Extreme Tech Challenge

APPLICATIONS OPEN NOWENERGY INNOVATIONFOR AI STARTUP CHALLENGE

Deadline April 30, 2025

LEARN MOREAI ENERGYINNOVATION SUMMIT

November 3, 2025

APPLICATIONS OPEN NOW UN FAO World Food Forum
Startup Innovation
Awards 2025 Deadline May 22, 2025

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Global Impact

The world’s largest ecosystem for founders tackling global challenges.

The world’s leading platform for startups and investors tackling the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals

OUR FOUNDERS

“The Extreme Tech Challenge is really about making sure that corporations and startups are working together to create a highway of innovation.”

Young Sohn

Chairman of Semiconductor Advisory Board, Samsung Electronics | Chairman of HARMAN Board of Directors | Founding Managing Partner, Walden Catalyst Ventures | Co-Founder, Extreme Tech Challenge

“XTC has become the marketplace for Innovation. This is a place where companies, policymakers, venture capitalists, universities can all come see what’s happening from the best of the best.”

Bill Tai

Angel Investor | Partner Emeritus, CRV | Co-Founder, Extreme Tech Challenge

10,000+

Startup Applications across 120+ countries, covering a wide spectrum of tech verticals and funding stages

US $5B

Venture Capital Funding Raised by XTC Startup Finalists (2015-2024)

400+

VCs and CVCs on the XTC Evaluation Committee, Global Partners

36%

Female Founded Finalists

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

Enabling Collaboration between Startups and Global Corporations

Latest News

Semiconductors & AI Take Center Stage

February 27, 2025

XTC Startup Cup Drives Sustainable Innovation at CES 2025 As Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC)Founder Young Sohn put it, “Ten years ago, if you said you had a chip startup, everyone would run away. Now, it’s taking center stage in venture investing.” This seismic shift was on full display at the XTC’s Semiconductors & AI Innovation Startup Cup, sponsored by industry giants Arm and Hon Hai Technology Group (better known as Foxconn). Chips are now an essential part of modern technology—without Arm, there would be no mobile phones; without Intel, no PCs; and without NVIDIA, AI training would be far […]

Semiconductors & AI Take Center Stage

Beep February 27, 2025

Extreme Tech Challenge 2024

Beep December 23, 2024

Shaping a Sustainable Future Through Innovation in Climate Tech Las Vegas, NV, USA At CES® 2024, XTC spotlighted innovation and collaboration at a networking reception which featured a keynote address by Lars Reger, a fireside chat with Dr. Vanessa Chan, and the Deep Tech Climate Innovations Startup Challenge pitch session with a welcome from Nicole Johnson of Cadence Giving Foundation, our sponsoring partner. 🎉 Winner: EarthEn 👏 Startup Finalists: 7Analytics, Barrow Green, BioEsol, Dynamic Air Cooling (DAC), EarthEn, EH Group, SeaO2, and Water Warriors 🎥Watch the Videos: Fireside, Pitches, Interview with the Winner 🔗 Full Event Recap Technology Has No […]

Startup Innovation Awards at the UN FAO World Food Forum 2024 Event Recap

Beep November 12, 2024

Left to right Beth Bechdol, FAO Deputy Director General Detelina Vassileva, COO Altered Carbon Victoria Slivkoff, XTC Executive Managing Director and Head of Ecosystem for Walden Catalyst Ventures For the 4th year in a row, XTC was proud to have produced the WFF Startup Innovation Awards competition which attracted hundreds of applicant companies from every continent. We enjoyed a great collaboration with the FAO and with Awards sponsors ADM, Kilburn & Strode, Next Tech Food Factories, Smart Sensors 4 Agri Food, High Five consortium, Qing Engineering and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Innovation Lab. The essential strength of XTC’s ecosystem is the top caliber of […]

Extreme Tech Challenge at the Forefront of Semiconductors and AI with Startup Cup and Innovation Forum

