XTC SPONSORSHIP SERIES ANNOUNCES OWC AS SPONSOR OF SUSTAINABILITY VERTICAL 23rd October, 2017

Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) is proud to announce that US-based manufacturer of storage, connectivity, upgrade and expansion products,  OWC will be joining the list of 2017 Sponsors, representing the Sustainability Verticalfor this year’s competition. OWC will also become the Official Data Storage provider of XTC and ACTAI, providing their expertise and services to ensure the competition runs smoothly.

Starting with Apple compatible memory upgrades, OWC’s product offering has grown to encompass the entire spectrum of upgrade and expansion possibilities, all with a focus on easy, DIY setup and installation. With an outlook that focuses on the long term, OWC looks for simplicity in action and sustainability in practice. It’s as much about building exceptional relationships, as it is about building exceptional products.

OWC has made significant strides towards being zero waste with notable sustainability milestones that include:

– 2008 marked the opening of OWC’s sustainable campus Woodstock, IL.
– 2009 saw the addition of a wind turbine at the Illinois campus.
– 2010 earned OWC’s Illinois campus the LEED® Platinum and ENERGY STAR®.
– 2011 began OWC’s box size program, reducing up to 60% of box volume for their products.
– 2014 introduced the first solar array to OWC’s Austin, Texas facility.
– 2015 expanded OWC’s solar initiatives as a second solar array went online at the Illinois campus.

XTC 2018 marks the fourth year of this exciting and innovating competition that brings together the world’s brightest entrepreneurial minds to compete for the chance to pitch their budding business ventures to an all-star panel of judges on Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island.

On their involvement in XTC 2018, Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO, said “At OWC we love technology and innovation, it’s been a part of our DNA since day one. All of our solutions, from our Mac upgrade and storage solutions to game changing products like our Thunderbolt 3 Dock, and new ThunderBlade V4 are completely driven by innovation, so I’m absolutely thrilled to be a part of the 2018 Extreme Tech Challenge.”

As part of its sponsorship, OWC will offer the winner of the Sustainability vertical one of their most sought after products, the OWC Envoy Pro EX. Elegant in design, and easily carried in a coat pocket, backpack, or briefcase, the anodized aluminium body securely houses an OWC Aura Pro 6G Solid State Drive offering 100x greater protection of valuable data than even an Enterprise class hard drive.

Commenting on the partnership, XTC Co-Founder, Bill Tai, said ““We are thrilled to have OWC as a sponsor of the very important and relevant Sustainability Vertical. In addition to this, OWC provide their leading data storage expertise and services to not only XTC, but the wider ACTAI group. We simply couldn’t function without their help”.

Sponsorship brokered by Slingshot Sponsorship.

About OWC

At OWC, we’re committed to constant innovation, exemplary customer service, and American design. For more than 25 Years, OWC has had a simple goal. To create innovative DIY solutions to give you the most from your technology.  Our dedication to excellence and sustainable innovation extends beyond our day-to-day business and into the community. We strive for zero waste, both environmentally and strategically.


XTC 2018 – MEET THE TOP 25 NECKER ISLAND HOPEFULS! 16th October, 2017

Slingshot Sponsorship client Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC), the world’s largest startup competition, is back again for its fourth annual year, unveiling The Top 25 contenders moving on to the next phase of the challenge, slated to take place this January at CES 2018. The Top 25 was formally announced at CTA Innovate! and Celebrate at the Intercontinental Hotel in San Francisco, and presented by emcee and renowned tech writer Brent Rose.

XTC’s selected Top 25 will be narrowed down to the Top 10 Semi-Finalists who will then pitch on stage at CES to compete for the ultimate prize of global visibility and invaluable resources, with three finalists to pitch their ventures to Branson on Necker Island alongside a phenomenal panel of judges.

Making discernible waves overseas during last year’s challenge, XTC is poised to welcome its largest pool of international contenders to date. The 2018 Top 25 companies reach far beyond American borders, representing countries such as France, Norway, Australia, Germany, Rwanda, and Singapore. The industries these companies represent are as diverse as their home base, with emphasis placed on verticals such as Blockchain, Sustainability, FinTech, Transportation and IoT.

Among international frontrunners to the finals in February 2018 are Norway’s climate action tool chooose.today, touch-free gesture control interface creators BlueMint Labs’ Bixi hailing from France, Powerledger – an Australian company creating a blockchain-based peer-to-peer energy trading platform, and Germany’s sustainability stewards AIRY – a plant pot designed to ventilate root systems.

