From a 3D printed vaccine patch to an electric truck and a seawater-powered lamp the sixth annual awards honor the products, concepts, companies, policies, and designs that are driving change, tackling issues from climate change to inequality, and so much more.
Fairport, New York (May 3, 2022) – The winners of Fast Company’s 2022 World Changing Ideas Awards were announced today, honoring clean technology, innovative corporate initiatives, brave new designs for cities and buildings, and other creative works that are supporting the growth of positive social innovation, tackling social inequality, climate change, and public health.
QuickFi® provides business loans to creditworthy, small and medium businesses (SMBs) in the U.S. QuickFi offers nearly instant, self-service, term financing to business equipment buyers, and QuickFi is available 24/7 through a mobile application.
This year's #FCWorldChangingIdeas Awards honor businesses and organizations tackling the biggest challenges of our time. Amid the near-constant flow of dire news, these awards give cause to feel hope. Here are the 39 winners and hundreds of finalists. https://t.co/C8H6pE5Vcy pic.twitter.com/G76uvtiKlq
— Fast Company (@FastCompany) May 3, 2022
Creditworthy SMB borrowers use QuickFi to obtain low-cost, self-service equipment financing and leasing for new business equipment in minutes (instead of days or weeks), at low fixed interest rates without fees or hidden costs. All QuickFi term loans are accompanied by disclosure of annual interest rates, even though such disclosures are not currently required for business loans under U.S. law. QuickFi underwrites based on national, third-party credit scoring systems, moving small business lending toward a fairer, more color-blind, gender-blind and location-blind delivery model.
Transactions are completed from anywhere, on QuickFi’s patented, 100% digital, self-service mobile platform employing drivers’ license authentication, facial recognition, artificial intelligence/machine learning, blockchain and other advanced technologies.
Now in its sixth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 39 winners, 350 finalists, and more than 600 honorable mentions—with climate, social justice, and AI and data among the most popular categories. A panel of eminent Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 2,997 entries across transportation, education, food, politics, technology, health, social justice, and more. In addition, several new categories were added this year including climate, nature, water, and workplace. The 2022 awards feature entries from across the globe, from Switzerland to Hong Kong to Australia.
Fast Company’s Summer 2022 issue (on newsstands May 10, 2022) will showcase some of the world’s most inventive entrepreneurs and companies tackling global challenges. The issues highlight, among others, probiotics for coral reefs, easy-to-assemble kit homes for refugees or disaster survivors, a 3D printed vaccine patch, an electric truck, a system to heat homes from the waste heat of a name-brand factory, and prosecutor-initiated resentencing for overly long prison sentences.
“Small and medium size businesses (SMBs) drive the U.S. economy, and they must acquire new equipment to grow,” said Bill Verhelle, CEO of QuickFi® by Innovation Finance USA. “QuickFi partners with global manufacturers to offer SMB equipment buyers a transparent and efficient way to acquire the new equipment they need to grow,” said Verhelle. “Lease or loan transactions that previously took days or weeks to complete, can now be done in minutes on the borrower’s mobile device, 24/7, from anywhere,” Verhelle added.
“We are consistently inspired by the novelty and creativity that people are applying to solve some of our society’s most pressing problems, from shelter to the climate crisis. Fast Company relishes its role in amplifying important, innovative work to address big challenges,” says David Lidsky, interim editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “Our journalists have identified some of the most ingenious initiatives to launch since the start of 2021, which we hope will both have a meaningful impact and lead others to join in being part of the solution.”
For more information, visit www.fastcompany.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 brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors 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 start working on solving the problems that affect us all.
About QuickFi® by Innovation Finance USA LLC:
QuickFi is a 100% digital, self-service, technology platform designed to serve creditworthy business borrowers by employing the latest technology, and by enabling an entirely new, customer-friendly self-service business model.
QuickFi is operated by global equipment manufacturers and banks wishing to quickly and cost effectively adopt the most advanced, secure, low cost, white label branded, end-to-end 100% digital equipment financing platform.
Qualifying QuickFi manufacturer and bank partners pay no up-front cost, and no long-term commitment is required.
QuickFi® is covered by one or more US & foreign patents.
