Nov 30 2007
The World Economic Forum today named 39 visionary companies as Technology Pioneers 2008. Cima NanoTech, Inc., based in St. Paul, Minnesota, has been selected as one of these Technology Pioneers for advancing the field of nanomaterials in electronic applications.
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.
Cima NanoTech’s advanced nanomaterials enable electronics manufacturing methods that can lower costs and improve the performance of electronic devices. In electronic display, solar and smart RFID packaging markets, the company’s technology can enable reduced material usage, improved manufacturing methods and reduced hazardous waste, while increasing electronic performance.
“We’re applying nanomaterials technology to solve the environmental and performance limits of today’s electronic circuitry,” said Jon Brodd, chief executive officer of Cima NanoTech. “This technology will change the way electronics are manufactured. We can enable lower-cost, higher-performance circuitry, while greatly reducing the amount of materials used and environmentally damaging waste streams generated throughout the manufacturing processes.”
Citing one application for its nanomaterials, Brodd said, “The work we’re doing today will help expand the usefulness and applicability of solar power, for example, by making the devices more flexible and less expensive to use, which ultimately will lead to broader acceptance.”
The Technology Pioneers 2008 were nominated by the world’s leading technology experts, including venture capitalists, technology 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, January 23-27, and in the Annual Meeting of the New Champions that will be held in Tianjin, People’s Republic of China, September 25-27, 2008.
The selected 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.
Twenty-three of the Technology Pioneers 2008 are US-based companies. Israel and the United Kingdom each boast three; Sweden and Switzerland two each; 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: http://www.weforum.org/techpioneers/2008.