2017 Flourish Prizes Presentations
17 Amazing Business Innovations for the 17 Global Goals — With 17 Surprise Video Guest Presenters
The whole world has agreed on the 17 biggest challenges we must meet by 2030: The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), or Global Goals. We have the privilege of working on AIM2Flourish, an experiential learning initiative that prepares all business students to be Global Goals leaders.
In 2016, business school students all over the world wrote 425 stories about businesses that are already working on the SDGs, and published them on AIM2Flourish.com as a class assignment. A distinguished jury evaluated 48 semi-finalists and then picked the 17 best-of-the-best — one for each SDG.
This June 14–16, we awarded the inaugural Flourish Prizes, recognizing 17 innovations from around the world that align with the 17 SDGs. We’re bringing together business leaders, educators, and students to celebrate and showcase their successes. The awards were part of the Fourth Global Forum for Business as an Agent of World Benefit: Discovering Flourishing Enterprise: The Key to Great Performance.
Now we’re delighted to share the 17 Flourish Prizes winning businesses and
stories, as well links to the 17 inspiring special guest video presenters.
Global Goal #1 — End Poverty
The 2017 Flourish Prize for Goal #1 is awarded to the Sunshine Nut Company in Mozambique. This company employs young men and women who were abandoned or orphaned in their youth as a result of years of violent civil war.
Read the AIM2Flourish Story: The Sunshine Nut Company
Presented by: David Beckman, President, Bread for the World: https://youtu.be/co_W1CMJZ5I
Global Goal #2 — End Hunger
The 2017 Flourish Prize for Goal #2 is awarded to CV. Green Health Agriculture in Indonesia. This company’s innovation broadly supports sustainable agriculture in their region, for example, by delivering affordable rice to consumers.
Read the AIM2Flourish Story: Affordable Organic Rice for Everyone
Presented by: Kathy Calvin, President & CEO, United Nations Foundation: https://youtu.be/idlzgIi_l7k
Global Goal #3 — Ensure Healthy Lives and Promote Well-Being
The 2017 Flourish Prize for Goal #3 goes to Lucky Iron Fish, created in Canada for use in Cambodia and other populations suffering from iron deficiency. Simply drop the lucky iron fish into a cooking pot and it delivers essential iron to combat anemia.
Read the AIM2Flourish Story: An Ironclad Solution
Presented by: Arianna Huffington, Founder, Thrive Global: https://youtu.be/-SXbzSKKCjI
Global Goal #4 — Inclusive and Equitable Education for All Children
The 2017 Flourish Prize for Goal #4 is awarded to Foldscope Instruments of San Francisco California. With the invention of a one dollar paper microscope, Foldscope Instruments makes science available to students everywhere.
Read the AIM2Flourish Story: Unfolding Curiosity with a $1 Microscope
Presented by: Kim Polman, Co-founder, Reboot the Future: https://youtu.be/97ALZitdQbc
Global Goal #5 — Gender Equality and Women and Girls Empowerment
The 2017 Flourish Prize for Goal #5 is awarded to Serve&Help in Morocco. This company has developed a platform that connects marginalized, out-of-work women with affluent customers who need quality household services.
Read the AIM2Flourish Story: The Journey of Changing Lives
Presented by: Rinalia Abdul Rahim, ICANN Board of Directors: https://youtu.be/oF_etqDCm5Y
Global Goal #6 — Clean, Safe Water and Sanitation for All
The 2017 Flourish Prize for Goal #6 is awarded to SmartPaani in Nepal. SmartPaani is tackling the water crisis in Kathmandu Valley with aggressive rainwater harvesting, water filtration, and wastewater treatment.
Read the AIM2Flourish Story: Driving Change Through Water Conservation and Biotechnology
Presented by: Gary White, Co-Founder, Water.org: https://youtu.be/UnJq0MoSvpQ
Global Goal #7 –Affordable, Reliable, and Sustainable Energy
The 2017 Flourish Prize for Goal #7 goes to d.light. This company’s affordable solar lighting and equipment brightens the night around the world.
Read the AIM2Flourish Story: Light for Everyone
Presented by: Golo Pilz, Director, India One Solar Power: https://youtu.be/55m8Dg2zQCk
Global Goal #8 — Decent Work and Economic Growth
The 2017 Flourish Prize for Goal #8 goes to CINIA, a social enterprise in Mexico. CINIA hires workers who have a variety of physical and mental disabilities and helps them be productive members of society.
Read the AIM2Flourish Story: CINIA- A Company Where Disability is a Labor Competence
Presented by: Bart Houlahan, Co-founder, B Corp movement: https://youtu.be/mkSckYH62rU
Global Goal #9 — Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
The 2017 Flourish Prize for Goal #9 is BIOCONEXION in Argentina. This company connects local farmers growing indigenous crops with eager customers; a relationship that results in numerous economic, social and environmental benefits, as well as nutritious, delicious food.
