Recognition for inclusive innovations, at a time of digital prosperity, is taking a new turn as the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy (IDE) hosts the Inclusive Innovation Competition (IIC) Awards on the 27th of September 2016.
The IIC Awards Ceremony will be hosted by the authors of the groundbreaking book, The Second Machine Age, Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson (director of IDE) and Andrew McAfee (co-director of IDE). The competition aims to address how advances in technology will have a positive impact on people who are earning middle and base level incomes. The IIC approaches this by recognizing and celebrating organizations that are developing inclusive, productive and sustainable solutions for a wider population.
"The goal of the IIC is to identify organizations that are harnessing digital innovations to create shared prosperity. We are excited to celebrate these amazing innovators that are lifting the economic prospects in the Second Machine Age," said Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson.
24 handpicked organizations will be competing to win four $100,000 Grand Prizes. In addition, all 24 finalists will be awarded $25,000 each. Each of the finalists will be awarded a prize in one of the four categories (Skills, Matching, Humans + Machines, and New Models) or a Judge's Choice Award. Funded by The Rockefeller Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the NASDAQ Foundation as well as Eric and Wendy Schmidt, the IIC has been developed in collaboration with MIT Solve and MIT Innovation Initiative (MITii).
This year's Award Candidates are:
99 Degrees Custom (@99Custom)
Bottom Line (@BottomLineMA)
Coding Dojo (@codingdojo)
CoWorker.org (@teamcoworker)
Destacame (@destacameCL)
digitalundivided (@DigUnDiv)
doctHERS (@DoctHERs)
Duolingo (@duolingo)
eKutir (@eKutirSB)
General Assembly (@GA)
Ignitia AB (@IgnitiaWeather)
Iora Health (@iorahealth)
Jana (@Jana)
Laboratoria (@LaboratoriaLA)
Lead Genius (@LeadGenius)
Rethink Robotics (@RethinkRobotics)
Rural Sourcing Inc. (@RuralSourcing)
SAP SE (@SAP)
Skills for Chicagoland Future (@SCFJobs)
Soko, Inc. (@Shop_Soko)
StartUp Box (@startupboxSBx)
uAspire (@uAspire)
Viridis Learning (@viridis)
Year Up (@YearUp)
The event is free and open to the general public. Join the celebration of innovation by registering for the event here.