Eight Entrepreneurs in the Americas and England Selected as Regional Finalists for Premier Social Innovation Accelerator, Held Virtually July 18-26

NEW YORK – The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has announced the regional finalists of the 2023 ASME Innovation Showcase (ISHOW), the prestigious international accelerator of hardware-led social innovation. Eight social ventures from throughout the Americas and United Kingdom will pitch their innovative solutions and participate in an extensive design and engineering review with judges in a virtual event beginning July 18. Three regional winners will be announced in a virtual awards ceremony on Wednesday, July 26 at noon EST. Register here.

The ISHOW USA finalists, whose innovations provide affordable, sustainable agricultural technology and energy solutions, will vie for a share of $30,000 in seed grants and technical support to help bring their design innovations to market for the benefit of underserved communities.

The regional finalists are:

• Burn Design Lab (Vashon Island, Wash., U.S.) for its “BDL Improved Shea Nut Roaster” – an improved shea roaster that reduces up to 90% of wood-fuel use and up to 70% of PM2.5 exposure compared to the traditional roasting stage of hand-crafted shea butter production, improving livelihoods and the environment in West Africa
• Cosysense (London, England) for its “Cosysensor” – an innovation that uses sensors and artificial intelligence to make air conditioners in commercial buildings “smart,” reducing clients’ expenses, cutting emissions, and boosting their occupants’ comfort
• Haasten (La Para, Argentina) for its “SIP-N Weighting System” – a comprehensive data management and process automation solution installed in mixers that prepare cattle feed, the system helps make the food preparation process more efficient, avoiding waste and digestive problems in livestock
• Hydrobee SPC (Seattle, Wash., U.S.) for its “’Firebee’ ThermoElectric Generator (TEG)” – a solution that sits on stoves or reaches into them to convert heat into USB charging power, enabling every home with a stove to produce backup or regular power every time they cook or heat their home
• Nanodes (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) for its “Next generation of alkaline water electrolyzer catalysts” – proprietary nanotechnology-enhanced catalysts for alkaline electrolyzers that increase electrical efficiency by 20-25%, providing substantial cost savings for customers
• Safi (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) for “The Safi Handle” – a cost effective pasteurization handle for farmers in East Africa that kills milk-borne pathogens including MERS, a coronavirus 10 times deadlier than COVID19; The device is compact, does not require power, and allows farmers to easily pasteurize their daily yield in less than three minutes.
• Sustainable Picogrids (Atlanta, Ga., U.S.) for its “Picogrid Kiosk” innovation – ultra-affordable solar pico-grid and detachable energy storage devices to provide off-grid services for residences and small businesses
• Waste Free in ‘23 (San Jose, Calif., U.S.) for its “Plastic Recycling Heat Press” – an innovative new recycling process developed by waste pickers in which 100% of household waste is recycled in an environmentally friendly manner near the source of the waste.

“We are proud to offer a forum for engineering problem-solving that truly improves lives,” says ASME Executive Director/CEO Tom Costabile. “We are continually impressed by the creative talent of ASME ISHOW participants, their focus on sustainable solutions, and their passion for helping underserved communities around the world.”

The prestigious ASME ISHOW hardware accelerator is open to individuals and organizations taking physical products to market that will have a positive social and environmental impact and that improve the quality of life around the world. ASME ISHOW annually matches 24 carefully selected innovators with appropriate experts to ensure that the proposed hardware solutions are technologically, environmentally, culturally, and financially sustainable. To date, ISHOW has enabled over 200 startups from more than 30 countries to solve critical quality-of-life challenges for vulnerable populations worldwide. ISHOW alumni have developed affordable devices to address issues including clean combustion, crop threshing, fetal health, food waste prevention, health diagnostics, safe drinking water, and many more that address the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

ASME ISHOW judges and facilitators include experts in research, sustainability, mechanical engineering and product design, manufacturing, startup financing, supply chain, and business strategy, representing organizations including Berkeley Lab, Brigham Young University, Penn State, Villgro USA, and more.These subject matter experts provide technical and strategic guidance based on ISHOW’s five key pillars: customer/user knowledge, hardware validation, manufacturing optimization, implementation strategy, and impact.

The ISHOW USA virtual awards ceremony will feature a keynote address by Amish Parashar, chief executive officer of Explorers’ Lab, a boutique global venture firm based in San Jose, Calif., and Fellow of the California Institute for Innovation and Development at the University of California, San Diego’s Rady School of Management. Parashar will discuss the role of innovation and entrepreneurship in empowering next-generation engineers and entrepreneurs to build a more equitable and sustainable future for all.

In addition to the three regional winners, the product with the most votes in social media for each regional event will be named the “Fan Favorite,” and those finalists will receive $1,000 each. Follow @ASMEishow on Twitter for more details. The fan favorite prize is made possible and in memory of Byron G. Schieber Jr. M.S., PE, Professor Emeritus QCCNY, and Ruth L. Schieber. 

ASME hosted ISHOW India in Bengaluru as part of ASME Innovation Weekend India in April and ISHOW Kenya online in June.

ASME is grateful to The Lemelson Foundation for its continued support of the ISHOW with a three-year strategic investment and to ISHOW implementation partners around the globe. Learn more about ISHOW’s global impact in this dynamic dashboard.

Hear from the ISHOW 2022 cohort about their experiences. Follow the journeys of ISHOW alumni including PlenOptika, Himalayan Rocket Stove, SAYeTECH and others here.

About ASME
ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing, and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education, and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world. In 2020, ASME formed the International Society of Interdisciplinary Engineers (ISIE) LLC, a new for-profit subsidiary to house business ventures that will bring new and innovative products, services, and technologies to the engineering community, and later established the holding company, Global Knowledge Solutions LLC. For more information, visit www.asme.org.

About the ASME Foundation

The ASME Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, supporting an array of programs in three core pillars: engineering education, career engagement, and global development. With the goal of empowering tomorrow’s technical workforce, the ASME Foundation advances equitable access both to professional opportunities and to engineering innovations that improve quality of life.  For more information, visit www.asmefoundation.org.

source https://csengineermag.com/eight-entrepreneurs-in-the-americas-and-england-selected-as-regional-finalists-for-premier-social-innovation-accelerator-held-virtually-july-18-26/