Do you have what it takes? Sign up now.

Zurich is launching its second Innovation Championship. Are you a startup or entrepreneur with bold thinking and groundbreaking ideas that can help us protect the next generation? This is your chance to join our second instalment of our global startup tournament, this year with the theme “Protecting the Next Generation”.

• You have a fresh new solution that tackles challenges around climate, health, automation and other issues that are expected to put a strain on the next generation. We also offer a “Wildcard“ category.
• You will start in a local round and, if successful, advance to the Regional and Global rounds. By August 2020 we will have three winners.
• You will receive free early-bird coaching from our experts to improve your chances of making it to the next round and eventually work with Zurich on a local pilot. Sign up before October 24, 2019 to be eligible – general deadline is December 17, 2019.

For more detailed information, visit www.zurich.com/ZIC

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can enter?

Startups with an existing and differentiated product or service that can help us create a social impact. Our main category for this year’s instalment is resilience and sustainability. If your startup offers innovative solutions in other areas and you think your solution can help us create a difference otherwise, we also welcome you to enter using the ‘wildcard’ category.

When can I apply?

Now – literally! We recommend you sign up straightaway to have the opportunity to receive a free coaching session by Zurich to help you with your application. This is for earlybirds only and available for all applications we receive before 25 October, 00:01am CET. Please visit the applications tab on our dedicated webpage to sign up.

How do I apply?

Applying couldn’t be easier. All we need is your team name, a brief introduction to your products or services and an upload of an existing business plan, proposal or any other content that can help us understand your business.

How many rounds are there?

There are three rounds: country, regional and global. The overall winners of the country-level competitions will be selected in January 2020 and will go on to our regional rounds in Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America and Europe and Middle East. The overall winners of the regional round, to be selected in June 2020, will then take part in a final, global round, taking place in August 2020.

What will I need to do in each round?

You will to present your product or service that we could pilot in one of our participating countries. In the country round we want you to demonstrate how relevant your product or service is to the local market, and how you differentiate from competitors. In the regional round we would like you to further demonstrate business impact to the region and the value to customers. In the group round, we will be looking for evidence that the idea could scale globally and sustainably.

Partners

Zurich has established collaborations with the following organizations for the Zurich Innovation Championship: