These forward-looking, early-stage businesses are already standing out

Though these businesses are still new to their industries, they’ve made waves. Treating everything from water to chronic illness, these companies’ models are unique and solutions-oriented. Driven by specificity and thoughtfulness, these ideas are making life easier for farmers, doctors, and everybody in between. Winners Layer 7, Precision Neuroscience Precision Neuroscience is bringing a voice to patients who have lost the ability to speak or move with Layer 7, the company’s ground-breaking AI-powered brain computer interface (BCI) implant. The implant—only a fraction of the diameter of a human hair—creates a direct pathway between the human brain and a digital device. Unlike other BCIs, which are invasive, scarring and require a craniotomy; Layer 7 uses a micro-slit method to slip the BCI onto the brain’s cortex. Layer 7 is the first BCI fully cleared by the FDA, a milestone in mitigating disability and restoring communication to the most vulnerable patients. Terradot Enhanced Rock Weathering, TerradotTerradot is turning volcanic rock into a climate solution through a process called Enhanced Rock Weathering, or ERW. The company has spread basalt across 5,000 hectares of Brazilian farmland, promising to remove nearly 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the region. Last year, Terradot launched Sentinel, a monitoring program that tracks ERW’s impact on soil and water to quantify carbon removal. Today, Terradot works with Brazilian policy leaders to create a framework for carbon capture protocols on farms across the globe. Honorable Mentions AbleFly, AbleFly Apollo chip, Dynex DG Matrix Interport (Multi-Port Solid-State Transformer), DG Matrix Farady Reactor, VVater Throne, Throne Science Explore the full list of Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas, 191 projects that are making the world more accessible, equitable, and sustainable.