XPRIZE

Finalist Teams of the #XPRIZEWildfire Space-Based Detection & Intelligence Track are heading to Australia in April to participate in live fire testing! 🔥 Learn more about finals testing in our latest edition of The XChange. Plus… 🚀 Listen to XPRIZE CEO Anousheh Ansari’s episode of the Jump Podcast with Dev Patnaik where she discusses the power of bold challenges to tackle the world’s greatest issues, from wildfire management to water scarcity to human health. 🩺 #XPRIZEHealthspan has been at the forefront of recent global conversations! Get a recap of XPRIZE EVP, Health Jamie Justice, Ph.D. at The Royal Society’s recent conference, plus more info on Dr. Justice’s upcoming speaking engagements. 🔬 Lauren Greenlee, XPRIZE EVP, Food + Water + Waste, is speaking on the From Feedstock to Fork: De-Risking Bio-Based Foods at Industrial Scale Panel at the SynBioBeta 2026. Get more details here. … and more! Subscribe to The XChange newsletter here on LinkedIn or on XPRIZE.org to have it delivered to your inbox every month: https://lnkd.in/gZRVq-ms

Access to water transforms lives, but too many women are still left behind. 🚰 According to this article, women are responsible for collecting water in over 70% of rural households without mains access, spending 250 million hours every day to get water. https://lnkd.in/gvSMct_x The effects of water scarcity on women are far-reaching, touching health, education, and economic opportunity. ➡️ Climate change intensifies the burden on women. ➡️ Health and safety are at stake: poor sanitation in clinics endangers women during childbirth. Between 2016–2022, 10 million adolescent girls in lower-income countries missed school or social activities due to lack of toilets. ➡️ Research shows that when women participate in water management, entire communities thrive. #XPRIZEWaterScarcity is accelerating change. By incentivizing teams to develop breakthrough innovations in seawater desalination, the competition is helping to bring access to clean water to women, and entire communities. Learn more about the competition here. https://xprize.org/water

Geothermal is reaching a critical inflection point, and the next breakthroughs may come from above ground. ♨️ At CERAWeek 2026 in Houston, XPRIZE and Project InnerSpace announced a collaboration to design a landmark incentive prize focused on geothermal surface systems aimed at accelerating deployment and unlocking scalable growth. XPRIZE EVP, Energy + Climate + Nature, David Babson, also hosted a panel at CERAWeek titled, “Spinning Up Without Spinning Out: Advancing Turbomachinery Tech and Growing the Turbine Supply Chain.” The discussion brought together industry leaders to explore how to enhance turbine production efficiency, strengthen supply chain resilience, and unlock faster geothermal deployment. Panelists included Spencer Jackson (Critical Energy) and Joseph Bonafin (Turboden). While subsurface innovation has surged, surface systems are now a key bottleneck, impacting cost, speed, and scalability. What the prize will aim to solve: ➡️ Advance integrated surface plant systems (including turbomachinery) ➡️ Reduce costs and long lead times ➡️ Improve manufacturability and deployment speed ➡️ Enable more modular, scalable geothermal solutions Some key topics discussed at CERAWeek included: ➡️ The growing role of demand-pull innovation ➡️ How incentive competitions like XPRIZE can unlock breakthroughs markets alone can’t ➡️ Why solving system-level challenges is essential for gigawatt-scale deployment Leaders across the ecosystem, from manufacturers to developers, investors, and policymakers, are helping shape the prize design and future of geothermal. As momentum builds, the focus shifts to translating rising demand and capital into scalable geothermal projects. To learn more about XPRIZE’s collaboration with Project Innerspace, visit here. https://lnkd.in/e3xzVWnW

Excited to see we are finally getting more taction in the USA! The Cordillera Metro district in Colorado just announced the deployment of 1,100 Dryad Networks #Silvanet wildfire sensors between April and August to detect wildfires as early as the smoldering phase. The need for and potential benefits of ultra-early detection are clear: “If Cordillera were to take a big fire, we need more like 100 fire engines to even make a meaningful impact. A community like Wildridge, 200 engines,” said Hugh Fairfield-Smith, division chief of wildland for the Eagle River Fire Protection District. “We have to get to these fires as quick as possible, otherwise we don’t have enough people.” “We’re now buying minutes when seconds count,” Fairfield-Smith said. “We’re getting there three, four, five times faster than we normally would because of the early sensor.” When a wildfire camera spots a fire or when someone sees a fire and calls 911, “typically that fire will have been burning for at least 25 to 30 minutes, and in many cases, especially in high timber forests, in the duffy components, like needles and timber litter, it can burn for days before it has the right conditions to come out,” Fairfield-Smith said. “A perfect example of that is the Sylvan Lake Fire. The lightning strike that started that fire hit six days prior to us even knowing about that fire, and when it happened, it escalated very quickly.” The Dryad sensors can detect a fire “before you can even see smoke,” Fairfield-Smith said. We are proud to help protect Cordillera a mountaintop paradise with miles of trails to discover, and adventures to be had. Thanks to Eric Barnett for handling this critical deployment! 🔗 Link to the article in the comments.

