Chivas Regal® Reveals 27 Enterprising Startups Looking To Promote Social Change Around The World, As Finalists Of Its Venture Program

In its Second Year, the World's First Luxury Whisky Will Highlight and Reward the Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs Around the Globe

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Chivas Regal

Mar 14, 2016, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, March 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second year in a row, The Venture, Chivas Regal's global search to discover and reward social entrepreneurs, has announced 27 unique start-ups, who will compete for a share of $1M in funding. Each business will look to use this creative platform to promote positive social or environmental change.

RADCLIFFE CAMERA, OXFORD, UK - MARCH 14: 27 startups vying for a share of $1m in funding are announced as Chivas The Venture's global finalists in Oxford, UK. More than 2,500 start ups from 29 countries applied to The Venture, a competition rewarding businesses tackling social or environmental issues. The finalists arrived today in Oxford to take part in The Venture's Accelerator Week, a transformational mentorship programme created in partnership with the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship. The Accelerator Week will provide the finalists with leadership coaching and support in preparing for a high stakes pitch at The Venture Final in July, with a share of the $1m fund at stake. March 14, 2016 in Oxford, UK. (Getty Images for Chivas Regal)

This year's innovative global businesses include Disease Diagnostic Group based out of the U.S., as one of the 27 finalists competing for a chance to make their impact on the world. After receiving over 2,500 entries from start-ups across six continents, Disease Diagnostic Group, a startup focusing on screening, tracking, and diagnosing highly infectious or neglected tropical diseases through portable and reusable devices, has been selected to represent the U.S.

"We're very proud to announce the global finalists of Chivas Regal's The Venture for the second year, said Richard Black, Chivas Regal Global Brand Director. "This year, applications to The Venture more than doubled, demonstrating the growing trend towards businesses doing well in the world, and reinforcing Chivas Regal's ongoing commitment to social enterprise. Our founders were entrepreneurs who gave back to their community, and The Venture is continuing their legacy by discovering and supporting businesses that are committed to redefining the role of business in creating a better future."

Taking place this week, each of the 27 finalists, have travelled to Oxford to participate in an Accelerator Week program created by the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at the esteemed Oxford University's Said Business School. In preparation of The Venture Finale taking place this July, finalists will receive leadership coaching and support in preparing for their pitch of a lifetime during an intensive five day program. The week will involve expert trainers and inspirational mentors recruited by the Skoll Centre.

The 27 finalists selected to participate in The Venture, display the necessary creativity and resourcefulness that the startup community was built around. Each business leader showcases the passion and will to create a positive change in the world. In addition to the U.S. startup, other finalists include Onicio Neto, the founder of Epitrack (Brazil), who has created a faster way to identify and track disease outbreaks through a digital detection platform based on crowdsourcing; to Kenny Ewan, the founder of WeFarm (UK) who has developed a seamless peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing platform for the 500 million small-scale farmers around the world with no internet access.

From May 9^th to June 13^th, the public will be able to show support for their favorite finalist through a voting system. Over the course of five weeks, their vote will determine how the first $250,000 in funding is split among the finalists. The remaining $750,000 in funding will be awarded at The Venture Finale in July in New York City, after a high stakes pitch in front of The Venture judges.

To learn more about each of The Venture finalists, visit their pages on https://www.theventure.com/us/en/

