QBE, Ashoka announce finalists for the Urban Resilience Challenge

After reviewing nearly 100 entries, QBE North America, in collaboration with Ashoka, a global organization that identifies and invests in leading social entrepreneurs, has announced the 10 finalists for the Urban Resilience Challenge.

The QBE and Ashoka Urban Resilience Challenge is a countrywide initiative that recognizes and supports transformative, product-centered, technical innovations from for-profit organizations that impact policy and the broader urban ecosystem.

On Oct. 16, 2019, the finalists will pitch their projects to a panel of business and social impact leaders in New York City. The winner (The Urban Champion) will be awarded $75,000, while the runner-up (The Urban Pioneer) will receive $25,000.

“Sustainability is a key priority for QBE because it’s not just about what we do, it’s how we do things,” Truett Tate, chairman of the board of QBE North America, said in a statement. “Through this challenge, we are teaming up with Ashoka to find the next generation of bold ideas to make our world a more sustainable place. By activating powerful innovations, we hope to help our local communities become more resilient to constantly evolving physical, social and economic challenges.”

The finalists

Tim Scheu, director of partnership management and global partnerships team at Ashoka, said in a release, “Ashoka and QBE believe in the power of innovation — that the key to building thriving, resilient cities lies with social entrepreneurs who are championing new, transformative ideas.”

The challenge’s four categories and respective finalists are listed below

• The Built Environment (Infrastructure): Innovations which improve a city’s ability to manage its physical assets through a natural disaster, environmental degradation, as well as the overall capacity needs of urban spaces.
  • Finalist: Omega Grid
• Sustainable Economies: Innovations that expand the economic ecosystem and diversity within an urban area, such as the use of technology to create new industries.
  • Finalists: Cityflag, Citysense and SensCity
• Food, Water, & Waste: Innovations which improve access to sustainable and healthy food, clean water and reduce waste.
  • Finalists: Arqlite, Biocollection, Dox and Exergy
• Public Health & Safety: Innovations that improve welfare and protection of the public, environmental health and behavior, city livability, and access to justice, rule of law, and law enforcement.
  • Finalists: Drugviu and ODN

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