
"XTC gives the startup the ability to be seen, to be heard, and to build relationships that will carry you far into the future."
Bill Tai
XTC Co-Founder and Board Member

TECH FOR PURPOSE: XTC is a non-profit organization behind the world’s biggest 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.
Latest News
May 18, 2022
PALO ALTO, Calif.– Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC), the world’s largest startup competition focused on purpose-driven innovation, announced today 10 Category Winners and 2 Special Award Winners selected to compete at the XTC 2022 Global Finals presented by TechCrunch on June 14, 2022. Due to the incredible applicant pool this year, 10 Category Runner Ups will also be invited to present their pre-recorded pitch on the Global Finals stage.
Extreme Tech Challenge Announces Category and Special Awards Winners Headed To Global Finals
xtc20 May 18, 2022PALO ALTO, Calif.-- Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC), the world’s largest startup competition focused on purpose-driven innovation, announced today 10 Category Winners and 2 Special Award Winners selected to compete at the XTC 2022 Global Finals presented by TechCrunch on June 14, 2022. Due to the incredible applicant pool this year, 10 Category Runner Ups will also be invited to present their pre-recorded pitch on the Global Finals stage.
Can tech solve the global education crisis?
xtc20 May 10, 2022XTC and UNICEF shortlist 10 education tech start-up companies with the potential to improve learning outcomes for 100 million children globally.
Extreme Tech Challenge Announces Finalists to Global Startup Competition
xtc20 May 9, 2022XTC announces 106 startup finalists from almost 100 countries who are invited to participate in a virtual XTC Bootcamp this month with the opportunity to qualify for the the 2022 Global Finals presented in partnership with TechCrunch on June 14, 2022.
XTC Singapore Regional Competition Recap
xtc20 April 4, 2022Learn more about the XTC Singapore 2022 regional competition and meet the winners.
XTC Netherlands Regional Competition Recap
xtc20 April 4, 2022Learn more about the XTC Netherlands/Belgium 2022 regional competition and meet the winners.
Join the Next Wave of Entrepreneurs Building a Decentralized Future
xtc20 March 29, 2022Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) and CoinDesk have joined forces to launch the inaugural, global Web 3 Pitch Fest as part of the Consensus Festival in June. This first-of-its-kind global competition aims to provide a platform for the massively innovative Web3 projects and communities worldwide.
NXP Supports Start-Ups with Extreme Tech Challenge
xtc20 March 14, 2022Read more about how partners NXP and LUMO Labs support XTC.
UNICEF and Extreme Tech Challenge Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance the Future of Learning
xtc20 March 1, 2022The Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are proud to announce the creation of the UNICEF EdTech Award as a special award in the Extreme Tech Challenge 2022 competition.
Extreme Tech Challenge Launches a New Regional Competition in Norway
xtc20 February 17, 2022The Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC), the world’s largest startup competition, is partnering with Innovation Norway, the Norwegian Government's most important instrument for innovation and development of Norwegian enterprises and industry to bring XTC to Norway for the first time!
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
People's Choice
UNICEF EdTech
Web3