Entrepreneurs from the Americas Earn Places in Annual ASME ISHOW Cohort with Sustainable Solutions to Agricultural Challenges
Entrepreneurs from the Americas Earn Places in Annual ASME ISHOW Cohort with Sustainable Solutions to Agricultural Challenges
NEW YORK (July 26, 2023) – The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has announced the regional winners of the 2023 ASME Innovation Showcase (ISHOW), the prestigious international accelerator of hardware-led social innovation. Eight social ventures from throughout the Americas and England presented their design prototypes at ASME ISHOW USA held virtually July 18-26. Three of these ventures emerged as regional ISHOW USA winners who will share $30,000 (USD) in seed grants and receive technical support to help bring their design innovations to market.
The 2023 ASME ISHOW USA winners are:
“We are proud to offer a forum for engineering problem-solving that truly improves lives,” says ASME Executive Director/CEO Tom Costabile. “We are continually impressed by the creative talent of ASME ISHOW participants, their focus on sustainable solutions, and their passion for helping underserved communities around the world.”
In addition to the three grand prize winners, the product with the most votes in social media for each regional ISHOW event is named the “Fan Favorite,” and receives $1,000 (USD). This prize is made possible and in memory of Byron G. Schieber Jr. M.S., PE, Professor Emeritus QCCNY, and Ruth L. Schieber. The 2023 ISHOW USA “Fan Favorite” winner is Waste Free in ‘23 (San Jose, Calif., U.S.) for its “Plastic Recycling Heat Press” – an innovative new recycling process in which 100% of household waste is recycled in an environmentally friendly manner near the source of the waste.
More information on the ISHOW USA 2023 finalists can be found on the ASME ISHOW website. ASME hosted ISHOW India in Bengaluru as part of ASME Innovation Weekend India in April and ISHOW Kenya for social ventures from Africa and the Middle East in June in a virtual event.
The prestigious ASME ISHOW hardware accelerator is open to individuals and organizations taking physical products to market that will have a positive social and/or environmental impact and that improve the quality of life around the world. To date, ISHOW has enabled over 200 startups from more than 30 countries to solve critical quality-of-life challenges for vulnerable populations worldwide. ISHOW alumni have developed affordable devices to address issues including clean combustion, crop threshing, fetal health, food waste prevention, health diagnostics, safe drinking water, and many more that address the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
ASME ISHOW annually matches 24 carefully selected innovators with appropriate experts to ensure that the proposed hardware solutions are technologically, environmentally, culturally, and financially sustainable. The 2023 ASME ISHOW USA judges and facilitators include experts in research, mechanical engineering and product design, manufacturing, startup financing, supply chain, and business strategy, representing organizations including Berkeley Lab, Brigham Young University, Penn State, Villgro USA, and more. These subject matter experts provide technical and strategic guidance based on ISHOW’s five key pillars: customer/user knowledge, hardware validation, manufacturing optimization, implementation strategy, and sustainability/impact.
ASME is grateful to The Lemelson Foundation for its continued support of the ISHOW with a three-year strategic investment and to ISHOW implementation partners around the globe. Learn more about ISHOW’s global impact in this dynamic dashboard.
Hear from the ISHOW 2022 cohort about their experiences. Follow the journeys of ISHOW alumni including PlenOptika, Himalayan Rocket Stove, SAYeTECH and others here.
@ASMEISHOW #ISHOW23 #ThisIsHardware
About ASME
ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing, and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education, and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world. In 2020, ASME formed the International Society of Interdisciplinary Engineers (ISIE) LLC, a new for-profit subsidiary to house business ventures that will bring new and innovative products, services, and technologies to the engineering community, and later established the holding company, Global Knowledge Solutions LLC. For more information, visit www.asme.org.
@ASMEdotorg
About the ASME Foundation
The ASME Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, supporting an array of programs in three core pillars: engineering education, career engagement, and global development. With the goal of empowering tomorrow's technical workforce, the ASME Foundation advances equitable access both to professional opportunities and to engineering innovations that improve quality of life. For more information, visit www.asmefoundation.org.
