A new system for feeding billions

By 2050, Earth’s population will reach 9.7 billion. The demand for high–protein products is increasing while the impact from meat–production practices is devastating our planet. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened food insecurity, food safety and access for many communities around the world. Furthermore, cities projected to face rapid population growth and wealth increase are experiencing surges in demand for poultry and fish as opposed to red meat – but the environmental impact of current production is devastating the planet.

More and more people are building wealth and moving into the middle class, and they want high-quality proteins that are not sustainable. We need to cut costs and environmental damage. We need a new system for food – and it is possible. We’ve done it in the past, with fertilizer, pesticides and farm equipment. Now it’s time to do it again. While there is increasing activity in utilizing plant-based and cultivated approaches to create meat alternatives, more work is needed to make it widespread.

For over 25 years, XPRIZE has led the world in designing and operating large-scale incentive competitions and has convened the brightest minds from around the globe to tackle the planet’s greatest challenges. XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion is a four-year, $15M competition incentivizing teams to produce chicken and fish alternatives that replicate or outperform conventional protein in structure, versatility, sensory properties and nutritional profile, while having a lower comparable environmental footprint.

The competition is through a partnership with ASPIRE, a part of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), which funds research and runs global tech competitions. The prize is supported by The Tony Robbins Foundation. The Good Food Institute, an international nonprofit focused on cultivated meat and plant-based alternatives, will act as a team success partner throughout the competition.

In this exciting episode with XPRIZE Founder and Executive Chairman, Peter H. Diamandis, Tony talks about the inspiration behind the latest competition, $15M XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion. Peter has been named one of the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” by Fortune and he is the founder and executive chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation. He is also the executive founder of Singularity University, a graduate-level Silicon Valley institution that counsels the world’s leaders on exponentially growing technologies.

As an entrepreneur, Diamandis has started over 20 companies in the areas of longevity, space, venture capital and education. He is cofounder of BOLD Capital Partners, a venture fund with $250M investing in exponential technologies, and cofounder and vice chairman of Celularity, Inc., a cellular therapeutics company.