From a solution to repurpose cold plasma to treat seeds to 3D printed living seawalls, the eighth annual awards honor new and inspiring solutions to the most daunting challenges of today.
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The winners of Fast Company’s 2024 World Changing Ideas Awards were announced today, highlighting fresh sustainability initiatives, cutting-edge AI developments, ambitious pursuits of social equity, and other creative projects that are helping mold the world. Transfr’s VR Workforce Training offering has been named the Best World-Changing Idea North America. The solution received additional acknowledgment with an Honorable Mention in the Education category. Transfr’s platform hosts more than 300 simulations that focus on careers in industries that do not require a four-year degree, including Automotive, Aviation, Construction, Diesel, Electrical, Hospitality and Tourism, Manufacturing, and Healthcare.
This year’s World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 50 winners, 127 finalists, and 172 honorable mentions—with health, education, energy, and AI among the most popular categories. A panel of Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners from a pool of more than 1,300 entries across climate, social justice, wellness, politics, technology, corporate social responsibility, and more. Several new categories were added this year, including beauty and fashion, health products, health services, materials, and science and technology. The 2024 awards feature entries from across the globe, including the Republic of Korea, Brazil, and Madagascar.
Fast Company’s Spring 2024 issue (on newsstands May 21, 2024) will unveil some of the world’s most creative minds and pioneering organizations that are seeking to disrupt the status quo. The solutions cover everything from renewable energy storage and waste in the fashion industry to a building made entirely from recycled concrete and a fridge that’s solar-powered and designed to run off the grid.
“We are encouraged by this recognition from Fast Company and by inclusion among an innovative slate of honorees,” said Transfr founder and CEO Bharani Rajakumar in a statement published today. “Transfr is committed to a world-changing mission: providing access to classroom-to-career pathways to more people through technology solutions. This is critical for bringing opportunity to underserved communities, developing cost-effective training alternatives, and giving employers the trained workforce needed for economic development.”
“I was struck this year by the global sweep of the honorees,” said Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan. “It’s endlessly inspiring to see how the world is coming together to devise inventive solutions to our most challenging problems. We need ideas from everywhere, and this year’s World Changing Ideas Awards are an extraordinary encapsulation of the innovation and creativity that is so abundant around the globe.”
ABOUT TRANSFR
Transfr is an emerging leader in virtual reality (VR) based vocational career exploration and pre-apprentice training. Transfr provides hands-on and immersive-simulation training for high growth in-demand careers that give real-world experience in the skills needed for job success, development, and retention. Using a headset, trainees are guided through simulations by a digital coach to engage in career exploration, job training, and practice and assessment use cases. Transfr’s innovative platform promotes ever-improving quality and lower development costs of VR simulations. For more information, please visit https://transfrinc.com/.
ABOUT THE WORLD CHANGING IDEAS AWARDS: World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company’s major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and bold concepts that make the world better. Judges choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to work on solving the problems that affect us all.
ABOUT FAST COMPANY
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.
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