Building Prize-Ready Ventures: Inside the XPRIZE Model
Most innovators are trained to jump straight to solutions. XPRIZE starts somewhere else: defining the right problem.
For over 30 years, XPRIZE has designed incentive competitions that turn humanity's biggest challenges into bold, measurable goals and mobilize innovators around the world to solve them. This challenge-driven approach has helped create new industries and sped up breakthroughs in space, climate, health, education, AI and beyond.
In this hands-on, 2-hour design workshop, you'll learn the XPRIZE method for framing grand challenges and explore what it takes to build something "prize-ready." Through guided exercises and peer discussion, you'll move past solution-first thinking, find root causes, write measurable challenge statements, and explore how your idea could create exponential impact.
By the end, you'll have:
Reframed your idea around the root problem it's trying to solve
Drafted a measurable challenge statement using the XPRIZE method
Identified one or two next steps to keep building on it
No idea yet? No problem. We'll provide challenge areas to work from.
---
Built Here. Backed Here.
Calgary Innovation Week is the city-wide moment that brings Calgary’s innovation ecosystem into full view. Across the week, founders, industry, investors, talent and community organizations come together to share what they’re building, make connections, and show the strength of what’s being built here – and backed – here.
By registering for this event, you acknowledge that Platform Calgary (the organization), as well as third-party organizations hosting activities in the shared public spaces of Platform Innovation Centre (the venue), may capture photos, audio, and video recordings. These materials may include your image or likeness and may be used for promotional purposes, including marketing, social media, and other communications by the respective organizations.
Since the event is held in a public space with multiple users, complete exclusion from photography or recording cannot be guaranteed.
Additionally, your name and contact information may be shared with select event sponsors for the purpose of post-event engagement. This is intended to enhance your event experience and provide relevant follow-up from participating partners.
The collection and use of personal information complies with Alberta’s PIPA and Canada’s PIPEDA. For more details on how we handle personal information, please see our Privacy Policy.