RxAll, Founded by Adebayo Alonge ’16, Named Best Early-Stage Startup in Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge

RxAll Inc. , a company founded by Adebayo Alonge ’16, has won the grand prize in the Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge . The company created RxScanner, a handheld nanoscanner that authenticates drugs and helps patients avoid dangerous counterfeits. Alonge was a member of the Entrepreneurial Fellows Program while at the Yale School of Management.

The £100,000 prize recogizes the best early-stage startup from among a field of 80 finalists across 12 categories, including aeronautics; data and AI, digital health; energy; food, agriculture, and environment; global health; industrial biotech; industry 4.0; new materials; new mobility; new space; and wellbeing. The prize is funded by BNP Paribas.

According to Hello Tomorrow, the “Global Challenge  is a worldwide, renowned science and technology startup competition designed specifically to address the needs of deeptech entrepreneurs across several different industries and technologies. The Challenge was created in 2013 by deeptech entrepreneur Xavier Duportet and Arnaud De La Tour, at the time both PhD students, who realised that the resources needed to propel emerging technologies were different from those of traditional web and mobile innovations. The Challenge gives scientists and deeptech entrepreneurs around the globe a platform for their research and projects, providing equity-free prize money as well as other funding opportunities, global visibility, and connections with key players in the deeptech innovation network.”

In his acceptance speech, Alonge said that his own experience suffering from the effects of a fake drug—as well as his belief that science and technology should serve the public good—inspired him to create the RxScanner.

“I have a science background, and after surviving that trauma, my goal with science… is to make sure that nobody has to go through the traumatic experience I had,” said Alonge. “I appreciate everyone [at the Global Challenge who shares the vision of] using tech to achieve global social rewards.”

Watch Alonge’s  acceptance speech: