Singularity University Announces Winners of the 2013 Global Impact Competitions
18 Participants Selected to Attend Singularity University’s 2013 Summer Graduate Studies Program
Mountain View, CA (May 28, 2013) – With the prize of attending Singularity University’s (SU) Graduate Studies Program, entrepreneurs around the world competed in the 2013 Global Impact Competitions. The winners, announced today, will come to SU’s Silicon Valley campus for 10 weeks this summer to study the impact and opportunities of accelerating technologies with the top thinkers in the world. The goal: create innovations and organizations that will impact a billion people in a decade and identify solutions to humanity’s grand challenges.
“The competitions serve as a platform to identify promising innovators and then connect them - and their ideas - to a larger circle of mentorship within their city, country and region,” explained Salim Ismail, Global Ambassador for Singularity University, who started these competitions four years ago. “They create and foster local networks of mentors and participants who can then work together on new and innovative projects.”
In 2013, 13 countries hosted competitions that represented finalists from more than 20 countries, including regions across South America, Europe, Israel, Russia and Australia. Eighteen participants were selected from the hundreds that participated in the competitions. SU now has 40 global ambassadors, with nearly half conducting competitions worldwide with the support of local partners.
“We’re looking for makers and doers who can not only propose a radical idea, but also go forward with implementing it to some degree,” continued Ann Rogan, Director of Global Development. “The Global Impact Competitions are based on the power of the SU community - countless Ambassadors, alumni, and volunteers who set up, run and raise money for the Competitions that enable others to share in the experience of SU’s 10-week Graduate Studies Program.”
Winners’ projects ranged from an online translation platform for use by the hearing impaired, to a next-generation ceramic material for water purification and a smart composting bin technology. And, among the participants arriving this year, one has studied with Stephen Hawking, another is a private pilot from Argentina, while another young student entrepreneur patented his idea for biomimetic prosthetics at the age of 16.
SU explained that the accomplishments of these next-generation global leaders are not solely technical. One winner founded a software company to provide services to the growing Arab market. In doing so, he brought together Palestinian developers and Israeli technology companies -- fostering cross-conflict communication and cooperation.
“Our goal at Singularity University – with the Global Impact Competitions and our Graduate Studies Program – is to prepare the best-informed and connected leaders to return to their home regions to implement new solutions and train others in social entrepreneurship,” stated SU CEO Rob Nail. “The GSP core curriculum is structured to provide a broad, cross-disciplinary understanding of the biggest ideas and issues in disruptive technologies.”
“We want to positively change the lives of a billion or more people each decade,” explained SU Co-Founder Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, Executive Chairman of Singularity University and Chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation. “The participants who attend our Graduate Studies Program are at the forefront of realizing this challenge as each participant is explicitly tasked with positively impacting our planet. During the last five years of SU’s growth, we have fostered more than 26 student enterprises.”
A full listing of Singularity University Global impact Challenges winners, can be found at: http://singularityu.org/global/global-impact-competition-winners/
Opening Ceremonies for the Graduate Studies Program are scheduled for June 17th. Tickets can be purchased at singularityu.org/GSPOC13. Early bird tickets are available until June 1st, and the event is expected to sell out.
About SU Graduate Studies Program
Now in its fifth year, Singularity University’s GSP alumni now number 280 from 70 countries, creating a powerful global network of newly emerging innovators and entrepreneurs. SU is also viewed as an important springboard for its participants to create their own companies in the areas of medicine and neuroscience, biotech and bioinformatics, artificial intelligence and robotics, energy and environment, and networks and computing. Through SU Labs, initiated in 2012, SU is serving as an important accelerator in startups aligned with SU’s mission. To date, 26 companies have been formed by SU alumni. Many of these companies have been successful in crowdfunding campaigns, acquiring funding from angel and venture capital investors, and have received grants and awards from governments and foundations.
In the past, many GSP participants have received partial scholarships. For the 2013 GSP, SU has initiated eight new full scholarship offerings: two for outstanding women, and three each for exceptional applicants from Africa and Asia. These new offerings are in addition to the 18 full scholarships provided by local sponsors, to the winners of SU’s Global Impact Competitions.
About Singularity University
Singularity University’s mission is to inspire, educate, and enable a new generation of leaders in business, science, finance, technology and government who strive to understand and use exponentially advancing technologies to address humanity’s grand challenges. Corporate Partners include Autodesk, Cisco, ePlanet Ventures, GE, Genentech, Google, Kauffman Foundation, and Nokia.
Media contact: Diane Murphy: diane@singularityu.org
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