Excitement Builds as 2020 XTC Global Finals Approach
As the coronavirus spreads, we find ourselves urgently navigating a new reality. At Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC), we’re staying focused on our mission: empower startups to innovate and meet the growing challenges we face as a society. More than ever, we continue to believe that technology, properly harnessed, can help everyone on the planet enter a new chapter that is brighter, healthier, and better prepared.
As the Global Finals approach, XTC2020 has made big strides. So far:
- More than 2,400 startups from 87 countries have applied to XTC2020. They are addressing challenges in healthcare; education; agriculture, food and water; cleantech and energy; fintech; transportation and smart cities; and enabling technologies.
- A total of 11 regional events have been completed in 10 countries worldwide, generating 31 finalists. Three regional events—XTC Tokyo, XTC Indonesia, and XTC Sydney—were held virtually.
- More than 30 organizations have become XTC partners, including the recently added Intel, Deutsche Telekom Innovation Labs, Fujitsu, Microsoft, and Tech Mahindra.
Three Regional Events Crown Nine More Global Finalists
The last three regional events of XTC2020 generated nine more finalists.
XTC Indonesia, hosted March 18 in Jakarta by our partner Kejora Ventures, selected startups focusing on urbanization and environmental issues:
- Qlue (Transportation and Smart Cities) is using AI and IoT technologies to build a platform that addresses the ever-growing urbanization issues facing cities globally.
- Geofast Rumah 3D (Cleantech and Energy) is developing fast-setting cement made of nickel slag or nickel industry waste that hardens faster than conventional cement, with less strain on the environment.
- SWAP Energi (Transportation and Smart Cities) is working to reduce fossil-fuel pollution in cities by building fast battery-exchange stations for electric motorcycles, beginning with the city of Jakarta.
On March 25, XTC Singapore hosted by our partner SGInnovate, yielded startups focusing on deep tech solutions:
- Lucence (Healthcare) is a precision oncology company developing state-of-the-art, highly sensitive liquid biopsy tests for detecting disease and selecting treatments.
- SEPPURE (Cleantech and Energy) provides a sustainable solution to widely used industrial chemical separations, resulting in 90% less energy consumption and pollution.
- Turtle Tree Labs (AgTech, Food and Water) is using proprietary cell-based methods to generate safe, clean milk and milk products from any mammal.
XTC Sydney, held April 6 as a virtual event via Zoom hosted by our partner ACTAI Global, whittled 103 applicants to 15 pitching startups and to three finalists:
- Okra Solar (Cleantech and Energy) is addressing the 1 billion people who currently lack access to energy with its plug-and-play, reliable, affordable energy-access technology.
- Headsafe (Healthcare) provides a portable, easy-to-use headset that uses clinically validated technology to measure the brain’s electrical activity and assess brain function, especially in cases of concussion and other brain injuries.
- Swoop Aero (Transportation and Smart Cities) offers autonomous drones as a service to transport essential supplies, enabling healthcare and other organizations to access places that are otherwise impossible to reach.
Global Finals Set
On June 5, the XTC evaluation committee will announce 52 top startups. These startups will join a virtual boot camp in June, where they will connect with a network of investors, corporations, and mentors.
In late June, the finalists will pitch the XTC Evaluation Committee, who will select one winner per category, the Female Founder Award winner, and the COVID-19 Innovation Award winner.
The category winners and special award winners will be announced at the XTC Global Finals virtual event on July 15, 2020. There, each startup will pitch to world-leading investors, who will select the XTC Global Winner.
Although originally scheduled live events will now take place virtually, participants still gain all the benefits of XTC. Stay tuned for more updates and don’t forget to check back to join the Finals Livestream on July 15.