World Economic Forum Names Precision Hawk a Top Tech Pioneer

The World Economic Forum has named a commercial drone company as one of 2016’s Top Technology Pioneers.  Precision Hawk, a leading provider of a drone and aerial data analytics platform heavily utilized in precision agriculture, made this year’s Top 30 List for their contributions to global food security.

The World Economic Forum’s Technology Pioneers “recognizes early-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,” says the Forum.  The Technology Pioneer group chooses about 30 companies a year to participate in Forum events and initiatives; previous companies on the list include household names like Google, Kickstarter, Spotify, and Twitter.

This year’s list included companies from a wide range of industries, including biotech, biomed, defense, healthcare, business and finance.  Participants are chosen by a panel of 68 technology business experts, who evaluate companies based on a long list of criteria which contribute to a company’s success, says the forum:

Innovation
Truly innovative in the development of a new technology or the novel application of existing technology.
Potential impact
Potential to make a substantial and long-term impact on business and society.
Working prototype
Proof of concept or product on the market, or be in phase II clinical trials or beyond for life sciences companies.
Viability
Well formulated plans for developments and goals.
Leadership
Visionary team with the capabilities to drive the company towards success.

“To be acknowledged as a technology pioneer by the World Economic Forum is a great honor. Drones, and most importantly the information they provide, are a critical solution to increasing the work being done in agriculture, environmental protection, energy, and many others, without the huge cost or increase in footprint,” said Precision Hawk co-founder Earnest Earon in a company statement. “We believe that this platform will open the doors to new networks and relationships that will help us to more rapidly integrate this new technology into existing systems and industries around the world.”