U.S. Companies Lead List Of Tech Pioneers

The United States dominates the World Economic Forum's list of Technology Pioneers 2007, with American firms representing more than half of the companies chosen.

The World Economic Forum on Monday announced 47 venture capital and technology leaders involved in developing technology that has potential for long-term impact on business and society. Representatives from the chosen companies can attend the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in January.

Companies must demonstrate leadership, innovation, commitment to research and development, potential for growth and sustainability, and proven applications. Current members of the World Economic Forum and their subsidiaries do not qualify.

Of 27 U.S. companies selected, 13 are from California. The forum chose six U.K. companies and two each from the Netherlands, India, Israel, and Singapore. One company was selected from each of the following countries: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Sweden, and Switzerland.

The companies' products include microscopic pill cameras, biosensors for landmine detection, implantable medical devices for treating brain tumors, mobile television services, blog search engines, open-source Web browsers, video headsets, paper batteries for musical greeting cards, and solar-powered appliances.Nanomix is among the U.S. companies chosen. It specializes in nanoelectronic detection services for industrial and biomedical applications. Its products include wired and wireless devices, industrial wireless receivers, and breath analysis and respiratory monitoring devices.

Alfresco Software, maker of an open-source enterprise content management system, also made the list. The company's software controls and accesses Web pages, images, and documents through an entire enterprise. Alfresco co-founder and CTO John Newton said the company's software provides the cost advantages of open source, which can help poorly funded or small organizations in developing countries.

"We hope to use the opportunities created by this award to gain greater visibility to how information can help solve some of the world's most pressing problems and how sharing and retaining knowledge can level the playing field for companies outside of the developed world," Newton said in a statement.

Google and Napster are among the companies that in past years have been recognized as Technology Pioneers.