The TTI 2020 Finalists

Three entrepreneurs have taken home the top prizes of the 2020 Shell LiveWIRE Top Ten Innovators Awards, a global competition that rewards businesses that demonstrate excellence in innovation and gives entrepreneurs a chance to shine on a global platform. Indonesian candidate Bionika won first prize in the Energy Transition category, with their biogas technology that transforms waste into energy. Pakistan’s Aqua Agro took home the gold in the Environment & Circular Economy category, with their artificial intelligence technology helping farmers to enhance their productivity and save water. Finally, Brazil’s Safe Drinking Water for All won the Local Prosperity category with their technologies working to democratise access to clean water and sanitation.

These winners will each take home $20,000, and the two runners-up from each category will receive a prize of $10,000. In addition, the judges awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award to an enterprise that has significantly contributed to combatting the socio-economic impacts of Covid-19, as part of Shell’s commitment to respond to changing global needs. Pakistan’s EDVON will take home $10,000 for their development of virtual STEAM curricula and DIY robotics kits for K-12 students, along with their Corona-fighting robot that improves sanitation and compliance in healthcare settings. The award package for all ten winners also includes mentoring support from a Shell expert, the opportunity to benefit from Shell market linkages and the possibility to be considered as a vendor to Shell or Shell’s customers.

2020 Top Ten Innovators
Winner Runners-Up
Energy Transition

BIONIKA(Indonesia)

Bionika's integrated biogas technology helps rural communities access affordable clean energy by transforming waste into electricity.

  • Deyang Xinsenyuan Technology Co. (China)
    Deyang Xinsenyuan Technology Co. produces biomass pellets from agricultural waste products, to replace coal and oil.
  • ENENT (Pakistan)
    ENENT is a clean-tech electronics start-up focused on designing innovative products that can reduce electricity bills and power loss by up to 20%.
Environment & Circular Economy Aqua Agro (Pakistan)
Aqua Agro uses Artificial Intelligence and innovative technology to enhance productivity and water savings for farmers.
  • Qutra (Oman)
    Qutra's irrigation device irrigates plants in line with soil moisture levels, to reduce excess water consumption by up to 85%.
  • Soular (Trinidad & Tobago)
    Soular uses sunlight to transform highly perishable agricultural produce into nutritious shelf-stable snacks.
Local Prosperity Safe Drinking Water for All - SDW (Brazil)
SDW's breakthrough technologies save lives by democratising access to clean water and sanitation.
  • Kunde Social Café (Kazakhstan)
    Kunde Cafe provides training and employment for adults with mental disabilities at their restaurant in Kazakhstan.
  • SIBBAP Multipurpose Cooperative (Philippines)
    SIBBAP Multipurpose Cooperative provides skills training to locals on the production of frontline medical garments.

 

Outstanding Achievement Award Winner EDVON (Pakistan)
EDVON develops STEAM curricula and DIY robotics kits for K-12 students. Their Corona-fighting robot improves sanitation and compliance in healthcare settings.

The winners faced stiff competition, with Shell receiving 136 applications from 15 countries around the world. Twenty-one finalists then had to compete in a public vote, which drew in more than 27,000 votes from over 170 countries.

For this year’s Top Ten Innovators competition, Shell LiveWIRE partnered with Shell Global Commercial. Global Commercial is the largest B2B business within Shell, serving one million business customers around the world. It is comprised of four businesses – Lubricants, Aviation, Bitumen and Sulphur. Global Commercial serves customers across a wide range of sectors including transport (automotive, aviation, marine and infrastructure), power, construction, manufacturing, mining, heavy industry and agriculture. 

“Congratulations to the winners. I’m truly impressed by the quality and creativity of the entries,” said Carlos Maurer, Executive Vice President, Shell Global Commercial. “In business and in life, we need the innovators and those with passion and drive to solve the problems posed by an increasingly complex world and the multiple challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. I’m glad the winners will receive not just a cash prize, but access to senior Shell experts for mentoring support. Shell was founded on a culture of innovation and ingenuity, and we want to see the Top Ten Innovators’ technologies and solutions thrive in the years to come.”