Intel Global Challenge Brings International Entrepreneurs to Haas

In its most diverse lineup to date, the Intel Global Challenge will feature 29 teams from 20 countries at the seventh annual competition at UC Berkeley Nov. 7-10.

The teams will convene at Haas to vie for a total of $100,000 in prizes during the competition, which will culminate in an awards ceremony and keynote address by Intel Fellow and Labs Director Genevieve Bell on Thursday, Nov. 10, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Bank of America Forum and Andersen Auditorium. To register for this event, visit entrepreneurship.berkeley.edu/bef/Nov11_forum.html.

Sponsored by Intel and hosted by the Lester Center for Entrepreneurship, the Intel Global Challenge showcases business opportunities with the potential for positive societal impacts through the commercialization of new technologies. Winning teams from regional competitions throughout Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the U.S.–including, for the first time, Portugal, Uruguay, and the Philippines–will bring their ideas to Berkeley for evaluation by a panel of 24 venture capitalists and technology experts.

“Entrepreneurship is a force for global good and we appreciate Intel's generosity in sponsoring the challenge,” says Lester Center Executive Director Andre Marquis. “Teams from around the world will connect with each other, learn through the competition, and experience the incredible energy of Berkeley's startup environment while showcasing their innovations.”

UC Berkeley’s NextDrop, one of two local teams and the winner of the 2011 Global Social Venture Competition, seeks to improve water security in parts of the developing world through interactive telephone reports. The other local team, UCSF’s BioPaint, has devised a technology to monitor blood flowing through the cardiovascular system and to measure blood clots in real time.

This year’s competition features a number of firsts. Three new awards of $5,000 each will recognize social innovation, young innovators, and emerging markets. And on Tuesday, Nov. 8, all teams will travel to Intel’s campus in Santa Clara to showcase their innovations in a poster session and practice their pitches with Intel staff and Haas faculty and mentors.

Concurrent with the Intel Global Challenge, the Lester Center will host 65 faculty and administrators from around the world for the Global Entrepreneurship Leadership Symposium. Haas entrepreneurship faculty will teach attendees about promoting entrepreneurship within their own institutions. Attendees also will observe the Intel semifinals and select their own finalists. For more information, visit entrepreneurshipchallenge.org.

Back