Stateside, the bank of competitors is stacked with brilliant minds from Silicon Valley to the east coast covering a wide range of cutting-edge trends that span the spectrum of tech industries from BioTech and Gaming to Healthcare. Companies such as Mountain View, CA’s NextBiotics – a biotechnology platform engineering viruses, infant healthcare platform Owlet Baby Care Inc., and Florida’s Immersed Games – an online game world for real STEM learning experiences, are all prospects who may have never crossed paths, yet now find themselves on a leveled playing field competing for the ultimate prize.

Other noteworthy aspirants include Bluefield Technologies, who is utilizing microsatellite sensors to analyze high-value methane emission data and Neurotrack, a company transforming the diagnosis and prevention of memory loss.

Past iterations of XTC have showcased the latest breakthroughs in sectors such as Virtual Reality, Healthcare, Genetics and Transportation, and this year proves to be even stronger. In an inspiring showcase of the evolving landscape of startup-driven discoveries, XTC serves as the platform where science and ingenuity collide to create a new paradigm of advancement in consumer, enterprise and medical tech.

XTC 2018 is proud to present the pioneering Judges’ panels for the Semi-Finals and the Final Round:

  • Sir Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group, Investor & Philanthropist Returning XTC Finals Judge
  • Gary Shapiro, CEO Consumer Technology Association, Returning XTC Semi-Finals Judge
  • Koichi Narasaki, Chief Digital Officer, Sompo
  • Valery Vavilov, CEO, BitFury
  • Tom Siebel, Veteran software entrepreneur and founder of C3 loT, Returning XTC Finals Judge

XTC 2018 TIMELINE

  • Stage I – October 11, 2017 – Top 25 Announcement
  • Stage II – November 9, 2017 – Top 10 Announcement at CES Unveiled NYC: Two months ahead of CES 2018 10 Semi-Finalists will be selected from the Top 25 XTC challengers. In addition to unveiling the Semi-Finalists, the annual event showcases the future of tech before the new year.
  • Stage III – January 11, 2018 – XTC Semi-Finals at CES: Extreme Tech Challenge returns to CES Las Vegas for the semi-finals in 2018. This stage of the contest will see the chosen Top 10 pitch their tech live on-stage in hope of being one of three companies selected to move onto Necker Island.
  • Stage IV – February 28, 2018 – XTC Finals on Necker Island: Top 3 Finalists present to a panel of all-star judges, spearheaded by Branson.

XTC would like to extend special gratitude to the current sponsors on board for 2018 – SompoOWCZoomJungle CreationsCiscoQualcomm, and Meltwater. Thanks to their generous partnerships, XTC 2018 will be the most comprehensive iteration to date!

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About Extreme Tech Challenge
Extreme Tech Challenge is a competition that empowers entrepreneurs and their companies by providing visibility, resources, and it gives competitors the ability to grow exponentially in scale and knowledge at a low to no incremental cost. XTC strives to inspire and provide growth to up and coming entrepreneurs and businesses by surrounding them with mentors to help guide them as they build on product success with business success.

XTC pulls this all together into an experience that money cannot buy with showcase events at the world’s largest technology trade show, CES, and also at Sir Richard Branson’s own Necker Island.

Hurricane Irma Relief
XTC alongside Richard Branson and The Virgin Group continue to do everything possible to support and assist the local BVI community that they call home. Please explore the various donation options & spread awareness to Richard Branson’s efforts with Virgin and their support of the BVI relief fund . By covering all of Virgin Unite’s Hurricane relief overheads, Richard Branson and the Virgin Group have made it possible for 100% of the donations received directly to the local BVI communities.

EXTREME TECH CHALLENGE 2018 TOP 25

ABRA – AirSwap – AIRY GREENTECH – Bansen Labs – BioCellection Inc. – Bixi Bluemint Labs – Bluefield Technologies – Chooose.today – EVmatch – Immersed Games – Lavabit – LYNQ – Neurotrack – Nextbiotics – Owlet Baby Care Inc. – Piaggio Fast Forward – Powerledger – Rayton Solar 2018 – REVL – SafeMotos – Square Lovin – TenX Wallet – CoLoadX – Tissue Analytics – WooHoo by SmartBeings