The Biomimicry Institute is looking for startups that have created products, services or technologies to be considered for the 2020 Ray of Hope Prize, a $100,000 prize competition that provides participants funding and tools to accelerate their path to commercial success.
Biomimicry is a way to solve human design challenges, such as those we face with the climate crisis. Ray of Hope also offers a story about ingenuity and looking at climate change as one of the biggest opportunities for design innovation.
The previous winner was Boston-based Watchtower Robotics, which developed a patented soft-bodied robot that mimics elements of octopuses, jellyfish and the lateral line system in fish. The tiny robots are capable of detecting leaks in pipes of any material and in any structure - including pipes with small diameters - unlike current technologies available on the market. Since winning the 2019 Ray of Hope Prize, Watchtower has completed pilots in Saudi Arabia, the United States, and the United Kingdom, including two of the largest water utility companies in the world.
Beyond eligibility for the $100,000 equity-free prize, the participants are given pitch training, product refinement, and storytelling techniques.
Applications are due December 31, 2019, and finalist teams are selected in March 2020.
more: innovation.biomimicry.org (123)