By Jennifer L. Schenker

The Brightest Ideas on the Planet

Every year the Geneva-based World Economic Forum honors as Tech Pioneers anywhere from 25 to 50 companies offering innovative technologies or business models that have the biggest potential impact on the world. This year, for the first time, the winners hail from five continents. The 31 honorees include 13 cleantech companies—beating last year's record of 10 for this category—a testament to the increasing global emphasis on energy efficiency.

The pioneers also include young companies aiming to improve health, the way we communicate, and how we do business. A 68-member independent panel of venture capitalists and industry experts chose the winners from some 300 entries. (Author Jennifer L. Schenker, a former Businessweek correspondent and now editor-in-chief of Informilo, was a member of the jury.) For an introduction to a remarkable group of promising companies and the entrepreneurs behind them, click on.