Which Startups Will Earn a Spot on the Stage at XTC Global Finals?
Eight More Qualify at Regional Competitions
From Jerusalem to Seoul, entrepreneurs around the world have gathered to pitch big ideas for a better future. More than 1,500 innovators have applied to the 2020 Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC), participating in regional events held in 10 different countries, hoping to be named an XTC global winner at XTC Global Finals.
XTC, the world’s largest startup competition for entrepreneurs addressing global challenges, empowers innovators working in seven categories inspired by the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“The world is at a pivotal moment when advances in tech, data and artificial intelligence could solve many of the world’s most pressing problems,” said Shankar Chandran, Senior Vice President and head of Samsung Catalyst Fund. “The goal of XTC is to harness the incredible opportunity and energy of this moment, supporting promising startups with the potential to make a real difference.”
As the application deadline draws near for XTC 2020, eight new regional competition winners are now making plans to attend the XTC 2020 Finals Bootcamp. At the bootcamp, approximately 35 XTC global finalists will have a unique opportunity to get advice and pitch active investors and corporate leaders.
The top 7 companies will pitch on the main stage at XTC Global Finals to globally renown judges and an audience of thousands—and vie to be one of seven XTC global category winners.
Startups participating in XTC have a great deal to gain, including:
- Global visibility, both as regional finalists and especially with the chance to pitch to thousands of tech leaders at XTC Global Finals
- Funding potential, with access to leading investors who might invest capital to help the startups grow
- Corporate collaborations, through the opportunity to engage with senior members of global corporations and venture capital firms
- World-class mentorship, by luminary judges and other industry leaders and experts able to work with the startups to help address their challenges and growth opportunities
“The overall quality of the startups participating in XTC so far, both as direct applicants and through the regional competitions, is extremely impressive,” said Eric Buatois, General Partner at Benhamou Global Ventures, an XTC judge. “I’m optimistic about the ability of this generation of startups to have a genuine impact on many global challenges.”
Regional Competition Finalists from GCVI Summit, OurCrowd Summit, and XTC Japan
Three of the latest XTC finalists participated in a regional event at the fifth annual Global Corporate Venturing & Innovation (GCVI) Summit in Monterey, California, on January 30, 2020. The GCVI Summit has become known as a must-attend event for corporate venturing and innovation professionals.
Three more XTC finalists entered through the OurCrowd Global Investor Summit, held on February 13 in Jerusalem. More than 23,000 people from 186 countries participated in the 2020 OurCrowd Summit, which has become one of the largest and most important tech events in the world—and the biggest business event in Israel’s history.
The XTC Japan 2020 regional competition, held February 26 in Tokyo, awarded two more XTC regional finalists. At the event, hosted by IT Farm, a leading VC in Japan, startups presented to top investors from IT Farm, TomyK, Ristumeikan University, and Plug and Play Japan.
The eight newest finalists represented five of the seven XTC categories.
Agtech:
- FarmSense is combining the power of machine learning with advanced hardware engineering to develop smart pest monitoring systems—enabling farmers to better manage pesticide usage, decrease costs, and reduce the $150 billion worth of crops destroyed globally each year due to insects.
- CropX pursues data-driven farming, integrating data from both above and below ground to optimize and automate farm management. CropX enables farmers to harness the power of sensors and data to optimize irrigation, fertilization, sowing, and crop protection to reduce waste, maximize crop yields, and increase profitability.
- Beewise offers an autonomous beehive—based on AI, robotics, and computer vision—that enables beekeepers to remotely treat their hives and care for their bees so they can live, thrive, and pollinate safely.
Health:
- Blood loss is the leading cause of preventable death for both civilians and military personnel. Cayuga Biotech uses nanotechnology and biomaterials to develop new drugs and devices able to accelerate the body’s natural blood coagulation process—thereby limiting blood loss, saving lives, and minimizing post-injury recovery time.
- Instalimb creates affordable and high-quality 3D printed prosthetics and orthotics using 3D-CAD, 3D printing, and machine learning/AI technology, delivering prosthetic legs to people all around the globe.
Education:
- Educational Vision Technologies (EVT) autonomously generates online classes and study materials to help students excel. By capturing, distilling, and connecting educational information, EVT also allows educators to save money and time in the creation of online courses.
Fintech:
- Rewire is building the first neobank for migrants, which is reinventing the way millions of international migrant workers manage their finances.
Enabling Technology:
- Axelspace is delivering a novel way to observe our planet. The company’s microsatellite technology and monitoring platform produces high-resolution satellite imagery covering the entire earth on a daily basis. Offered at a low cost, Axelspace’s Axelglobe service enables businesses, governments, and NGOs to make better decisions for the planet.
Application Deadline April 30
The XTC 2020 finalists presenting at XTC Global Finals will be drawn from both regional competition winners and those chosen through the standard application process. But time is running out for the chance to gain a coveted finalist spot.
Applications for XTC 2020 close on April 30, 2020. Startups that have not yet applied can still do so at https://extremetechchallenge.org/. Don’t miss out on this chance to turn Tech for Good ambitions into the tangible benefits offered by XTC.