Katie Anderson on her main takeaway from participating in the 2017 edition of the competition: “The Cartier Awards broadened my vision of what is possible for my business”.

Ciara Donlon’s big take away from her participation in the Cartier Awards was a global perspective.

In the past year, Sara-Kristina Hannig Nour’s farm-fresh organic vegetable business has focused on organising its day-to-day operations. For a business that is literally growing organically, Sara finds the input the Awards gave her vital.

Melissa Menke participated in the 2013 edition of the Cartier Awards as a finalist for Sub-Saharan Africa. Her company Access Afya offers affordable access to professional healthcare clinics for people living in Kenyan slums.

Melissa Menke, the founder & CEO of Access Afya, readily admit that her company has gone a long way since participating in the Cartier Awards in 2013. Whereas the company was in pilot phase with only one working clinic when she first applied, it has since expanded to three clinics and will be opening two more clinics next year thanks in part to the funds raised during pre-seed and seed financing this year.

Doris Leung is a 2013 Cartier Awards finalist for the Asia-Pacific region. She hails from Hong Kong and is the founder of Diamond Cab, a company that provides barrier-free taxis for wheelchair users.

Doris Leung first came up with the idea for Diamond Cab when her mother began to experience mobility problems. She soon realized that there were no wheelchair-accessible cabs available in her hometown Hong Kong. She decided it was time she take matters in her own hands and founded Diamond Cab in 2011.