Samsung UK Reveals Final Ten Teams Shortlist For Annual Solve For Tomorrow Competition
LONDON, UK – April 18, 2024 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd – Samsung UK today revealed the final ten shortlisted teams that have made it through to the final of its annual tech for good competition, Solve for Tomorrow. Now in its fourth year in the UK, the competition aims to empower future generations by asking 16-25 year olds to come up with ideas that use technology to help solve societal challenges.
Between September and December last year, nearly 600 young people submitted their Solve for Tomorrow ideas in teams or as individuals, to be in with a chance of winning a £10,000 cash prize and additional Samsung tech, alongside three months of expert mentoring and support to help bring their idea to life. Applicants were then tasked to ensure their ideas utilised technology to make a meaningful difference in one of four competition themes: Education, Sustainability, Equity Diversity & Inclusion and Health & Wellbeing.
In January, our panel of judges whittled down the applications to a shortlist of 24. These semi-finalists then took part in a second phase of the competition: six weeks of design thinking, market research & prototyping workshops alongside 1-2-1 Samsung mentorship, to help develop their design concepts ready for re-submission in March.
Commenting on the shortlist announcement and standard of entries this year, Jessie Soohyun Park, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Samsung Electronics UK, said:
“It’s been incredible to see the standard of this year’s semi-finalists and their exceptional dedication to the programme to bring their ideas to life over the last six weeks. When we met the teams at our prototyping workshop in March, we were blown away by their creativity and ambition, and hope that even those who didn’t make it through to the final stage of the competition left with valuable knowledge and connections. I’m excited to see how our final ten teams continue to progress over the next three weeks, and we’re committed to doing all we can to equip our participants with the expertise and resources they need to take their ideas to the next level, for the Solve for Tomorrow final and beyond.”
From these developed applications, ten finalists have now been selected to embark on the final stage of the programme, where they will receive a further three weeks of industry expertise around pitching and funding to prepare them for their final in-person pitch on 19th June at Samsung KX.
Andy Davis, Founding Partner of 10×10 Capital, who judged phase two applications for this year’s 18-25 category competition, also commented on the finalists:
“I wish Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow existed when I was starting my entrepreneurial journey. It’s everything a young person needs to affect change and that’s reflected not only in the bold, captivating ideas but also the quality of their pitches. Our final ten teams all possess qualities that we see in the very best entrepreneurs globally. During judging, I stopped several times as I couldn’t believe that this many 18-25-year-olds are working at such a high level. Congratulations to all of the teams, whose impact in the future will leave us all telling stories of how we once knew them”.
The winners and runners up for each age category (16-18 and 18-25) will be announced following the awards ceremony in July.
To find out more about our Solve for Tomorrow Competition, please visit: https://www.samsung.com/uk/solvefortomorrow/
| Team | Age Category | Theme | The Idea |
| 1 | 16-18 | Equity, Diversity & Inclusion | A pair of smart glasses powered by AI technology to assist people with visual impairments. Through AI cameras and GPS, the system can recognize objects and offer auditory guidance for navigation alongside integrating Optical Character Recognition to facilitate reading. |
| 2 | 16-18 | Sustainability | A mobile app that connects to all of your smart devices and Internet of Things (IoT) products that allows a user to reduce their carbon footprint without them acting. |
| 3 | 16-18 | Health & Wellbeing | A smart IoT biometric shoe designed to address the unique challenges faced by diabetic patients prone to developing foot wounds, with a focus on safeguarding against complications resulting from the loss of sensation in the feet. |
| 4 | 16-18 | Health & Wellbeing | An idea designed to improve the quality of life for stroke victims by providing a wearable device that offers a range of personalised options, all from the comfort of a pocket-sized remote and an app. |
| 5 | 16-18 | Health & Wellbeing | A pixel analysis software to clearly plot the progression of specific scar tissue left on lungs, supporting those who suffer from Pulmonary Fibrosis. |
| 6 | 18-25 | Education | A plug-and-play education platform that uses a combination of hardware kit, lesson plans, and an AR experience to teach people how to operate and understand electronics. |
| 7 | 18-25 | Equity, Diversity & Inclusion | A diverse and user-friendly online image bank of skin conditions to eradicate unnecessary misdiagnosis of conditions in patients with black and brown skin tones. |
| 8 | 18-25 | Sustainability | An innovative, efficient energy system using ML (AI) and IoT to power transport infrastructure with reliable energy distribution and predictive maintenance. |
| 9 | 18-25 | Health & Wellbeing | A device to remain protected from UV damage through three core features: reapplication reminders, verification, and an applicator. These features offer vital insights, ensuring users confidently protect themselves and monitor their sun exposure for optimal wellbeing. |
| 10 | 18-25 | Health & Wellbeing | A home communication device that reduces loneliness and social isolation by connecting older adults and their families. |
Corporate > Citizenship
Press Resources > Press Release
For any issues related to customer service, please go to samsung.com/uk/support for assistance.
For media inquiries, please contact seuk.pr@samsung.com.
