
September 18, 2023
Samsung Climate &
Circularity Tech Challenge
EVENT RECAPSamsung Climate & CircularityTech Challenge

Sept 13-14, 2023 at 14:00 CEST
COPENHAGEN
Life Sciences
Startup Competition
EVENT RECAPLife Sciences Startup CompetitionCOPENHAGEN
October 18, 2023
ROME & VIRTUAL
World Food Forum
Startup Innovation Awards
READ MOREOctober 18, 2023World Food Forum Startup Innovation AwardsROME & VIRTUALTech for Purpose
XTC is a non-profit organization behind the world’s largest startup competition that aims to help startups change the world for the better. In our quest, we are supported by leading corporations, VCs, foundations, policymakers, universities and tech conferences.
5,000+
Startup Applications across 120+ countries, covering a wide spectrum of tech verticals and funding stages
$4.1B
Venture Capital Funding Raised by XTC Startup Finalists (2015-2022)
350+
VCs and CVCs on the XTC Evaluation Committee, Global Partners
36%
Female Founded Finalists
XTC x Consensus by Coindesk: Web3 Pitch Fest 2022
xtc20 August 21, 2022XTC’s inaugural Web3 Pitch Fest in collaboration with Consensus showcased finalists & announced four lucky winners.
Extreme Tech Challenge & ACTAI Global host inaugural Neckerverse Summit
xtc20 August 2, 2022Bringing together leaders in technology, venture capital, and blockchain, with creators, conservationists and social impact professionals to catalyze Web3 projects focused on global good.
Latest News
September 27, 2023
Carbon capture startup Mantel wins the Startup Innovation Challenge for Carbon Removal and CCUS!
SOSV Climate Tech Summit: Startup Innovation Challenge for Carbon Removal and CCUS
xtc20 September 27, 2023Carbon capture startup Mantel wins the Startup Innovation Challenge for Carbon Removal and CCUS!
Samsung Climate & Circularity Tech Challenge: A night to remember
xtc20 September 22, 2023One for the memory books! A perfect evening: startup stars, tech stars, investor stars, all glittering in one tiny galaxy at the SVB Experience Center in San Francisco.
World Food Forum Startup Innovation Awards: Top 8 Finalists
xtc20 September 12, 2023Announcing our Top 8 Finalists for the 3rd annual Word Food Forum Startup Innovation Awards!
SOSV Climate Tech Summit: Top 5 Finalists Announced
xtc20 September 5, 2023Climate tech startups are playing a vital role in the fight against climate change, and these five finalists will take center stage and pitch to viewers around the world at the SOSV Climate Tech Summit virtual event September 26.🚀
Samsung Climate & Circularity Tech Challenge: Top 6 Finalists
xtc20 August 31, 2023Announcing the Top 6 Finalists for the first-ever XTC x Samsung Climate & Circularity Tech Challenge!
Announcing the Startup Innovation Awards Semi-Finalists!
xtc20 August 1, 2023Our Startup Innovation Awards Semi-Finalists have been selected for each of the 4 categories of Production, Nutrition, Environment & Life!
Deep Tech Connect: Innovation Roundup
xtc20 July 5, 2023Our Innovation Summit was a success - connecting startups, entrepreneurs, and innovators with the fuel to scale faster & develop the technologies improving our world.
BIG Tech Partner news to share!
xtc20 July 3, 2023Fusing sustainability & tech for good with Samsung’s technological innovation, we are proud to launch Extreme Tech Challenge & Samsung’s ‘The Samsung Climate & Circularity Tech Challenge’.
Partnership with Cadence Design Systems for Startup Innovation Challenge
xtc20 June 28, 2023🌍 Our mission is to empower entrepreneurs on their journey, and we are always looking for inspiring partners to join our global network of pivotal leaders.
We’re currently in the fifth wave of technology evolution – an era driven by data and AI, which are accelerating the number of applications that can disrupt every industry due to the timely availability of actionable data-driven insights.
Young Sohn
CO-FOUNDER, EXTREME TECH CHALLENGE
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, HARMAN INTERNATIONALThe world's financial markets now recognize that unless businesses do something good for this planet, that this planet may not exist – and that there are investable companies that can be part of the solution.
BILL TAI
CO-FOUNDER, EXTREME TECH CHALLENGE
PARTNER EMERITUS, CHARLES RIVER VENTURESWe are balancing between the challenges of economic damage versus potential public health damage. This will define our generation depending on how we deal with it and how agile we can be. I think it’s clear that innovation will come out of necessity.
JERRY YANG
CO-FOUNDER & FORMER CEO, YAHOO! AND FOUNDING PARTNER, AME CLOUD VENTURESThe good news is that entrepreneurs can lead us out of this period. Entrepreneurs are the ones who create value and jobs in our economy. This is your opportunity as an entrepreneur right now to take the big risks. This is your time.
TIM DRAPER
FOUNDER AND MANAGING PARTNER, DRAPER ASSOCIATESThe experience of finding go-to-market fit is like going from paddling to surfing. You are burning a huge amount of energy to go a very short distance. On the other hand, when you catch the wave, what you feel is momentum.
TAE HEA NAHM
