Innovation can come from anywhere
We are excited to announce that Humans in the Loop has been selected as one of the winners of the Dubai Expo 2020 Innovation Impact Program.
Expo Live is an initiative of Dubai World Expo 2020 which will take place between October 1st 2021 and March 31st 2021 based on the theme “Connecting minds, creating the future”. By funding novel and innovative solutions that make the world a better place, Expo Live accelerates and promotes innovation that comes from anywhere, to anyone.
To date Expo Live has supported more than 140 Global Innovators from 76 countries, of which 35% are women. Since the initiative started in 2016, more than 11,000 applications have been received. In addition to providing grants, Expo Live showcases global innovators in the Expo Live Pavilion, connecting them to an international network of participating nations, and global businesses, as well as many millions of anticipated visitors.
The 2019 finals
Humans in the Loop is one of 52 winning teams from the 4th cohort which were selected by Expo Live’s expert judges. All of the winning solutions are focused on the three subthemes: Opportunity, Mobility, and Sustainability.
More than 70 organizations pitched their solutions at the Live Presentations final in Dubai, the UAE, which took place between 30 April and 2 May, 2019. “It was truly inspiring to see so many social innovators gathered in one place”, said Iva Gumnishka, Founder and CEO of the social enterprise. “We learned so much from our peers who are all working to bring positive change in their part of the world.”
Humans in the Loop will receive a grant of $100,000 for 12 months, as well as expert advice and strategic support in order to accelerate and promote our mission. We will also be given the opportunity to showcase our solution at the Expo Live Pavilion at the World Expo in the UAE coming up in 2021.
The times ahead
Humans in the Loop has set some ambitious goals for the duration of the grant program over 2019 and 2020, including expanding our NGO partnership network and reaching up to 500 people across 5 countries.
“We have a proven working solution which we have piloted in Bulgaria and we can’t wait to replicate it and bring it to other countries in the region with a larger presence of refugees and conflict-affected people, such as Turkey, Syria, and Iraq”, commented Iva Gumnishka.
Humans in the Loop will continue to focus on its primary market which is the image annotation industry for AI and computer vision solutions. With the support of Expo Live we are excited to connect with AI companies operating in the Middle East and to establish closer working relations which also result in a positive social impact for the region.
If you are interested in learning more or collaborating with us, get in touch.