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What is your BIG idea to improve the standard of living of a million Canadians using exponential technology?
Open to citizens and/or residents of Canada, apply to this Global Impact Challenge and tell us your idea.
Overview
The purpose of the 2019 SingularityU Canada Global Impact Challenge is to foster innovations and startups that positively impact the lives of people living in Canada, with an ability to scale and impact a billion people worldwide in 10 years.
What innovation would you develop to solve a global grand challenge (environment, energy, water, food, health, disaster resilience, governance, learning, space, security, prosperity, and shelter) using exponential technology that would impact the lives of a billion people in the next 10 years?
Do you have a moonshot idea that will:
- Improve computing power to make education more accessible?
- Develop alternative proteins to improve the outlook of global food security?
- Digitize manufacturing to increase prosperity?
- Scale AI to advance global supply chains?
- Balance oceanic ecosystems with marine-technologies?
- Or, an exponential technology to improve the lives of over a million Canadians?
Tell us your BIG idea.
Why host a Global Impact Challenge in Canada?
Canada has a celebrated history of world-changing innovations in medicine, energy, transportation, food, and technology. We have the talent, drive, dedication, and opportunity to succeed. Our creativity and resourcefulness define us and innovation is a Canadian value. Therefore, let’s rise to the occasion and showcase our innovative solutions to humanity’s biggest challenges and create solutions for millions of people in Canada and beyond.
Open to citizens and residents of Canada, apply to this challenge by submitting your BIG idea to improve the lives of one million+ Canadians using exponential technology and has the potential to impact a billion people in 10 years.
The prize
The winner of this challenge will secure a full scholarship to attend Singularity University’s Global Startup Program (GSP). The GSP helps future-focused entrepreneurs transform radical ideas into tangible impact on a global scale. It’s a structured, immersive program offering startup-focused educational resources and world-class mentorship from SU’s faculty, staff, and industry experts—in a safe, nurturing environment. The program aims to scale startups into global businesses. We want to inspire you to solve the world’s biggest challenges and impact the lives of a billion people. The GSP brings together entrepreneurs from around the world for structured, immersive workshops and intensive fieldwork in multiple locations around the globe, as well as continued access to support and resources via a best-in-class connectivity platform.
Starting in August 2019, the GSP will start by helping to cultivate a new mindset and toolset to overcome the challenges of technological disruption. Next, the program will work with you to accelerate your time to product-market fit, transform your startup from an idea to a venture that can help a billion people (“billion-scale”), and connect you with a global community to catalyze results. In short, GSP is designed to help you create a 10x startup at a global level.
What does the GSP do?
- Accelerates your growth
- Scales your operations for global impact
- Helps you strengthen your tech stack
- Connects you with a global network of mentors and investors
Dates and timeline
Applications open: November 21, 2018
Applications close: March 1, 2019
Finalists Announced & Live Pitch Event: May 29, 2019, Burnaby, BC, Canada
Open to citizens and/or residents of Canada, apply to this Global Impact Challenge and tell us your idea.
Sponsored by:
Rules & Criteria
Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- The challenge is open to residents and citizens of Canada
- You must be age 21 or older on the first day of the GSP
- You must be fluent in written and spoken English
- You must be able to participate in the entire Global Startup Program in South Africa and Mountain View, CA, USA
- Applicants selected as finalists will participate in the Live Pitch Event that will be held in June 2019 in Burnaby, BC, Canada
We will be really thrilled to find:
- SU mission alignment: You have a startup in one of the global grand challenge (GGC) spaces.
- Team: Your startup has at least two full-time co-founders.
- Experience: You have expertise in an exponential technology and/or a key GGC space.
- Time: Your venture is a fully formed entity, and is in the seed-stage or idea-stage.
- Traction: You have demonstrated market traction (LOIs, purchase orders, validated trials, sales, etc.).
- Eagerness to learn: You’re looking for a substantial shift in mindset and skill set, and are eager to globalize your startup and 10x your impact.
- Availability: You’re available to travel to South Africa for the Activate (four weeks) phase, and the SU campus in Mountain View for the Accelerate (four weeks) phase.
The GSP is for startups aligned with global grand challenges (GGCs) that want to 10x their current startup and scale it globally. We’re looking for startups that have experience with exponential technology, some level of demonstrated market traction, and an eagerness to radically level-up their business. Cohorts include founders from different countries, backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, and cultures, and you’ll find gender diversity in cohorts representing more than 40 countries.
If we’ve described you, please apply! Know someone else who’s a good fit? Please spread the word.
We will evaluate submissions using the following criteria:
- Degree of the solution’s relevance to the theme of the challenge
- The regional relevance in solving the challenge in Canada
- Project or Idea leverages exponential technology to solve the problem
- Feasibility, viability, and coherence of implementing the idea
- Impact & compelling need and potential to scale globally
- Committed existing team
- CV or resume
- Summary of accomplishments
- An abstract of the project idea
- Video (provide url) of the project idea
- Applications open: November 21, 2018
- Applications close: March 1, 2019
- Finalists Announced & Live Pitch Event: May 29, 2019, Burnaby, BC, Canada
GIC Organizing Team
Irene Sterian
President & CEO, ReMAP
2018 Head of Canada GIC
2017 Head of Canada GIC
2017 Canada Summit
2016 Exponential Manufacturing
Loretta Renard
VP Operations, ReMAP
2018 GIC Canada Lead
2017 GIC Canada
2017 Canada Summit
2017 SU Global Summit
Trish Hughes
Events & Program Lead, i-onConnect
Andrea Palmer
GEO, AwakeLabs
2015 Canada GIC Winner
Zac LeFevre
CEO, ChargeLab
2017 Canada GIC Winner
Ed Champion
CEO, Smart Villages Canada
2017 Canada GIC Winner
Frequently Asked Questions
Global Impact Challenges (GICs) are annual incentive competitions held in partnership with sponsor organizations worldwide and organized by geography and theme. These challenges act as a platform to identify outstanding entrepreneurs, technologists and scientists with the most innovative ideas for innovations and startups that can positively impact a billion people in 10 years. The winner of each challenge receives a full sponsorship to attend Singularity University’s 2019 Global Startup Program (GSP).
The GSP is for startups aligned with global grand challenges (GGCs) that want to 10x their current startup and scale it globally. We’re looking for startups that have experience with exponential technology, some level of demonstrated market traction, and an eagerness to radically level-up their business.
Ideal candidates full-time founders with a fully formed entity in the early-stage or seed-stage.
Intellectual property resulting from a GIC belongs to the applicant(s).
The selection process has 2-3 phases, depending on the GIC. The first phase involves a review of all applications to determine 5-10 finalists, and the second phase involves final judging to select the winner at a pitch event.
Yes, there is an expectation for winners to continue working on their winning projects.
GIC winners are responsible for their own travel expenses to/from SU.
In all cases where a GIC winner cannot attend GSP, the winner forfeits his or her GSP seat to the first runner-up and would then need to reapply for admission in a future year.
For more information, see the Global Solutions Program.
Still have questions?
Contact the SingularityU Canada Global Impact Challenge team at canada@gic.su.org, or contact the Global Impact Challenge team at SU at gic@su.org.