Join the 2025 Global Challenger Innovation Contest: Driving Inclusion Through Innovation

HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 28, 2025--

The 10x1000 Tech for Inclusion community and next-generation corporate venture partner xcube.co launched the Global Challenger Innovation Contest 2025 at the JUMPSTARTER 2025 event in Hong Kong SAR, China, building on the success of the 2024 competition. Now in its second year, the contest continues to empower visionaries to create tech-driven solutions that promote inclusion and drive social impact.

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The Global Challenger Innovation Contest was inaugurated in 2024 as a flagship project of 10x1000 Tech for Inclusion, a global initiative supported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Ant International, to empower emerging tech leaders to create innovative solutions for financial inclusion and social impact. The inaugural Contest attracted submissions from around the world addressing critical global challenges, from education inclusion to sustainability. In 2025, the competition will focus on more grounded and actionable innovations that bring concrete transformations.

Key Themes for Submission

Participants are invited to submit innovative solutions in four key areas:

A Shared Mission of Impact

Leiming Chen, Chief Sustainability Officer of Ant International, said: “Building on the success of 2024, the Global Challenger 2025 continues to inspire innovators to create solutions that address global challenges. Together with xcube.co, we aim to empower more visionaries to shape a more inclusive and sustainable future.”

Sebastien Picard, Founder and Group CEO of xcube.co, added: “At xcube.co, we believe deeply in the transformative power of corporate venturing and open innovation. By partnering with 10x1000 Tech for Inclusion, we aim to identify and support visionary changemakers who are dedicated to addressing global challenges through innovative solutions. We look forward to seeing ideas that will significantly impact humanity.”

The mission of the 10x1000 Tech for Inclusion community is to nurture and inspire at least 1,000 tech leaders annually over the next decade. By the end of 2024, the program has partnered with over 50 institutions worldwide to connect over 7,000 individual talents from more than 110 countries and regions within the global digital community.

xcube.co is a new-generation corporate venture partner specializing in ideating, validating, launching and scaling corporate venture portfolios. With a mission to make a positive impact on humanity, the company supports corporations in mitigating risks associated with corporate venturing and open innovation initiatives.

How to Participate

Visit https://www.10x1000.org/globalchallenger to submit your ideas by April 26, 2025. Learn more about the themes, judging criteria, and how to gain mentorship and visibility through 10x1000’s extensive network.

The top submissions will receive mentorship, funding opportunities, and recognition for scaling their innovations. The 2025 grand finale is expected to culminate in a showcase event.

10x1000 Tech for Inclusion and xcube.co jointly launched the Global Challenger Innovation Contest in Hong Kong SAR, China, at the JUMPSTARTER 2025 event.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were evacuated overnight from the official governor’s residence after someone set fire to the building, police said Sunday.

No one was injured and the fire was extinguished, according to authorities.

The fire broke out overnight on the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover, which Shapiro and his family had celebrated at the governor's official residence in the state capital of Harrisburg. Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement that, while the investigation was ongoing, they were “prepared to say at this time that this was an act of arson.”

State police gave no other details about the cause of the fire at the riverfront mansion but said it caused a “significant amount of damage” to a portion of the residence. Shapiro and his family had been in a different part of the residence, police said.

In a statement, Shapiro, viewed as a potential White House contender for the Democratic Party in 2028, said he and his family woke up at about 2 a.m. to bangs on the door from the Pennsylvania State Police after the fire broke out.

The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire was called to the residence and, while they worked to put out the fire, police evacuated Shapiro and his family from the residence safely, Shapiro said.

“Thank God no one was injured and the fire was extinguished,” Shapiro said in a statement.

On Sunday, fire damage was visible on the residence's south side, primarily to a large room often used for entertaining crowds and art displays. There was still a police presence early Sunday afternoon as yellow tape cordoned off an alleyway and an officer led a dog outside a iron security fence.

Shapiro splits his time between the mansion that has housed governors since it was built in the 1960s and a home in Abington, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) east. He posted a picture on social media Saturday of the family's Passover Seder table at the residence.

State police are leading the investigation. The agency offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

The windows and door is damaged from an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)

Investigators are on the scene after an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)

The windows and door is damaged from an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)

FILE - Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro delivers his budget address for the 2025-26 fiscal year to a joint session of the state House and Senate at the Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)