Genesis Prize 2020 Laureates
The announcement took place at the President’s Residence during a small, socially distanced ceremony, which also celebrated Natan Sharansky, who funded the competition. Hundreds of invitees from around the world joined the event by video, the organizers of the competition said.
Sharansky was chosen the 7th Genesis Prize laureate in December 2019 and directed his $1 million award to organizations fighting the coronavirus. Part of Sharansky’s award was used to fund a competition for Israeli biotech and high-tech companies developing innovative solutions in this battle.
The contest, launched in partnership with Start-up Nation Central, recognizes Israeli companies that achieved technological advances aimed at preventing, diagnosing, and treating the effects of COVID-19.
Hundreds of Israeli startups and other firms took part in the competition, of which 21 were shortlisted, with 10 winners announced after being vetted by a panel that included scientists, medical doctors and philanthropists.
Among the judges were philanthropist and SpaceIL founder Morris Kahn, Startup Nation Central head Eugene Kandel, and Dr. David Agus, a physician and the author of the New York Times bestseller “The End of Illness.”
The winners said they plan to donate the funds received to Israeli nonprofits that are working to mitigate the effects of the pandemic.
The 10 winning companies are:
• Kamada, a plasma-derived protein therapeutics company, which completed manufacturing the first batch of its plasma-derived Immunoglobulin G (IgG) product for coronavirus patients
• Pluristem Therapeutics, a regenerative medicine company developing a platform of biological products to treat coronavirus
• Sight Diagnostics, which uses advanced computer-vision and machine-learning technologies for blood diagnostics
• K Health, a personalized artificial intelligence-based health assistant, which shows patients how doctors have diagnosed and treated other people with similar cases
• Picodya Technologies, an in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) platform suitable for mass deployment at the point of care, from ICUs and hospital departments to field hospitals, clinics, and home care settings
• Israel Aerospace Industries, which has developed a model that uses artificial intelligence, big data, and machine learning to predict the progression of the disease and coronavirus patients’ medical status
• Sonovia, the developer of the “SonoMask,” a face mask that is said to be more than 90 percent effective against coronaviruses, and 99.89% effective against other viruses
• Biobeat, which develops a wearable device for what it says is continuous, noninvasive, accurate, medical-grade monitoring of vital signs
• MyZeppi, whose technology is designed to help older adults and their caregivers “visit” each other through video calls via self-flying helium balloons
• EyeControl, a developer of communications solution for ventilated patients in ICUs
Shoshanna Solomon