The 27 Global Finalists

MARKET	BUSINESS	FINALIST NAME	ROLE	SHORT DESCRIPTION
Angola	Habitec	Felisberto Capamba	Co-Founder	Habitec use eucalyptus trees to produce high-quality desks, chairs and other wooden fittings for Angola's expanding school system. It includes local communities in the replantation of new trees, and 20 percent of its workforce are former soldiers with disabilities, while many of its staff are employed for the first time in their lives.
Argentina	Incluyeme	Natalia Ca	Co-Founder	Incluyeme is the first job portal in Latin America that helps people with disabilities find employment. The platform simplifies the way a company engages with the thousands of people with disabilities looking to find a job, ensuring the best talent gets found.
Australia	Pollinate Energy	Emma Colenbrander	Co-Founder	Pollinate Energy provides urban slum dwellers - currently dependent on kerosene for lighting - with access to affordable clean energy solutions. It does this using 'Pollinators'; local entrepreneurs who are trained to sell and service solar lights in urban slum communities.
Brazil	Epitrack	Onicio Leal	Founder	Epitrack identifies the risk of an epidemic or disease in a certain area through crowdsourcing platforms where users describe their symptoms. Based on its data, it provides emergency services with the necessary information much faster, decreasing the likelihood of an outbreak.
Bulgaria	Bee Smart	Sergey Petrov	Co-Founder	Bee Smart Technologies uses sensor technology and bio-based algorithms to analyze and present beekeepers with data about the health and productivity of their bees. It helps beekeepers cut down on operating costs and prevent devastating losses of bees.
Chile	Diagnochip	Mario Soto	Co-Founder	Diagnochip offers fast and low-cost diagnostic devices for developing countries. Using micro-fluidic technology, one of its devices functions as an antibiotic susceptibility test that will accurately analyze urine and blood samples to determine what antibiotics are required to treat urinary tract infections.
China	MotionECO	Shutong Liu	Founder	MotionECO presents a systemic solution to turn waste cooking oil into biodiesel for transportation sectors. Its solution simultaneously tackles the challenges of food safety, waste cooking oil and pollution across the air, road and marine sectors.
Colombia	Conceptos Plasticos	Oscar Andres Mendez	Founder	Conceptos Plasticos transforms plastic waste that is difficult to dispose of, into construction material for permanent housing, temporary shelters and movable structures. It prevents plastic pollution and creates much needed building materials for communities to establish a physical infrastructure.
Dom.Republic	ECO Mensajeria	Edison Santos	Founder & CEO	ECO Mensajeria is an environmentally friendly courier service, promoting sustainable solutions for the rapid dispatch market, by using zero and ultra-low emission vehicles and a Carbon Balanced service. It tackles two of the main causes of climate change: energy usage and pollution from transportation.
Estonia	Sentab	Tarmo Pihl	CEO	Sentab is a social network for older adults (65+) which runs on their TV. By turning a regular television set into an interactive device that can be used to make voice and video calls to other enabled televisions, computers or smartphones, families can share and connect with older relatives through our platform.
Germany	Coolar	Julia Römer	Inventor	Coolar develops refrigerators that are powered by warm water, generated through solar heat. Coolar's innovative cooling system enables doctors to preserve lifesaving vaccines and medicine in off-grid regions.
Guatemala	Wakami	Maria Pacheco	Founder	Wakami designs and sells handmade fashion accessories produced in 16 rural Guatemalan communities. It incubates businesses that generate income for some of the poorest women in rural Guatemala. Wakami gives business leaders training and tools to improve the nutrition, education and health of their families.
Gulf	Taka Solutions	Charles Blaschke	Co-Founder	Taka Solutions helps building owners and operators reduce energy and utility costs. It installs custom engineering solutions, equipment, and technology in existing buildings to save energy and money.
Hong Kong	JOBDOH	Xania Wong	CEO	JOBDOH is a smart hiring platform to help temporary workers find jobs anytime, anywhere. Employers benefit from the speed and ability to hire the right people and workers benefit from the flexibility to earn an income and an improved track record of employment, which is showcased directly in the app.
Israel	EyeControl	Or Retzkin	CEO	EyeControl is an affordable, intuitive mobile communication device for "locked-in" patients and medical centers. EyeControl translates eye movements into verbal communication, allowing paralyzed patients to communicate with their loved ones.
Japan	MOLCURE	Ryu Ogawa	CEO	MOLCURE aims to cure the incurable by discovering drugs for diseases with no effective treatment. Abtracer, its drug discovery platform, can identify antibody candidates 10 times faster than current systems.
Mexico	Optic Group ICH	Roberto Alvarado	Co-Founder	Optic Group ICH manufactures eyeglass frames from recycled plastic bottles. By using PET from plastic it makes affordable but durable frames. Optic Group ICH's goal is to enable people all around the world to see more clearly and help the environment by recycling rubbish.
Nigeria	Fresh Direct	Angel Adelaja	Founder & CEO	Fresh Direct is an agricultural production and processing company that brings together communities and advanced technology to provide organic fruits, vegetables and meats and processed end products. Fresh Direct manufacture, install and market customized hydroponic systems, greenhouses and container farms to help smaller farmers be more sustainable and more effective.
Peru	PowerMundo	Paul Winkel	General Manager	PowerMundo helps improve people's lives by providing access to clean energy. It offers business training, digital pay as-you-go financing and a suite of solar products to help local business owners and sales agents earn money. It helps off-grid families save money, improve their health - and the environment.
Poland	Migam	Agnieszka Osytek	Co-Founder & Global Manager	Migam supports communication between the deaf and those that can hear, using video translation via a web browser and mobile app. Thanks to its service, deaf people are able to communicate, meaning they are able to do things that many of us take for granted.
Portugal	ColorADD	Miguel Neiva	Founder	ColorADD has created a universal code made up of simple symbols for primary colors that are then combined to create secondary and tertiary colors, enabling correct color identification for all. It ensures independence, self-esteem and dignity for those who are color blind.
Romania	SafeDrive	Tudor Cobalas	Co-Founder	SafeDrive is the mobile app that rewards drivers for not texting while driving. Drivers earn points that can be converted into discount vouchers or special offers from partner companies. It incentivizes responsible driving, ultimately contributing to safer roads.
South Africa	CrashDetech	Jaco Gerrits	CEO	CrashDetech is a smartphone application that automatically detects serious car crashes, pinpoints the location, and immediately dispatches the nearest ambulance and supplies paramedics with lifesaving information.
Spain	Alzhup	Rafael Espinosa de los Monteros	CEO & Co-Founder	Alzhup is a digital health platform that offers scientifically validated therapy for Alzheimer patients that is fully customizable with the user's personal memories. It promotes participation between the family and the patient by integrating gamification techniques that increases the quality of life for patients but also for caregivers and family.
Thailand	Local Alike	Somsak Boonkam	Founder & CEO	Local Alike is an online platform that connects travelers to meaningful and authentic experiences. It works with locals to build their capacity in community-based tourism, preserving local culture and generating sustainable income for communities.
UK	WeFarm	Kenny Ewan	Founder & CEO	WeFarm is a pioneering peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing platform for the 500 million small-scale farmers around the world with no access to the internet. Farmers can access vital information that can improve their lives via SMS.
USA	Disease Diagnostic Group	John Lewandowski	Founder & CEO	Disease Diagnostic Group uses refrigerator magnets and laser pointers to detect multiple diseases with just a single drop of blood. It offers a reusable mechanical device that is 50 times faster, a tenth of the cost, stand-alone, and 100 times more likely to detect asymptomatic infections than current diagnostic methods.

