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61 tech entrepreneur finalists will pitch their solutions to expert judges and 400+ leaders; the most promising 32 will form the next Solver class and access more than $1.5 million in prize funding and in-kind services as part of the nine-month Solver program
- Livestream the event on September 22 at solve.mit.edu
- The full agenda is available here
- To apply for press credentials, please email press@solve.mit.edu
September 16, 2019 (Cambridge, MA)—Solve, an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), today announced 61 tech entrepreneur finalists from 22 countries—selected from a pool of nearly 1,400 applications from over 100 countries to Solve’s 2019 Global Challenges—will pitch their solutions at Solve Challenge Finals on September 22 in New York City during UN General Assembly week.
The event will launch with an opening plenary featuring Anousheh Ansari, CEO, XPRIZE and M. Sanjayan, CEO, Conservation International, and Sanjay Sarma, Vice President for Open Learning, MIT, discussing how to bridge the innovation gap needed to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Throughout the day, finalists will pitch solutions to one of Solve’s 2019 Global Challenges: (1) Circular Economy, (2) Community-Driven Innovation, (3) Early Childhood Development, and (4) Healthy Cities.
“The quality of applicants this year is remarkable,” said Alex Amouyel, Executive Director of MIT Solve. “We’re excited to see which teams will join this year’s Solver class to tackle the world’s most pressing Challenges with the support of Solve’s sponsors and members and the MIT community.”
Finalists pitch for three minutes each to a live audience and Solve’s panel of expert judges from organizations such as the World Bank Group, Nike, Cisco, LEGO Foundation, General Motors, the United Nations, and MIT. Following finalists’ pitches, Jesper Brodin, President and CEO, Ingka Group (IKEA); Sara Menker, CEO, Gro Intelligence; Monique Idlett, Founder and Managing Partner, Reign Ventures; Vijay Vaitheeswaran, US Business Editor, The Economist; and D. Fox Harrell, Professor of Digital Media and Artificial Intelligence and Director, MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality, MIT will exchange views on inclusive innovation and entrepreneurship.
Out of the finalists, 32 will be selected as Solver teams. More than $1.5 million is available in prize funding for selected Solver teams, including among many others:
- The AI Innovations Prize, supported by the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation and Schmidt Futures
- The GM Prize on Community-Driven Innovation and the GM Prize on Circular Economy
- Innovation for Women Prize supported by the Vodafone Americas Foundation
- The Morgridge Family Foundation Community-Driven Innovation Prize
Selected Solver teams will then have access to the nine-month Solver program where they will be connected to additional in-kind services and opportunities provided by Solve sponsors and members, as well as the MIT community and build partnerships that help advance their impact.
The full event program can be found here. Finalists and judges can be found here:
- Circular Economy finalists and judges
- Community-Driven Innovation finalists and judges
- Early Childhood Development finalists and judges
- Healthy Cities finalists and judges
Media interested in attending Solve Challenge Finals should contact Solve at press@solve.mit.edu. Non-media interested in attending can inquire about Solve membership at membership@solve.mit.edu.
About MIT Solve:
MIT Solve is an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that advances lasting solutions from tech entrepreneurs to address the world's most pressing problems. Solve issues four Global Challenges each year to find the most promising Solver teams who will drive transformational change. Solve then deploys its global community of private, public, and nonprofit leaders to form the partnerships these Solver teams need to scale their impact. This year, Solve received nearly 1,400 solutions from over 100 countries tackling its four Global Challenges: (1) Circular Economy, (2) Community-Driven Innovation, (3) Early Childhood Development, and (4) Healthy Cities. Join the community at solve.mit.edu.