From AI-powered counterfeit drug detection to sugar-free sweet proteins and tactile sidewalks for the visually impaired, Fast Company’s 2025 World Changing Ideas honors innovators reshaping our future through practical, inclusive, and sustainable design.
Impact:
The 2025 honorees exemplify how creativity and technology can tackle critical global challenges:
RxAll (Global): Combats counterfeit and substandard antibiotics with AI-driven authentication tools, aiming to save lives and restore trust in medicine across developing regions. Oobli (California, USA): Leverages sweet proteins to offer a healthy alternative to sugar, potentially reducing global rates of diabetes and obesity while preserving taste. Cemento Sol (Peru): Reinvents urban infrastructure with textured sidewalks designed to guide visually impaired individuals—an affordable and scalable model for inclusive cities.
These ideas underscore a shift from high-tech spectacle to grounded, real-world impact. Whether improving healthcare, nutrition, or accessibility, the 2025 cohort is united by a common goal: solving today’s toughest problems with ingenuity and empathy.