INSPIRED partners with The CEO Magazine to launch global Innovator Contest

INSPIRED, the world’s innovation-first social network – and a virtual innovation event that’s always on – is collaborating with The CEO Magazine to run the INSPIRED x The CEO Magazine Innovator Contest.

The contest spotlights disruptive, impact-driven ideas from around the world, offering innovators the chance to gain visibility, connect with supporters and compete for a €20,000 grand prize. The winners are being decided directly by the INSPIRED community, reinforcing the platform’s mission to put innovation into the hands of a global network of changemakers.

"Our mission has always been to accelerate the ideas that can solve humanity’s greatest challenges," says Maximilian Werner, Founder and CEO of INSPIRED. "By partnering with The CEO Magazine, whose Top Tech Innovators 2025 celebrates leaders using technology for real-world impact, we are joining forces to recognize bold innovators, amplify visibility and drive solutions forward."

Championing visionary solutions

The contest marks INSPIRED’s third innovation challenge, following successful editions that saw Bioverse from Brazil and Mycrobez from Switzerland take out the grand prize.

Bioverse is building the foundational tech layer for nature-based markets using drones, AI and satellite intelligence to make forests measurable and investable without cutting a single tree. Mycrobez develops sustainable alternatives to polystyrene packaging using biodegradable, mycelium-based materials.

Both represent the type of visionary, scalable solutions INSPIRED was designed to elevate.

To participate in the upcoming contest, innovators must join INSPIRED and qualify for the platform’s orange badge, which identifies projects aligned with the network’s innovation framework. Innovators must:

• Address a global challenge and commit to at least one United Nations Sustainable Development Goal.
• Be disruptive, offering a breakthrough rather than incremental improvement.
• Create meaningful change with tangible benefits for society.
• Demonstrate feasible impact that can be realistically implemented and scaled.
  

Qualified innovators showcase their projects on INSPIRED, where community members can vote for their favorites. Voting began on 1 October, 2025 and will run until 12 February 2026.

"This contest reflects what INSPIRED is all about," adds Alisa Edlander, Head of Marketing at INSPIRED. "We are building a limitless, always-on innovation event and a global stage where innovators gain the visibility they need to connect with investors, collaborators and communities ready to support them.

"By partnering with The CEO Magazine, we can expand that stage and ensure more ideas are seen, supported, and scaled."

To join INSPIRED and enter the contest, visit www.inspired.ch