Akamai Technologies, has announced the launch of its Future of Life Online Challenge, celebrating and rewarding “the visionaries, the rebels, and the insanely curious innovators” shaping breakthrough online experiences. The challenge will award up to four winners an equal share of up to $1 million worth of Akamai security, content delivery and edge compute solutions and showcase their achievements in a special online docuseries.

“For more than 20 years, Akamai has devoted itself to powering and protecting the digital experiences that create online life as we know it. When done well, great online experiences elevate the entire human experience, so we want to empower those innovators who are defining our digital future,” said Robert Blumofe, Executive Vice President and CTO, Akamai Technologies. “The Future of Life Online Challenge is designed to help groundbreaking companies take their solutions to the next level and shine a spotlight on their achievements, inspiring others to develop their own big ideas that will create the future of life online.”

To enter, companies must have an innovative, viable product or service in the market that needs support in scaling digital security, web performance, and/or digital delivery to achieve its full potential. The challenge will be conducted in two rounds:

• For Round One, companies must submit a brief video describing their product or solution and how it delivers value to customers or society. Round One applications with videos must be submitted by February 18, 2022, at 5 PM ET. Finalists from Round One will be announced March 11, 2022.
• For Round Two, finalists must submit a business proposal, not exceeding seven pages, describing their customer segments, value proposition, distribution/sales channels, market size, growth plans, and sustainability focus. They need to attend a virtual conference to pitch their proposal and answer questions. Round Two proposals must be received by May 13, 2022, at 5 PM ET.

Proposals will be judged according to the novelty of the idea, the market viability, and the customer benefit. The Challenge winners will be announced on June 06, 2022.

Challenge entries must be submitted via the online application at www.futureoflifeonline.com. To qualify, companies may not be an existing direct or indirect customer of Akamai or of any subsidiary, affiliate, or channel partner of Akamai. For additional qualification requirements and the complete terms and conditions for the Challenge, please visit www.futureoflifeonline.com