WASHINGTON, D.C. – On March 26, Conservation X Labs announced twelve innovator teams as finalists with a chance to win a share of over $1,000,000 in prizes and support as part of the Conservation X Labs (CXL) Fire Grand Challenge for Western North America.
Across the planet, fires are increasing in severity and frequency, bringing destruction to fire-adapted regions and previously unaffected ecosystems. Western North America is now facing its own fire crisis, existentially threatening the region’s ecosystems and communities.
In collaboration with the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, Esri, and Planet, the Challenge called on innovators and place-based communities worldwide to submit solutions that bring together technological innovation and place-based knowledge to transform how we manage and live with fire. CXL received 92 technical applications and over 50 place-based community applications from 20 countries.
The finalists were chosen based on their innovation’s feasibility, scaling potential, and potential to achieve transformative environmental and social impact. Finalists will receive a $50,000 grant and will participate in a tailored acceleration, testing, and scaling program over the next nine months. An external panel of judges will evaluate their progress and impact as they compete for an additional $200,000 worth of prizes to be awarded in January 2026. Teams will work closely with place-based communities to prove the technical performance of their solutions with trials ranging from controlled burns to test flights, all the while honing their business model and scaling plans through a rigorous acceleration program.
“The increasing severity and complexity of wildland fire demands innovative solutions and improved collaboration to address ecosystem stewardship and how communities live with fire. Conservation X Labs' Fire Grand Challenge is pivotal in removing barriers to combining technical expertise and local knowledge, providing challenge participants access to experts and communities, mentorship, field testing, and funding. Sagebrush Capital is excited to support finalists as they build innovative, impactful, and economically-sustainable solutions to preserve communities and landscapes.”
- JB Beyer, Principal, Sagebrush Capital
Each finalist team is composed of both a technical applicant (who devised the solution idea) and a place-based community (who will co-develop and collaborate in field-testing). Many teams were brought together through the Challenge’s matchmaking process, designed to create strong partnerships that merge technological expertise with deep local knowledge.
In California, Plumas Wood Fiber and Earthworm Soil Factory have joined forces to convert forest residual biomass from thinnings into sustainable, locally-sourced wood fiber potting substrates. This innovation has the potential to create a replacement for unsustainably harvested peat moss for the horticultural industry, reduce fire hazards, and create jobs in disadvantaged communities.
Another finalist innovator team from Tennessee, Witching Hour, will field test its robotic system to install insulation over live power lines with the town of Paradise, California. This solution has the potential to reduce wildfire risk and lower electricity costs in vulnerable, wildfire-prone communities. Read more on what our partners are saying here.
The 12 finalists teams are:
Over the next nine months, as these innovator teams field test their solutions, we invite you to follow their journey, from British Columbia, Canada, to Chiapas, Mexico, via updates on the Challenge website: https://www.conservationxlabs.com/fire
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About Conservation X Labs
Conservation X Labs (CXL) operates at the intersection of biodiversity, technology and innovation to drive groundbreaking solutions to prevent the sixth mass extinction. By deploying cutting-edge technology, convening communities of interdisciplinary brilliance, and leveraging the power of the marketplace, CXL is uniquely positioned to boldly confront the planet’s most pressing challenges.
Learn more at www.conservationxlabs.com.
Media Contact
Lindsey Garrison, Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing
Conservation X Labs
press@conservationxlabs.org
