30 innovators selected for 2025 QBE AcceliCITY Humanitarian Challenge

20 November 2025

Thirty technology innovators from fourteen countries have been selected for the 2025 QBE AcceliCITY Humanitarian Challenge to address the ongoing challenges communities face around accessing information, services and local support before, during and after extreme weather events.

With climate-related disasters increasing fivefold globally since 1970, traditional humanitarian response alone cannot meet the scale of need. Addressing this crisis demands cross-sector collaboration, sustained investment in prevention and preparedness, and innovation that puts communities at the centre.

The QBE AcceliCITY Humanitarian Challenge, the newest addition to Leading Cities' AcceliCITY challenge series, represents a new model for humanitarian innovation – one that connects early-stage technology solutions with Red Cross Red Crescent Movement partners and communities to co-design, test and scale tools as part of a global effort to strengthen resilience and help communities in crisis. The Challenge is delivered through a partnership between Australian Red Cross, global insurer QBE, international civic innovation network Leading Cities and, new for 2025, the Global Disaster Preparedness Center.

Now in its second year, the Humanitarian Challenge cohort has tripled, with 30 applicants selected into the Challenge following a global search for climate resilience technologies. These teams will now go on to develop solutions with the potential to reshape how communities understand their risks, access recovery support and lead their own disaster response efforts.

Winners will be announced in April 2026 and will receive funded pilots valued up to AUD $100,000 to test their solutions with Red Cross partners and communities.

"The impacts of a changing climate are overwhelming traditional humanitarian response," said Julia Goodall, Head of Humanitech at Australian Red Cross. "We need new approaches, new partnerships and new tools – and we need to build them with communities, not for them. These 30 teams are working on solutions across the full disaster lifecycle. This Challenge is about more than funding pilots. It's about building a replicable model for how the humanitarian sector can innovate to address rapidly evolving humanitarian needs caused by increasing extreme weather events."

Unlike traditional accelerator programs, the Challenge embeds innovators directly with frontline communities – not as end users, but as co-designers. Participants refine their solutions with input from the people most affected by climate risk, ensuring what is built is relevant, trusted and ready for those who need it most.

"Communities across the Asia-Pacific region are facing increasingly frequent and severe weather events, which calls for proactive and collaborative solutions," said Lauren Hicks, Head of Social Impact at QBE. "As insurers, we understand the value of investing in preparedness to reduce future losses. That's why QBE is supporting these innovators to develop practical, community-focused tools that strengthen resilience and improve outcomes when disasters strike."

"Technology alone cannot prevent disasters but collaboration can prevent its worst impacts," said Michael Lake, President & CEO of Leading Cities. "The QBE AcceliCITY Humanitarian Challenge brings together our ecosystem of innovators, insurers and humanitarian organisations, turning shared challenges into shared progress. It's a global demonstration that resilience is not about reaction. It's about readiness, built together."

The selected teams will address climate risks including bushfires, floods, cyclones and heatwaves. Their solutions range from platforms that translate complex weather data into action for at-risk communities, to tools that enable people to share their needs for recovery, to systems that connect volunteers to communities in need when disaster strikes.

All 30 selected teams will receive Humanitech's innovation curriculum, mentoring from global experts and access to Red Cross Red Crescent Movement networks globally. They will also gain access to Leading Cities' yearlong Public Private Partnership Readiness certification program through Leading Cities Academy, along with a yearlong membership to its virtual ecosystem and programming, LaunchPad 11, designed to provide access to city leaders, clients, investors and global experts Additionally, participants are given access to Leading Cities' network of over 15,000 cities as part of its partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative to deploy 100 solutions in 100 communities by 2030.

The cohort for the 2025 QBE AcceliCITY Humanitarian Challenge is:

The 2024 Challenge demonstrated how locally piloted solutions can scale to benefit other at-risk communities. Winning team WEO partnered with Dargo, a small Victorian town repeatedly hit by bushfires and floods. Working alongside residents and Australian Red Cross, they developed a digital platform that maps local risks, safe routes and resources The platform is now being explored for use in other high-risk locations.

November also marks the conclusion of the 2025 QBE AcceliCITY Resilience Challenge, a sister program to the Humanitarian Challenge, that ran from April to November 2025. The Resilience Challenge brought together one hundred innovators focused on helping communities strengthen climate resilience, sustainability and preparedness through technology. The 2025 Resilience Solution of the Year was awarded to RCOAST, a data intelligence platform turning drone-based coastal mapping into actionable insights that help communities anticipate, measure, and respond to shoreline change before disasters strike. RCOAST will receive a USD $100,000 award to pilot their solution in partnership with a city through the QBE Foundation and Leading Cities network. This recognition underscores the growing importance of proactive, scalable approaches to resilience, bridging innovation and impact to protect communities worldwide.

For more information, please visit Humanitarian Challenge.

Australian Red Cross

Australian Red Cross is a volunteer-based organisation that exists to reduce human suffering. With 110 years' experience and a community of 20,000+ members and volunteers, we act locally and connect globally to deliver what's needed, when it's needed most. Because when humanity shines brightest, anything is possible. Together with the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), we are the world's largest humanitarian network of 16 million volunteers in 191 countries that help those facing disaster, conflict, health and other social problems.

QBE Foundation

The QBE Foundation is committed to creating strong, resilient, and inclusive communities across its global operations. We work in partnership with community organisations, with a focus on both climate resilience and inclusion – two areas where we believe we can have the greatest impact. More information on the QBE Foundation can be found here.

Leading Cities

Leading Cities is a global nonprofit organisation dedicated to advancing city resiliency and sustainability. Through innovative programs like the QBE AcceliCITY Resilience Challenge, the largest startup accelerator of its kind, Leading Cities, connects startups with city governments, experts and investors fostering collaboration to address urban challenges and create more resilient, sustainable and equitable cities.

Global Disaster Preparedness Center and American Red Cross

The American Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have established the Global Disaster Preparedness Center (GDPC) as a reference center to support innovation and learning in disaster preparedness. The GDPC offers knowledge management, research and technical assistance to enhance disaster management capacities of Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies to building community resilience.