XPRIZE
XPRIZE Foundation is a non-profit that designs and operates large-scale incentive prize competitions to catalyze breakthrough technologies in climate, health, space, and education, engaging 35,000+ innovators across 173 countries and converting $519M in prize capital into $31B in measurable impact.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersCulver City, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What XPRIZE does
XPRIZE Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Peter H. Diamandis and headquartered in Culver City, California. It designs and operates large-scale incentive prize competitions—structured, outcome-based contests with multi-million to nine-figure purses—that invite global innovators to develop breakthrough technologies in domains including space, climate, health, water, and education. Over three decades, XPRIZE has launched 30 competitions, engaged 35,000+ innovators across 173 countries, and converted $519M in prize capital into $31B in measurable economic and social value (60x leverage), generating 9,745 patents and 20,000+ jobs.
The current portfolio spans five focus areas (Deep Tech + Exploration; Energy + Climate + Nature; Food + Water + Waste; Health; Learning + Society), with flagship active competitions including XPRIZE Healthspan ($101M), XPRIZE Water Scarcity ($119M), XPRIZE Wildfire ($11M), XPRIZE Quantum Applications ($5M), and XPRIZE Rainforest ($10M), plus the recently concluded $100M Carbon Removal prize. Additional programs include XPRIZE Connect (youth innovation), Build with Gemini (AI hackathon), and Future Vision (sci-fi film competition). The foundation does not develop proprietary technology; rather, it operates competition frameworks, milestone-based testing, and third-party validation protocols to drive breakthroughs by external teams.
XPRIZE is funded through philanthropic donations, corporate sponsorships, and title partnerships with foundations such as the Musk Foundation, Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative, Hevolution Foundation, PG&E, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and corporate partners including Google, Amazon, and Salesforce. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Distribution occurs through the global team portal (pop.xprize.org), the Visioneering and Moonshot Gathering events, alumni networks, and youth programs. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors, led by Executive Chairman Diamandis and CEO Anousheh Ansari, with approximately 51-100 employees.
XPRIZE firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- XPRIZE
- Legal name
- XPRIZE Foundation, Inc.
- Website
- https://xprize.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- XPRIZE Foundation is a non-profit that designs and operates large-scale incentive prize competitions to catalyze breakthrough technologies in climate, health, space, and education, engaging 35,000+ innovators across 173 countries and converting $519M in prize capital into $31B in measurable impact.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
XPRIZE industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Incentive Prize Competitions
- akta.pro primary industry
- Virtual & Hybrid Participation Events (App-Based, Remote/Hybrid Races) (MPAKAIAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Obstacle Course & Adventure Races (OCR, Mud Runs, Adventure Racing) (MPAKAIAE)
Keywords
Where XPRIZE is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Culver City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
XPRIZE business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Philanthropic Donations and Benefactors: XPRIZE operates as a non-profit foundation funded primarily through philanthropic donations from individuals, corporations, and government entities who sponsor competitions or provide general operating support.
- Competition Sponsorships: Corporate and institutional sponsors fund specific prize competitions (e.g., Musk Foundation's $100M Carbon Removal, Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative's $119M Water Scarcity). Sponsors shape competition design and receive recognition and association with breakthrough outcomes.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
XPRIZE product offering
Product offeringCore offering
XPRIZE designs, funds, and operates large-scale public incentive prize competitions that invite global innovators to develop breakthrough technologies addressing humanity's grand challenges. The foundation offers multi-million to multi-hundred-million-dollar prize purses (e.g., $100M Carbon Removal, $119M Water Scarcity, $101M Healthspan) structured around clear, measurable outcomes, milestone payments, and independent testing, with sponsor capital sourced from philanthropy, corporations, and governments. Beyond active competitions, XPRIZE operates supporting programs such as the XPRIZE Connect youth initiative and the pop.xprize.org Team Portal.
Product overview
XPRIZE is an incentive competition organization that operates a portfolio of large-scale prize competitions designed to tackle humanity's toughest challenges. The portfolio is organized across five focus areas: Deep Tech + Exploration, Energy + Climate + Nature, Food + Water + Waste, Health, and Learning + Society. Active flagship competitions include XPRIZE Carbon Removal ($100M, concluded 2025), XPRIZE Water Scarcity ($119M, 2026 semifinals), XPRIZE Healthspan ($101M), XPRIZE Wildfire ($11M, 2026 finals), XPRIZE Quantum Applications ($5M), and XPRIZE Rainforest ($10M). Additional products include XPRIZE Connect (youth innovation program) and Build with Gemini XPRIZE (AI hackathon). The portfolio also encompasses past competitions spanning ocean discovery, cultivated food, space exploration, pandemic response, literacy, and autonomous vehicles, as well as competitions in fundraising phases including XPRIZE Critical Minerals, XPRIZE Coral Restoration, XPRIZE Mission Methane, XPRIZE Ovarian Health, XPRIZE Accelerate Learning, and Adaptive Plants.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- $519M prize capital has generated $31B in economic and social value (60x leverage)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use XPRIZE
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
XPRIZE technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
XPRIZE partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Planet Classroom NetworkminorPartnership with Planet Classroom Network for the 'AI for a Better World' podcast series featuring XPRIZE CEO Anousheh Ansari discussing responsible AI innovation.