Monica Shovlin
MCShovlin Communications LLC (for ASME)
monica@mcshovlin.com
+1.541.554.3796
The 2023 ASME ISHOW USA winners are:
- Burn Design Lab (Vashon Island, Wash., U.S.) for its “BDL Improved Shea Nut Roaster” – an improved shea roaster that reduces up to 90% of wood-fuel use and up to 70% of PM2.5 exposure compared to the traditional roasting stage of hand-crafted shea butter production, improving livelihoods and the environment in West Africa
- Haasten (La Para, Argentina) for its “SIP-N Weighting System” – a comprehensive data management and process automation solution installed in mixers that prepare cattle feed, the system helps make the food preparation process more efficient, avoiding waste and digestive problems in livestock
- Safi (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) for “The Safi Handle” – a cost effective pasteurization handle for farmers in East Africa that kills milk-borne pathogens including MERS, a coronavirus 10 times deadlier than COVID19; The device is compact, does not require power, and allows farmers to easily pasteurize their daily yield in less than three minutes.
“We are proud to offer a forum for engineering problem-solving that truly improves lives,” says ASME Executive Director/CEO Tom Costabile. “We are continually impressed by the creative talent of ASME ISHOW participants, their focus on sustainable solutions, and their passion for helping underserved communities around the world.”
In addition to the three grand prize winners, the product with the most votes in social media for each regional ISHOW event is named the “Fan Favorite,” and receives $1,000 (USD). This prize is made possible and in memory of Byron G. Schieber Jr. M.S., PE, Professor Emeritus QCCNY, and Ruth L. Schieber. The 2023 ISHOW USA “Fan Favorite” winner is Waste Free in ‘23 (San Jose, Calif., U.S.) for its “Plastic Recycling Heat Press” – an innovative new recycling process in which 100% of household waste is recycled in an environmentally friendly manner near the source of the waste.
More information on the ISHOW USA 2023 finalists can be found on the ASME ISHOW website. ASME hosted ISHOW India in Bengaluru as part of ASME Innovation Weekend India in April and ISHOW Kenya for social ventures from Africa and the Middle East in June in a virtual event.
The prestigious ASME ISHOW hardware accelerator is open to individuals and organizations taking physical products to market that will have a positive social and/or environmental impact and that improve the quality of life around the world. To date, ISHOW has enabled over 200 startups from more than 30 countries to solve critical quality-of-life challenges for vulnerable populations worldwide. ISHOW alumni have developed affordable devices to address issues including clean combustion, crop threshing, fetal health, food waste prevention, health diagnostics, safe drinking water, and many more that address the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
ASME ISHOW annually matches 24 carefully selected innovators with appropriate experts to ensure that the proposed hardware solutions are technologically, environmentally, culturally, and financially sustainable. The 2023 ASME ISHOW USA judges and facilitators include experts in research, mechanical engineering and product design, manufacturing, startup financing, supply chain, and business strategy, representing organizations including Berkeley Lab, Brigham Young University, Penn State, Villgro USA, and more. These subject matter experts provide technical and strategic guidance based on ISHOW’s five key pillars: customer/user knowledge, hardware validation, manufacturing optimization, implementation strategy, and sustainability/impact.
ASME is grateful to The Lemelson Foundation for its continued support of the ISHOW with a three-year strategic investment and to ISHOW implementation partners around the globe. Learn more about ISHOW’s global impact in this dynamic dashboard.
Hear from the ISHOW 2022 cohort about their experiences. Follow the journeys of ISHOW alumni including PlenOptika, Himalayan Rocket Stove, SAYeTECH and others here.



About ASME
ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing, and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education, and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world. In 2020, ASME formed the International Society of Interdisciplinary Engineers (ISIE) LLC, a new for-profit subsidiary to house business ventures that will bring new and innovative products, services, and technologies to the engineering community, and later established the holding company, Global Knowledge Solutions LLC. For more information, visit www.asme.org.




About the ASME Foundation
The ASME Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, supporting an array of programs in three core pillars: engineering education, career engagement, and global development. With the goal of empowering tomorrow's technical workforce, the ASME Foundation advances equitable access both to professional opportunities and to engineering innovations that improve quality of life. For more information, visit www.asmefoundation.org.
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Media Contact:Monica Shovlin
MCShovlin Communications LLC (for ASME)
monica@mcshovlin.com
+1.541.554.3796