John Martin November 8, 2024

Left, Bill Tai, Angel Investor; Partner Emeritus CRV; Co-Founder, Extreme Tech Challenge and Young Sohn, Chairman of the Samsung Semiconductor Advisory Board, Founding Managing Partner at Walden Catalyst Ventures and Co-Founder of Extreme Tech Challenge Extreme Tech Challenge put itself at the forefront of today’s hottest venture market around the accelerating pace of innovation in Semiconductors and approaches to and uses of AI at XTC’s Semiconductor & AI Innovation Forum which was held on October 28 concurrent with the annual TechCrunch Disrupt Conference. Thank you to Forum sponsors Foley & Lardner LLP and CBRE who hosted us in CBRE’s 46th […]

Winner and Finalists Announced for Peace, Justice & Inclusion Startup Competition

Beep September 24, 2024

Held by Extreme Tech Challenge with in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea and the UN Development Programme. During the UN Summit of the Future Action Days Programme held at United Nations Headquarters in New York, the Government of the Republic of Korea and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced the Finalists and Winner of their Peace, Justice & Inclusive Society Startup Competition, powered by Extreme Tech Challenge. Extreme Tech Challenge is the world’s largest startup ecosystem showcasing technologies aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This competition focused on worldwide innovations addressing […]

Announcing the finalists of the World Food Forum Startup Innovation Awards 2024!

xtc20 September 20, 2024

We are thrilled to announce the finalists for the 2024 UN World Food Forum Startup Innovation Awards, showcasing innovative solutions that are transforming the future of food and agriculture.

Extreme Tech Challenge Welcomes Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) as Sponsoring Partner

xtc20 July 29, 2024

29 July 2024, Taipei, Taiwan – Hon Hai Technology Group (“Foxconn”) (TWSE:2317), the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, and Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC), the world’s largest innovation ecosystem for founders tackling global challenges, announce their partnership, set to invigorate the tech-for-purpose space. Foxconn’s involvement in this partnership marks a significant milestone in advancing global innovation for sustainability and environmental impact. At the heart of this collaboration is the Extreme Tech Challenge Semi & AI for Climate Startup Cup. This pioneering competition is scheduled to launch this summer, with its semifinals to be held during TechCrunch Disrupt on October 30, 2024. The […]

Announcing the semi-finalists of the World Food Forum Startup Innovation Awards 2024!

xtc20 July 25, 2024

In partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and sponsored by ADM, Kilburn & Strode, Next Tech Food Factories, Smart Sensors 4 Agri Food, HIGHFIVE, QING Forward Engineering and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Innovation Lab, we congratulate the semi-finalists of the fourth annual World Food Forum Startup Innovation Awards! 🎖️ World Food Forum Startup Innovation Awards semi-finalists in four new categories This year we introduce four new categories: Digital Innovation in Food Processing, Empowering Women in Agrifood Systems, Food Loss and Good Food for All, for Today and Tomorrow. 🚀 DIGITAL INNOVATION IN FOOD […]

Inaugural Extreme Tech Challenge program at 2024 TNW Conference a ‘really big success!’

xtc20 July 18, 2024

TNW Conference on June 20, 2024 one of Europe’s leading tech festivals, was THE place to be with 10,000 attendees, more than 190 speakers and 200+ companies exhibiting. Our first startup competition at TNW Conference 2024 was, as LUMO Labs’ Andy Lürling put it, a “really big success.” This was our first program collaboration at TNW Conference, and, once again, we found ourselves at the nexus of innovation, entrepreneurship and impact. Our mission at TNW was three-fold: Strengthen and expand the deep tech ecosystem, including connecting founders, corporate executives, industry experts, investors, governments and knowledge institutions. Share knowledge from global […]

"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 INTERNATIONAL
"The 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 VENTURES
"We 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 VENTURES
"The 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 ASSOCIATES
"The 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 THRIVAL
"As 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 FUND
"I 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 PARTNERS
"Investors 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 CAPITAL
"I 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, ACCEL
"We 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, MICROSOFT
"Some 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 SYSTEMS
"I’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 INTERNATIONAL
"Telemedicine 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 INVESTMENTS
"Diversity 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