Read the AIM2Flourish Story: Uniting People Through Land
Presented by: Vint Cerf, Google’s Chief Internet Evangelist: https://youtu.be/ONnbligcR8s
Global Goal #10 — Reduced Inequality
The 2017 Flourish Prize for Goal #10 is awarded to Cipla, Ltd., a pharmaceutical company based in India. Cipla’s breakthrough 3-in-1 anti-HIV/AIDS cocktail brought the cost of HIV treatment to under one dollar a day, bringing life-saving therapy to millions of people in the developing world.
Read the AIM2Flourish Story: Low-Cost Strategy for High-Cost Drugs
Presented by: Ambassador Swanee Hunt, Founder, Inclusive Security Institute: https://youtu.be/dQ9KzjNe164
Global Goal #11 — Inclusive, Safe, Resilient and Sustainable cities.
The 2017 Flourish Prize for Goal #11 goes to Conceptos Plásticos in Colombia. This company’s innovation transforms discarded plastic into Lego-like blocks that can be used to build affordable, fire and earthquake-resistant homes from locally-sourced materials. Congratulations Conceptos Plásticos!
Read the AIM2Flourish Story: Recycled Material Converted in Housing
Presented by: Raj Sisodia, Co-founder, Conscious Capitalism: https://youtu.be/VVM8XFKl4RI
Global Goal #12 — Sustainable Consumption and Production.
The 2017 Flourish Prize for Goal #12 goes to GreenHope in Indonesia. This company makes biodegradable plastic bags for supermarkets out of tapioca from locally-farmed cassava plants. Not only does the company’s innovation support regional farmers, the bags biodegrade in sunlight in mere weeks!
Read the AIM2Flourish Story: The Alchemy of Bio Degradable Plastic for a Greener World
Presented by: Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever: https://youtu.be/6phkxePvEhU
Global Goal #13 — Fighting Climate Change
The 2017 Flourish Prize for Goal #13 is awarded to Gram Power in India. Gram Power couples “Smart Meters” with solar-powered micro-grids to provide clean, reliable energy to low-income people.
Read the AIM2Flourish Story: Serving Energy Customers with Power Distribution at the Bottom of the Pyramid
Presented by: David Beach, Director, Green City Blue Lake Institute: https://youtu.be/LAuHkuUOwJM
Global Goal #14 — Life Under Water
This goal urges us to conserve the world’s oceans, seas and marine resources. The 2017 Flourish Prize for Goal #14 goes to Bureo Skateboards in Chile. This company designs and makes sustainable skateboards from reclaimed plastic pollution, especially discarded fishing nets. Read the AIM2Flourish Story: Skateboards for Plastic Free Oceans
Presented by: Peter Thomson, President, United Nations General Assembly: https://youtu.be/PbXwtRJIbb8
Global Goal #15 — Life on Land
This goal is about preserving farmland, protecting our forests, combating desertification, and halting biodiversity loss. The 2017 Flourish Prize for Goal #15 is awarded to SunCulture in Kenya. SunCulture provides Kenyan famers with solar-powered water pumps and drip irrigation systems that reduce costs, increase yields, and lengthen growing seasons.
Read the AIM2Flourish Story: Reducing Costs and Tripling Crops
Presented by: Tara Gillies, 7-year old, Blu-Dot volunteer: https://youtu.be/kGkC47FF4c4
Global Goal #16 — Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
The 2017 Flourish Prize for Goal #16 goes to Buza Ice Cream in Israel, a business run by an Arab person and a Jewish person. These co-owners are a living example of how peace can be achieved… through business.
Read the AIM2Flourish Story: Building Peace for the Love of Ice Cream
Presented by: Sir Mark Moody Stuart: https://youtu.be/aSvwtBN_ewI
Global Goal #17 — Partnerships for the Goals
This goal celebrates all of the ways that nations, businesses, and society collaborate to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The 2017 Flourish Prize for Goal #17 is awarded to MPOWERD, a solar-light company that is working in partnership with two non-profits: New Course and Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust. This partnership helps women in Kenya rise out of poverty and become independent by selling low-cost, inflatable solar lanterns.
Read the AIM2Flourish Story:Solar Lights for Women
Presented by: Lise Kingo, CEO, UN Global Compact: https://youtu.be/0WpwsTgEFFM
AIM2Flourish is an initiative within the Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit at the Weatherhead School of Management — Case Western Reserve University. We’re the world’s first higher-education curriculum, AIM2Flourish.com story platform, and prize for the UN SDGs and business’ role in achieving them.
