It is finally time to determine who will be named this year’s top Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) startup as the seven outstanding category winners of this year’s XTC competition face-off in the Global Finals on July 15, 2020. The theme of the 2020 XTC competition is ‘Pitch for Hope’ – an apt theme as these startups are bringing hope to the world as we all navigate extremely uncertain times.

More than 2,400 startups tackling some of the most important global challenges applied from across 87 countries with one shared goal in mind -- to harness the power of technology to address the biggest challenges facing humankind and to make the planet a more sustainable and prosperous place for all of us. Next, 52 shortlisted startups were chosen from the initial pool of applicants, who pitched their solutions to a prestigious panel of more than 80 leading investors and industry experts. Watch the trailer here.

Following additional selection rounds, the final set of seven finalists who were chosen to compete in the Global Finals include:

  • Genecis (Cleantech & Energy)
  • Hala Systems (Enabling Technologies)
  • MicroGen Biotech (Agriculture, Food & Water)
  • ReWire (Fintech)
  • Saathi (Healthcare)
  • SPRK.Global (Transportation & Smart Cities)
  • TOMi.Digital (Education)

On July 15th, these finalists will make their last pitch to a prestigious panel of six investors that includes: Young Sohn, Corporate President and Chief Strategy Officer, Samsung Electronics, Chairman of the Board, HARMAN, and Co-founder of XTC; Jerry Yang, internet legend and Yahoo! Co-founder; Tim Draper, Founding Partner, Draper Associates; Philippe Botteri, Partner, Accel; Rafaèle Tordjman, Founder, Jeito Capital; and Bill Tai, Partner Emeritus, Charles River Ventures, and Co-founder of XTC.

After hearing each pitch, the judging panel will select the winners of the COVID-19 Innovation Award, Female Founder Award, and the Global Winner of XTC 2020. To hear from all seven finalists and find out who the overall XTC winner will be, register here. Or, you can watch the livestream below on July 15th at 10:00 am PST:

 

Through our partnership with the Extreme Tech Challenge, HARMAN is supportive of all the participants who are trying to change the world for better with their groundbreaking ideas and innovations. We wish all the best to the seven finalists and look forward to the grand finale on July 15th!