FT Tech Champions 2022: Creativity in a crisis

In 2021, when we first invited readers to nominate ‘Tech Champions’ — those companies finding scientific solutions to today’s business challenges — one strong theme emerged: pivoting to beat the pandemic.

Covid tracking, vaccine cooling, remote working, and socially distanced dining were some of the innovations most highly valued.

One year later, however, there has been even more to overcome: an energy crisis, rising inflation, shrinking economies and broken supply chains — much of it stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

But, even in this short space of time, related themes and solutions show up in the nominations — so much so that we swapped last year’s ‘Hospitality’ category for a separate one covering ‘Energy’.

Among our nominees for 2022 are the company that identified leakages in the Nord Stream gas pipelines from Russia, the company that helps European businesses comply with sanctions against Moscow, and the company trying to prevent suppliers becoming weak links in corporate security.

Longer term challenges are addressed, too: from sustaining electricity supplies to producing zero-emission hydrogen and recycling fashion.

Read the full shortlists, and the companies chosen at Tech Champions, here. Or watch the video, below.