QBE North America is pleased to announce that of the more than 650 entries to the QBE AcceliCITY Resilience Challenge submitted this year, the top 100 resilience solutions, 50 from the Western Hemisphere division and 50 from the Eastern Hemisphere, have been selected to advance to the next stage of the competition.
Now in its fifth year with partner Leading Cities, the QBE AcceliCITY Resilience Challenge is open to entrepreneurs whose ventures utilize smart-city solutions to address risk, equity and sustainability in urban environments. Primary challenge winners will receive up to $150,000 in prize money to fund a city pilot project, as well as publicity, mentoring and access to unique web-based courses.
In addition to the Primary Smart City challenge, two Smart Challenge tracks that complement QBE’s focus on commercial property protection and crop insurance are available. For these tracks, QBE looks to identify entrepreneurs whose solutions speak to our business focus, as well as our commitment to sustainability. More than 650 companies from 80 countries submitted entries for this year’s Challenge, up 20% from last year. The globally sourced and expert-vetted solutions proposed ideas to address a range of challenges, including clean water, renewable energy, urban agriculture, property protection and using technology to enhance agricultural processes.
“With the QBE AcceliCITY Resilience Challenge, we are searching for innovative companies that have developed real, practical solutions to the real challenges our communities face,” said Mike Lake, founder and CEO of Leading Cities. “Our goal is to identify innovative solutions from around the world that can be deployed directly in a community to create tangible, positive impact.”
The QBE AcceliCITY program and its partners help these companies succeed by connecting them with mentors from Leading Cities’ global network of smart city experts and city leaders.
With the application process behind them, these companies will now participate in a three-month, web-based curriculum featuring smart city leaders from around the world. Companies selected as finalists will participate in the QBE AcceliCITY Boot Camp, where they will compete for the opportunity to win up to $150,000 in prize money to fund a pilot of their solution directly within a community.
Learn more about the Top 100 QBE AcceliCITY Resilience Solutions here.
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