Please enjoy Chivas responsibly.
©2016 Imported by Chivas Bros. Import Co., Purchase, NY

About Pernod Ricard USA®
Pernod Ricard USA is the premium spirits and wine company in the U.S., and the largest subsidiary of Paris, France-based Pernod Ricard SA, which employs a workforce of nearly 19,000 people worldwide and is listed on the NYSE Euronext exchange (Ticker: RI).

The company's leading spirits and wines include such prestigious brands as Absolut® Vodka, Chivas Regal® Scotch Whisky, The Glenlivet® Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Jameson® Irish Whiskey, Malibu®, Kahlúa® Liqueur, Beefeater® Gin, Plymouth™ Gin, Seagram's Extra Dry Gin®, Martell® Cognac, Hiram Walker® Liqueurs, Pernod®, Ricard® and Avión™ Tequila; such superior wines as Jacob's Creek®, Kenwood® Vineyards and Brancott Estate®; and such exquisite champagnes and sparkling wines as Perrier-Jouët® Champagne, G.H. Mumm™ Champagne and Mumm Napa® sparkling wines.

Pernod Ricard USA is based in New York, New York, and has roughly 850 employees across the country. Pernod Ricard USA urges all adults to consume its products responsibly and has an active campaign to promote responsible drinking. For more information on this, please visit: www.acceptresponsibility.org.

About The Venture
The Venture is Chivas' global search to find and support the most promising aspiring social entrepreneurs who want to succeed whilst making a positive impact on the lives of others. With over $1 million in funding and resources, The Venture will enable social entrepreneurs from around the world realise their potential and gain exposure for their business.

About Win the Right Way
Win the Right Way aims to inspire a new generation to achieve success whilst making a positive impact on the lives of others and is the latest instalment of Chivas Regal's Live with Chivalry campaign, which launched in 2008.

About Live with Chivalry
Chivas' Live with Chivalry campaign launched in 2008 and has since inspired modern gentlemen in more than 60 countries around the world to succeed in the right way.

With generosity, entrepreneurship and integrity at the heart of Chivas Regal, the brand launched its successful Win the Right Way campaign in 2014, which aims to inspire a new generation whilst making a positive impact on the lives of others.

About Chivas Regal
Launched in 1909, Chivas Regal is the world's first luxury whisky and is considered to be a timeless classic, renowned for its benchmark quality and taste, style, substance and exclusivity. A truly global brand, Chivas Regal has been integral to the growth of the Scotch whisky category worldwide and today sells 4.5 million 9L cases annually in more than 150 countries across the globe. The Chivas Regal range includes Chivas 12, Chivas 18, Chivas 25 and the Global Travel Retail exclusive, Chivas Brothers Blend. In October 2014, Chivas Regal announced the addition of a fifth permanent expression in the Chivas Regal family, Chivas Regal Extra, a new blend with a unique richness derived from selective maturation in rare ex-sherry casks. In 2015, the iconic brand welcomed the pinnacle of the range with the introduction of the new ultra-prestige blend, Chivas Regal The Icon. www.chivas.com

About the Skoll Centre & Saïd Business School
Embedded within the world-renowned Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, the Skoll Centre is dedicated to accelerating the impact of entrepreneurial activity that aims to transform unjust or unsatisfactory systems and practices. The Skoll Centre was launched in 2003 at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford to promote the advancement of social entrepreneurship worldwide. The first Skoll Skollars were welcomed in the fall of 2004, and the first Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship (an annual meeting of nearly 1,000 distinguished delegates from the social, finance, private and public sectors) quickly followed that same year.

The Saïd Business School is a world-class business school community, embedded within a world-class university, tackling world-scale problems. As the oldest university in the English-speaking world, The University of Oxford is a unique and historic institution. The University is formed of 38 colleges, some dating back to the 1200s. Each of these colleges attracts talented students from around the world.

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