and other revenues go into planting trees in several countries. They have planted 480,000 trees and made 47 forests in 9-10 countries so far.
- mDOC:
- When was mDOC founded and by whom: Imo Etuk, Nneka Mobison founded mDOC in 2012. It is a digital platform and in-person hubs to support people with chronic diseases. It is based in Nigeria.
- What problem mDOC aims to tackle: People with chronic diseases often feel left out as even their families see them as a burden sometimes. And thus they need special care for their diet, mentality, and pretty much everything.
- What does mDOC do: mDOC provides a platform where they help people with chronic diseases on their digital platform or in-person hubs. They have specialized nutritionists and therapists to help people live a happy life like everyone else. They also provide a feature to track all their previous tests in a single dashboard and can compare the results with the previous one.
So this was the list of 10 startups which are solving some of the world’s most challenging problems.
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