
Meet the 2019 Top Ten Innovators
Nov 18, 2019
These trailblazing ten entrepreneurs are bringing the world closer to a circular economy future.

Three entrepreneurs from Egypt, the United Kingdom and Indonesia took home the top prizes for this year’s Top Ten Innovators Competition, a global competition which highlights and rewards businesses that demonstrate excellence in innovation as well as giving entrepreneurs a chance to shine on a global platform. Egyptian enterprise Baramoda won first place in the Food & Agriculture category for using recycled agricultural waste to produce a bio-organic compost. Indonesia’s Jember Futura Energi’s biogas reactor produces energy and organic fertilizer while minimising waste, winning them the Energy & Mobility prize. Finally, U.K.-based AEROPOWDER won the Sustainable Future category for creating a sustainable thermal packaging material out of waste feathers.
These three will each receive $20,000 while the two runners-up from each category will receive a prize of $10,000. The judges also chose an Outstanding Achievement Award winner. Malaysia-based BENAK RAYA ENTERPRISE will receive $10,000 for a rice-based, edible straw that can be used in place of plastic drinking straws. The award package for all ten includes mentoring support by a Shell expert, the opportunity to benefit from market linkages, and the possibility to be considered as a vendor to Shell or Shell’s customers.
This year, Shell LiveWIRE partnered with Shell Global Commercial, which supplies lubricants, aviation fuels, bitumen, sulphur and related services to one million business customers in 150 markets, to deliver a competition focused on the circular economy. Shell aims to reward entrepreneurs that help move the world away from the linear economy model – taking, using, and disposing of products –towards an economy that designs waste out of the system.
“It’s been incredibly inspiring to see such passionate entrepreneurs across the world helping to tackle and eliminate waste,” said Huibert Vigeveno, Executive Vice President of Shell Global Commercial. “Transitioning to a circular economy requires us to think creatively and do things differently. Working with innovators like these winners, will allow businesses, communities and society to move faster towards a truly sustainable future.”
2019 Top Ten Innovators
Winner |
Runners-up |
|
---|---|---|
Food & Agriculture
|
Baramoda (Egypt) Baramoda uses recycled agricultural waste to produce a bio-organic compost. |
|
Energy & Mobility |
Jember Futura Energi (Indonesia) Jember Futura Energi’s biogas reactor produces energy and organic fertilizer while minimising waste. |
|
Sustainable Future |
AEROPOWDER (United Kingdom) AEROPOWDER uses waste feathers to create a sustainable thermal packaging material. |
|
Outstanding Achievement Award Winner |
BENAK RAYA ENTERPRISE (Malaysia) |
---|
The winners faced stiff competition with Shell receiving 98 applications from 19 countries around the world. Twenty-one finalists then had to compete in a public vote, which drew in more than 18 thousand votes from 144 countries.
The 2019 Top Ten Innovators judging panel included: Patrick Carré, Vice President, Global Key Accounts & Global Business; Jeff Wee, 2018 Top Ten Innovators winner and founder of WormingUp; Maarten van Dijk, managing director of SkyNRG; Susan Preston, managing partner of SeaChange Fund; and Wijnand de Wit, partner at Dalberg.