Quantum computing sits at a crossroads: extraordinary promise on the horizon, but real challenges in turning theory into global impact. Where are we currently in the quantum field? At the moment, hardware is still years away from scale. High costs and hype risk leaving societal applications behind. But with barriers come breakthroughs, and that’s exactly what XPRIZE #QuantumApplications aims to achieve. This 3-year, $5M global competition is helping to create a future where scientists, policymakers, and business leaders unite to direct quantum toward solving humanity’s toughest challenges. Here are some ways quantum can be used for real-world impact: ➡️ Accelerating molecular simulations, paving the way for new medicines, materials, and renewable energy. ➡️ Advancing differential equations to reshape engineering and modeling. ➡️ Boosting data analysis and pattern recognition, though hybrid approaches will likely come first. ➡️ Transforming industries like supply chains, shipping, and power grids. The path forward requires collaboration, accessibility, and global inclusion. Learn more about XPRIZE Quantum Applications here. https://xprize.org/qc-apps XPRIZE Quantum Applications is made possible thanks to the generous support of title sponsor Google Quantum AI and presenting partner GESDA - Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator Foundation.

At the intersection of innovation and urgency, the future of health is taking shape. 🩺 At the 2026 ATOM (“Advanced Tomorrow”) Partners Forum in Los Angeles, XPRIZE partnered with UCLA to convene 200+ global leaders, innovators, and decision-makers for two days of forward-looking dialogue and connection. Hosted at UCLA’s Luskin Conference Center, the event explored how emerging challenges and breakthroughs are reshaping human health and wellbeing. With XPRIZE Founder and Executive Chairman Peter H. Diamandis, MD, XPRIZE CEO Anousheh Ansari, and XPRIZE EVP, Health and #XPRIZEHealthspan Executive Director Jamie Justice, Ph.D. in attendance, the conversations reflected both urgency and optimism around what’s ahead. XPRIZE Board Member Eric Esrailian and Dr. Diamandis took part in a discussion tracing Diamandis’ journey from bold beginnings to championing an age of abundance, and why exponential thinking is critical to solving humanity’s biggest challenges. The event also featured a panel moderated by Ansari with Dr. Justice, Eric Verdin, and Nizar Zein, exploring how innovators, institutions, and initiatives are reimagining the future of aging—from scientific breakthroughs to bold ideas shaping longer, healthier lives. Some more key themes from the event included: ➡️ The intersection of climate, geopolitics, and human health, and what it means for healthspan ➡️ Breakthroughs in medical innovation, AI, diagnostics, and wearable technologies ➡️ The growing importance of neuro health and preventative care ➡️ Investment trends shaping the future of healthcare and global access ➡️ The role of bold, cross-sector collaboration in driving meaningful progress From big ideas to actionable insights, the event continues to spark momentum toward a healthier, more resilient future for everyone. To learn more about XPRIZE’s work in Health and the $101M XPRIZE Healthspan competition, visit here. https://lnkd.in/gUUngtqV #AdvancedTomorrow #ATOM

Do you know the XPRIZE Canada Hub at UCalgary? Our leadership in Canada’s innovation ecosystem makes us the ideal location for accelerating Canada’s involvement in XPRIZE and a gathering point for global innovation leaders. https://lnkd.in/gtbgk6ua XPRIZE

We're so proud to see several XPRIZE alumni in TIME's Top GreenTech Companies of 2026 list including... 🌎 UPSIDE Foods 🌎 Capture6 🌎 BlueNalu Congratulations to these companies! We're thrilled to see their impactful work being recognized.

Ebb is proud to be recognized as one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies of 2026! 🌊 This achievement reflects the dedication of our team, partners and customers who are paving the way for scalable, responsible and low-cost ocean-based carbon removal. By integrating our tech into desalination infrastructure, we're unlocking a ~1 billion tonne of CO₂ removal / year opportunity while simultaneously increasing freshwater recovery and producing valuable industrial chemicals. This is a big opportunity, and we're just getting started. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g5BHENQv #FCMostInnovative #EbbCarbon #CarbonRemoval #Climatetech

We’re excited to introduce Flow – Clean Air Edition. Created with Almanac Beer Co., it’s the first beer carbonated using CO₂ captured directly from the atmosphere with an on-site direct air capture system. Instead of relying on fossil-derived CO₂ supply chains, the gas used in this beer was pulled from the air just before reaching customers’ glasses. This launch shows something important: direct air capture can integrate into real-world production today. Grateful to Rachel Nuwer for covering the story and helping bring this milestone to a wider audience in The New York Times. Read the piece here: https://lnkd.in/ezG7XCUd And if you’re in California, Flow – Clean Air Edition can be found in over 800 retailers statewide, including Safeway, Whole Foods, Total Wine, BevMo and more. #DirectAirCapture #ClimateTech #CO2asAService #CraftBeer