CO-FOUNDING MANAGING DIRECTOR OF STORM VENTURES AND CO-AUTHOR OF SURVIVAL TO THRIVALAs a global startup, you have to think about how the world is changing today... It’s important to think how trillion-dollar industries are digitally transforming themselves because of Covid-19. You need to think about how you can ride these waves of change.
SHANKAR CHANDRAN
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND CO-HEAD, SAMSUNG CATALYST FUNDI often tell entrepreneurs what they really need is the right amount of money from the right VCs for the right business plan. You need to unpack each of those elements. Don’t raise more money than you need.
RICHARD IRVING
CO-FOUNDER AND GENERAL PARTNER, POND VENTURE PARTNERSInvestors don't like surprises. They don't want to learn something from someone else that they should have learned directly from the entrepreneur. My advice is to always be transparent. Building trust and transparency starts with setting expectations.
RAFAÈLE TORDJMAN
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND INVESTOR, JEITO CAPITALI like to get to know the founding team anywhere from 12 to 24 months before actually investing. Building that relationship over time, getting to know each other, and seeing the progress, that makes things much easier when the time is right to invest.
PHILIPPE BOTTERI
PARTNER, ACCELWe found that diversity drives innovation. You need a broad range of voices and perspectives to chip away at the biases that still exist in the workforce. And that will make your products even better.
PEGGY JOHNSON
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, MICROSOFTSome people are worried that when a corporate investor comes in, they will start controlling your roadmap. When I ran my startup, I didn’t find that. Nobody controlled our roadmap or asked us to do things unnatural to us. They are not there to make sure you only succeed for them...
OMAR TAWAKOL
VICE PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER OF CISCO CONTACT CENTER, CISCO SYSTEMSUsing technology to solve global problem is a factor in our investment decisions. We do focus on areas that relate to sustainability and community. We have a focused area on healthcare. We have seen that a lot of our companies have been useful in the Covid-19 situation.
MARK LYDON
MANAGING DIRECTOR, INTEL CAPITALI’ve always invested in people who have a background in disruptive technology. I like to identify the most talented people with the most relevant experience. That is always the starting point. Once you have the right leadership, then you can build a team around those people.
LIP-BU TAN
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS AND CHAIRMAIN, WALDEN INTERNATIONALAs a startup, you want access to capital as well as to investors who can help you with follow-on rounds, with hiring, and with access to management talent. And you also want the strategic advantage of having investors who really understand your space and have experience developing technology and products.
DAVID JOHNSON
MANAGING DIRECTOR, INTEL CAPITALIf your business is a technology-born business, then you are in good hands. The disruption is in front of us. The question is how do you convert it into opportunity? If you chose to disrupt, if you chose to scale up, this is your day. This is the time to prioritize. This is what will make you successful on this bumpy ride.
CP GURNANI
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER & MANAGING DIRECTOR, TECH MAHINDRATelemedicine and telepathology are here to stay in a post-Covid world. It’s clear that patients have wanted this to happen. We have gone from near zero telemedicine usage at the beginning of the year to now, where 40% of our encounters are completed with telemedicine.
ATUL BUTTE
MD, PHD, CHAN ZUCKERBERG DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR, UCSF AND CHIEF DATA SCIENTIST, CALIFORNIA HEALTH SYSTEM (UC HEALTH)Even though, with corporate venture capital, you are dealing with big companies, it always comes down to the people and the personal relationships you build. Finding the right person within the corporation you want to work with makes a big difference.
PHILIP KIRK
VICE PRESIDENT, CISCO INVESTMENTSDiversity has to be part of your culture and process. Creating a diverse team from the beginning will create a better product. At Microsoft, the more diverse teams we have working on our solutions, the better our products have been.
TAMARA STEFFENS
MANAGING DIRECTOR, M12
Global Visibility
Pitch your startup to thousands of tech leaders and investors at regional and global competitions.
Opportunity for Investment
Top finalists will get an opportunity to pitch to a panel of leading global investors.
World-Class Mentorship
Work with industry leaders and experts who can help shape your startup for success.
“The world’s largest startup competition for entrepreneurs addressing the globe’s most serious challenges.”

The United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals that serve as the framework.

















Empowering Startups to Innovate in 10 Key Categories inspired by the 17 SDGs
Advanced Materials
Agtech & Food
Biotech & Medical Devices
Cleantech, Energy and Environment
Digital Health
Edtech
Enabling Tech
Fintech
Mobility
Sustainable Smart Cities
Special Awards
Female Founder
HARMAN-XTC
People's Choice
UNICEF EdTech
Web3