6 Israeli Startups Nab Transformational Business Awards In London

Six Israeli startups were awarded prizes for transformational solutions in health, environment, disability, and disruptive tech last week at the 2019 FT/IFC Transformational Business Awards in London, the prestigious impact-driven awards program set up by the International Finance Corporation, an arm of the World Bank Group, and the Financial Times.

A record 270 entries were considered from across the world. Thirty-five of those companies became finalists, among them 10 Israelis, according to Start-Up Nation Central.

Israel’s MobileODT, a firm that provides smart colposcopy and visual assessment solutions for women’s health clinicians, won first place for Transformational Solutions in Health. Israeli medical tech startup Healthy.io was named a Special Commendee.

Tipa Corp, which develops biodegradable packages for the food and drink industry, took first place in the Transformational Solution in Food, Water, & Land category.

TuneFork, the Israeli company that developed software audio personalization tech that optimizes a user’s mobile sound system and guides users through a test to characterize their hearing, won second place in a category titled Special Award: Innovation for Disability.

N-Drip, a developer of a gravity micro-irrigation system, received the Overall Award Excellence in Disruptive Solution prize. And Anima, a young company that offers software designed to detect and monitor changes in a child’s behavior based on their freehand drawings done on a touchscreen, received a special commendation in the area of health.

“Israel’s innovation ecosystem has some 1,900 companies whose solutions fit the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG),” said Prof. Eugene Kandel, CEO of Start-Up Nation Central. “Start-Up Nation Central, an independent organization whose goal is to maximize the positive impact of Israeli innovation, was proud to partner with the IFC and FT to surface Israeli impact technologies on to a world stage.”

The awards were presented at a special dinner in London attended by around 200 senior professionals in business, finance, and development. The event followed a half-day Transformational Business Conference organized by the FT and IFC

Start-Up Nation Central (SNC), the Israeli non-profit organization that tracks Israel’s tech ecosystem and publishes comprehensive reports on its industries, was the FT/IFC partner in Israel, helping to source relevant companies.

“The awards pinpoint the crucial role of private sector ingenuity and capital in efforts to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and address climate change,” SNC said. These impact-related initiatives were created to “generate profitability from technological developments designed to enhance society and life on earth, and help weakened populations.”

The 2019 Awards also included a special category on harnessing technology for people with disabilities, supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

This year marked 14 years of collaboration between the Financial Times and the International Finance Corporation on awards that have had an impact on the way financial and non-financial organizations approach sustainable investment. This is the first time six Israeli companies were featured in the award program.

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