Challenge Cup Festival, a global startup pitch competition hosted by D.C. technology incubator 1776 and backed by a cohort of high profile corporate sponsors, has announced its semifinalists for the energy and sustainability category. North Carolina-based BaseTrace, developer of a DNA tracer that can be added to industrial/energy waste and runoff to keep manufacturers accountable, and New York-based Radiator Labs, maker of intelligent radiators, will be moving on to Saturday’s Global Finals round with a fresh $50,000 in the pocket.
The overall winner of the Challenge Cup Global Final will be awarded $150,000 in an investment from 1776. The Challenge Cup Global Finals will take place on Saturday at 5 p.m. in the Sydney Harman Hall. In addition, each category winner — in this case, either BaseTrace or Radiator Labs — will win an expenses-paid trip to several key industry events. These startups will be introduced to 1776’s network of mentors, investors, entrepreneurs while in the District.
“BaseTrace and Radiator Labs are extremely impressive companies, and set themselves apart as two of the world’s most promising energy & sustainability startups. We can’t wait to see what happens Saturday night at the Global Finals,” said 1776 co-founder Evan Burfield in a statement.
Challenge Cup consists of several dozen startups, who qualified for Cup by winning similarly structured and sponsored regional competitions, from a few select categories — Healthcare, Energy/Sustainability, Transportation/Transit and Education. These startups, originating from entrepreneurs from Boston to Berlin, are competing for a total of $650,000 in prizes. The ethos of this general competition revolves around solving big challenges in entrenched industries through an entrepreneurial and innovative approach.
