Design Thinking Challenge 2026

The Design Thinking Challenge 2026 is an innovation-focused program that brings together innovators from across the world to solve pressing development challenges using human-centered design methods. Over 10 weeks, participants will go from problem identification to investable prototype. Finalists enter a 6-month incubator + accelerator program (Innovators in Residence) for funding, mentorship, and scaling opportunities. 

Participants follow a 5-phase process:

1. Empathy & Define: Understand community challenges
2. Ideate: Generate solutions using design thinking
3. Prototype: Build hardware/software solutions
4. Test: Real-world validation
5. Pitch: Present at Demo Day to investors and partners