- GooglecoreGoogle is the presenting sponsor of the Build with Gemini XPRIZE hackathon ($2M prize pool) and partner for the Future Vision XPRIZE ($3.5M film competition). Google provides creative technology support including Gemini, Google AI Studio, and Cloud infrastructure.
- AmazoncoreAmazon and XPRIZE are collaborating to design the XPRIZE Critical Minerals grand challenge, a global competition aimed at accelerating scalable solutions for critical minerals circularity and responsible sourcing, aligned with Amazon's goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.
- Seraphim SpaceminorSeraphim Space formed a Global Space Advisory Council including XPRIZE representation, focusing on structural forces shaping the space economy including defense, communications, climate monitoring, and sustainability.
- Project InnerSpacecoreProject InnerSpace and XPRIZE have announced a collaboration to design a major incentive prize targeting breakthroughs in integrated geothermal surface plant systems, including turbomachinery components. The prize addresses structural bottlenecks limiting geothermal deployment at scale.
- Range Media PartnerscoreRange Media Partners is a co-presenting sponsor of the Future Vision XPRIZE, providing comprehensive production support to help the grand prize winner develop their concept into a feature film.
- YPOminorStrategic partnership announced to catalyze innovation and impact between YPO and XPRIZE networks.
- Google Quantum AIcoreSponsor of XPRIZE Quantum Applications ($5M competition) focused on advancing quantum computing applications in collaboration with GESDA.
- 350 SolutionsminorPartner for XPRIZE Carbon Removal, providing expertise in evaluating and developing innovative environmental technologies with over 60 years combined experience.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
XPRIZE competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- HeroX: Crowdsourced prize competition platform spun out of XPRIZE; runs incentive competitions across science and technology challenges. Most direct peer — operates the same business model of sponsoring prize competitions to crowdsource breakthrough solutions.
- Nesta Challenges: UK-based charity running large-scale prize challenges (e.g., Longitude Prize on AMR, £10M, and various Grand Challenges). Comparable as a mission-driven incentive-prize operator with government and philanthropic backing.
- Wazoku (formerly InnoCentive): Open innovation and crowdsourced problem-solving platform; runs paid challenges for corporate and government clients. Closely comparable in operating crowdsourced innovation competitions at enterprise scale.
- NineSigma: Open innovation services firm connecting corporations with external problem-solvers through challenge-based programs. Comparable as a paid open-innovation intermediary, though more B2B-services oriented than XPRIZE.
- Hevolution Foundation: Saudi-backed foundation (up to $1B annual budget) co-sponsoring XPRIZE Healthspan ($101M). Comparable as a large, mission-driven grantmaking foundation actively funding aging/longevity research at prize scale.
Emerging players
- Kaggle: Data science competition platform (now part of Google) running machine-learning challenges with cash prizes. Comparable as a prize-based crowdsourcing platform, but narrower in domain (ML/data science) and commercial rather than philanthropic.
- Devpost: Hackathon and online challenge platform used by corporations and governments to crowdsource software solutions. Comparable as a prize-based hackathon operator, though more B2B-focused and software-domain-specific than XPRIZE.
Broad incumbents
- MacArthur Foundation: Large US philanthropic foundation ($8B+ endowment) making grants for big-bet global challenges. Comparable as a high-profile grantmaking foundation with a portfolio approach to audacious problems, though not competition-based.
- Wellcome Trust: One of the world's largest charitable foundations (over £30B), funding bold science and health challenges globally. Comparable as a mega-philanthropic foundation with comparable prize-scale funding capacity, particularly relevant given XPRIZE Healthspan overlap.
- Templeton Foundation: Large philanthropic foundation funding 'big questions' in science, health, and human progress. Comparable as a mega-donor funding ambitious, science-driven initiatives with measurable outcomes.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
XPRIZE social profiles
Digital presenceXPRIZE financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
XPRIZE leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
XPRIZE funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
XPRIZE M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments31 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about XPRIZE
What does XPRIZE do?
XPRIZE designs, funds, and operates large-scale public incentive prize competitions that invite global innovators to develop breakthrough technologies addressing humanity's grand challenges. The foundation offers multi-million to multi-hundred-million-dollar prize purses (e.g., $100M Carbon Removal, $119M Water Scarcity, $101M Healthspan) structured around clear, measurable outcomes, milestone payments, and independent testing, with sponsor capital sourced from philanthropy, corporations, and governments. Beyond active competitions, XPRIZE operates supporting programs such as the XPRIZE Connect youth initiative and the pop.xprize.org Team Portal.
Is XPRIZE a public or private company?
XPRIZE is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was XPRIZE founded?
XPRIZE was founded in 1996. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is XPRIZE based?
XPRIZE is headquartered in Culver City, United States, in the North America region.
How does XPRIZE make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Philanthropic Donations and Benefactors are the primary driver. The others are competition Sponsorships.
Who are XPRIZE's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are HeroX, Nesta Challenges, Wazoku (formerly InnoCentive), NineSigma and Hevolution Foundation. Emerging players are Kaggle and Devpost. Broad incumbents are MacArthur Foundation, Wellcome Trust and Templeton Foundation.
Does XPRIZE have an API?
No public API is recorded for XPRIZE.
What industry is XPRIZE in?
XPRIZE's product category is Incentive Prize Competitions. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKAIAH, Virtual & Hybrid Participation Events (App-Based, Remote/Hybrid Races), with a secondary code of MPAKAIAE, Obstacle Course & Adventure Races (OCR, Mud Runs, Adventure Racing).