01
First Place
$100K uncapped SAFE
Year-long support on company building with Yope by Michael Baum ($28B acquisition)
Mentorship from Critical's partners, Lowercarbon Capital, and industry experts
02
Second Place
$15K non-dilutive grant
1:1 support from Critical's GPs
Mentorship from Lowercarbon Capital, $1B+ founders, and industry experts
03
Third Place
$10K non-dilutive grant
1:1 support from Critical's GPs
Mentorship from Lowercarbon Capital, $1B+ founders, and industry experts
Partners
- Yope Foundation
- Khosla Ventures
- Lowercarbon Capital
- Goodwin Procter
- Critical Foundation
The next wave of trillion-dollar companies will come from students solving critical problems.
In the last decade, venture venture has prioritized investing in areas that have served the VC model but created limited societal change. We’re not interested in the incremental.
Today’s students are building enduring companies that tackle existential problems in climate, healthcare, and economic opportunity. Many are gearing up to go full time as we move towards the summer. We’ve created this prize to help them make the jump.
We’re excited to partner with the founder of Splunk ($28B) and investors from Khosla, General Catalyst, and Lowercarbon to support more young founders tackling problems that matter. We can't wait to hear about what you're working on -- we have feeling it might just change the world.
Seungkwon, Sam, and Max
Problem Areas
Climate
The climate crisis is an existential threat. At the same time, it's an opportunity to rethink our most critical industries. Breakthroughs in nuclear energy, critical materials, and natural disaster adaptation require more work. Novel hardware is needed to enable the solution alongside new software tools to orchestrate them. We’re excited by opportunities in both categories to push our planet forward.
Healthcare
The US healthcare system is behind. New technology has the potential to revolutionize the industry. Innovations in programmable biology, remote monitoring, and digital therapeutics are already here. We’re looking for solutions that reduce costs and improve outcomes, for everyone.
Economic Opportunity
While the last decade generated tremendous wealth for some, many Americans remain left behind. AI has the opportunity to expand access to education, skill development, and fair work. We’re interested in how new technologies can help underserved populations build wealth.
Other
There’s a lot these categories don't cover. If you’ve got plans to build a big business that helps other people, we want to hear about it. There’s no such thing as too early or too crazy.
Timeline
March 24
Applications Open
April 16
Applications Close
April 28
Finalists Announced
May 2
Winners Announced