MIT awards $1 million in third annual Inclusive Innovation Challenge

Kara Baskin

Nov 9, 2018

Why It Matters

Some fear that technology will automate workers out of existence, but the MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge honors organizations that harness it to create a more equitable economy.

The MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy awarded $1 million in prize money Nov. 8, in its third annual MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge. The gala recognized entrepreneurs worldwide who are using technology to reinvent the future of work.

The winners include an online professional development platform for caregivers, mobile cold-storage units for harvested crops, an SMS communication system for rural farmers, and software and hardware for micro-merchants.MIT Sloan principal research scientist Andrew McAfee, co-director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy, noted there's a fretful mood around technological progress as workers worry about being left behind. But these winning organizations embody inclusivity and opportunity, he said.

When you give incredibly smart, tenacious, motivated people very powerful tools, they will do astonishing things.

Andrew McAfee Co-Director, MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy

“When you give incredibly smart, tenacious, motivated people very powerful tools, they will do astonishing things,” McAfee said. "We’re here to celebrate astonishing things that people in this room have done with technology to provide inclusion and uplift to people — not just parochially — but around the world."Contestants competed across four categories: financial inclusion, income growth and job creation, skills development and opportunity matching, and technology access.

The winners were chosen from among 20 regional finalists in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America.

Approximately 1,500 organizations registered to compete, and 500 judges reviewed the applications.

The grand prize winners are:

Professor Erik Brynjolfsson stands with team members from CareAcademy.