MYSTIC, Conn., June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Enko, the crop heath company, has been selected as one of the World Economic Forum's 2021 "Technology Pioneers." Enko designs safe and sustainable solutions for the most urgent crop threats farmers face, from pest resistance to new diseases. Enko is applying healthcare's novel drug discovery technologies to plants, bringing an innovation model to agriculture and meeting farmers' evolving needs worldwide.

The World Economic Forum's Technology Pioneers are early to growth-stage companies from around the world that are involved in the use of new technologies and innovation that are poised to have a significant impact on business and society.

With Enko's selection as Technology Pioneer, CEO Jacqueline Heard will be invited to participate at World Economic Forum activities, events and discussions throughout the year. Enko will also contribute to Forum initiatives over the next two years, working with global leaders to help address key industry and societal issues.

"We're excited to welcome Enko to our 2021 cohort of Technology Pioneers," said Susan Nesbitt, Head of the Global Innovators Community, World Economic Forum. "Enko and its fellow pioneers are developing technologies that can help society solve some of its most pressing issues. We look forward to their contribution to the World Economic Forum in its commitment to improving the state of the world."

"Innovation shouldn't be synonymous with moonshots—practical innovation like better crop health solutions can have an immense impact on farmer livelihood and on our fragile global food systems," said Jacqueline Heard, CEO of Enko. "The challenges farmers face are too big and too urgent for agriculture companies to tackle in silos. For Enko, that inspires us to apply innovative approaches from healthcare to plants, and we are eager to collaborate with other Technology Pioneers on creating a more resilient food system."

For the first time in the community's history, over 30% of the cohort are led by women—Enko among them. The firms also come from regions all around the world, extending their community far beyond Silicon Valley. This year's cohort includes start-ups from 26 countries, with UAE, El Salvador, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe represented for the first time. The full list of Technology Pioneers can be found here.

Technology Pioneers have been selected based on the community's selection criteria, which includes innovation, impact and leadership as well as the company's relevance with the World Economic Forum's Platforms.

All info on this year's Technology Pioneers can be found here: http://wef.ch/techpioneers21

More information on past winners, information on the community and the application link can be found here.

About Enko: Enko designs safe and sustainable solutions to farmers' biggest crop threats today, from pest resistance to new diseases. By applying the latest drug discovery and development approaches from pharma to plants, Enko is bringing an innovation model to agriculture and meeting farmers' evolving needs. Founded in 2017 and led by a team of proven scientists, entrepreneurs and agriculture industry veterans, Enko is backed by investors including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Anterra Capital, Finistere Ventures, Novalis LifeSciences, Germin8 Ventures, TO Ventures Food, and Rabo Food & Agri Innovation Fund. Enko is headquartered in Mystic, Connecticut. For more information, visit enkochem.com.

Contact: Kit McDonnell, [email protected]

About World Economic Forum: The World Economic Forum, committed to improving the state of the world, is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. (www.weforum.org).

About the Technology Pioneers:
The World Economic Forum believes that innovation is critical to the future well-being of society and to driving economic growth. Launched in 2000, the Technology Pioneer community is composed of early to growth-stage companies from around the world that are involved in the design, development and deployment of new technologies and innovations, and are poised to have a significant impact on business and society.

The World Economic Forum provides the Technology Pioneers community with a platform to engage with the public- and private-sector leaders and to contribute new solutions to overcome the current crisis and build future resiliency.

 

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