News: Chemonics Joins Extreme Tech Challenge as a Visionary Sponsor

Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) through tech and innovation can only be done when we work together. That’s why Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) has teamed up with Chemonics International to welcome them into the XTC Ecosystem as a Visionary Sponsor. 

Chemonics is a leading global development services firm working in more than 150 countries over the past 50 years across all areas of the SDGs to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions to the world’s most intractable problems on behalf of clients like the Gates Foundation, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the U.K.’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Around the world, they are transforming global supply chains to deliver essential medicines to the last mile in low- and middle-income countries, developing the next generation of agri-tech entrepreneurs, and promoting remote learning for children in internally displaced person (IDP) camps. Through its programs, Chemonics bridges the public and private sector gap by breaking down silos between technical sectors and people, and forging critical partnerships that unlock value to unite the world’s best minds to solve its toughest problems. 

To enable innovation in their work, Chemonics promotes community-led design and creative problem solving and provides pathways to scale through partnerships, capital, and local ownership. Chemonics mobilizes and equips innovators through corporate partnerships with organizations like the UNLEASH Global Innovation Lab for the SDGs, which engages youth in co-creating and launching social and environmental solutions. As UNLEASH’s Lead Scale Partner, Chemonics co-runs UNLEASH’s annual six-month incubator program for early stage social impact ventures. Chemonics is also a  gold tier endorser  of the Principles for Digital Development, and enables thought leadership and peer to peer learning with events like the Global Digital Development Forum which promote open, inclusive, and accountable digital ecosystems and responsible use of digital tools. Chemonics’ strong commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals through corporate commitments like these underscores the clear alignment with XTC’s mission and the opportunity to increase its impact within the tech for good space at the Visionary Level. 

“For the past 50 years, we have partnered with clients and communities around the world to solve increasingly complex challenges creatively and collaboratively,” said Chemonics President and CEO Jamey Butcher. “But the landscape of development and sustainability is rapidly changing. We need more impactful and innovative solutions with far greater reach to meet the magnitude of the challenges of our time. That is why we are excited to partner with XTC to realize our shared vision of empowering more diverse local innovators at a global scale.” 

Young Sohn, Co-Founder of Extreme Tech Challenge, Founding Managing Partner of Walden Catalyst Ventures and Former Corporate President and Chief Strategy Officer of Samsung Electronics commented, “Extreme Tech Challenge has always been at the forefront of discovering the most innovative startups transforming their industries for the better. This partnership with Chemonics will help us empower and support them even more to achieve their goals on an increasingly larger scale.” 

At the Visionary Level, Chemonics’ will play a leading role in the strategy and goals of XTC’s programs, and will focus on connecting more social entrepreneurs from its networks in emerging and developing economies to XTC’s pipeline of global tech for good competitions.  

Extreme Tech Challenge looks forward to beginning our collaboration and making a difference in development through innovation, to make sure that tomorrow’s work is better than today’s. 

About Chemonics International  

Founded in 1975, Chemonics is an international development consulting firm. In more than 70 countries around the globe, our network of 5,000 specialists share a simple belief: that the challenges we face today are best solved through the right partnerships — sharing knowledge, expertise, and experience to deliver results. Where Chemonics works, development works. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or visit us at www.chemonics.com. 

About Extreme Tech Challenge 

Extreme Tech Challenge is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit corporation whose mission is to empower startups creating new tech innovations to address global challenges. It is the world’s largest ecosystem and competition for purpose-driven technology inspired by the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

The Extreme Tech Challenge™ competition is supported by leading corporations, venture capital investors, foundations, policymakers, universities, and tech conferences to give exceptional startups the potential for global visibility, the opportunity to raise capital, the ability to network with global leaders, and access to world-class mentorship to help them pioneer technological breakthroughs that address our most extreme global challenges. A complete list of XTC partners and how to join can be found at www.extremetechchallenge.org. 

Follow Extreme Tech Challenge on Social Media 

LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Subscribe to the XTC newsletter