QBE North America, Ashoka announce finalists for QBE Urban Resilience Challenge

NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- QBE North America, an Integrated Specialist Insurer, in collaboration with Ashoka, is excited to announce the ten finalists for the QBE Urban Resilience Challenge. The Challenge is a countrywide initiative that highlights bold and impactful innovation to power resilience within city ecosystems.

"Sustainability is a key priority for QBE because it's not just about what we do, it's how we do things," said Truett Tate, Chairman of the Board of QBE North America. "Through this challenge, we are teaming up with Ashoka to find the next generation of bold ideas to make our world a more sustainable place. By activating powerful innovations, we hope to help our local communities become more resilient to constantly evolving physical, social and economic challenges."

The QBE and Ashoka Urban Resilience Challenge recognizes and supports transformative, product-centered, technical innovations from for-profit organizations that impact policy and the broader urban ecosystem. The ten finalists, and the categories they are representing, are listed below. 

The Built Environment (Infrastructure)

• Omega Grid 

Sustainable Economies

• Cityflag
• Citysense 
• SensCity 

Food, Water, & Waste

• Arqlite
• Biocollection  
• Dox 
• Exergy

Public Health & Safety

• Drugviu 
• ODN

These finalists will be invited to pitch their ventures before a distinguished panel of business and social impact leaders in New York City on Wednesday, October 16, 2019. The winner (The Urban Champion) will be awarded a cash prize of $75,000 and the runner-up (The Urban Pioneer) will receive $25,000.

Through the Urban Resilience Challenge, QBE strengthens its commitment to the United Nations' sustainable development goals: Sustainable Cities and Communities, No Poverty and Decent Work, and Economic Growth.

"Ashoka and QBE believe in the power of innovation--that the key to building thriving, resilient cities lies with social entrepreneurs who are championing new, transformative ideas. We're thrilled to be collaborating on an initiative to search for and support these entrepreneurs across the United States," said Tim Scheu, Director of Partnership Management, Global Partnerships Team, Ashoka.

About Ashoka

Ashoka identifies and supports the world's leading social entrepreneurs, learns from the patterns in their innovations, and mobilizes a global community that embraces these new frameworks to build an "everyone a changemaker world." Over thirty years, Ashoka has supported more than 3,500 social entrepreneurs with solutions addressing society's most pressing issues. Ashoka's vision is a world in which Everyone is a Changemaker—a society that responds quickly and effectively to social challenges, and where each individual has the freedom, confidence and societal support to address any social problem. Learn more at www.ashoka.org.

About QBE

QBE North America, an integrated specialist insurer, is part of QBE Insurance Group Limited, one of the largest insurers and reinsurers worldwide. QBE NA reported Gross Written Premiums in 2018 of $4.7 billion. QBE Insurance Group's 2018 results can be found at www.qbe.com. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, QBE operates out of 31 countries around the globe, with a presence in every key insurance market. The North America division, headquartered in New York, conducts business through its property and casualty insurance subsidiaries. The actual terms and coverage for all lines of business are subject to the language of the policies as issued. QBE insurance companies are rated "A" (Excellent) by A.M. Best and "A+" by Standard & Poor's. Additional information can be found at www.qbe.com/us, or follow QBE North America on Twitter.

SOURCE QBE

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