Verizon Community Disaster Resilience Innovation Accelerator

Verizon Community Disaster Resilience Innovation Accelerator is sponsored by Verizon (powered by MassChallenge). This accelerator program identifies and supports startups developing next-generation solutions to strengthen community resilience before, during, and after natural disasters.

Community Disaster Resilience Innovation Accelerator Driving next-generation technologies that help communities weather storms. Applications open January 21, 2026–February 11, 2026. The Verizon Community Disaster Resilience Innovation Accelerator powered by MassChallenge is designed to identify and support startups developing next-generation solutions that strengthen community resilience before, during, and after natural disasters.

Building on the capabilities of Verizon Frontline and Verizon Innovation Labs , this program invites innovators to create technologies that provide preemptive warnings, hazard mitigation, and robust connectivity in the face of natural disaster events, leveraging Verizon’s 5G expertise to protect lives and strengthen community resilience.

Open to solutions that benefit from 5G connectivity and ensure 5G network in times of crisis , the program seeks innovators advancing capabilities across seven critical domains: Intelligent systems that fuse and analyze diverse sensor data to deliver actionable insights, automate decision-making, and enhance real-time disaster response.

Communication Infrastructure Resilient, rapidly deployable, and interoperable network solutions that ensure connectivity for first responders, public agencies, and affected communities. Drones & Autonomous Systems Aerial and ground-based platforms that support rapid assessment, logistics, and recovery operations.

Resilient, distributed, or renewable energy systems that maintain connectivity and sustain operations when the grid goes down. Communication and imaging systems that provide coverage, redundancy, and coordination when terrestrial networks are compromised. Smart, networked sensing solutions for early warning, situational awareness, and infrastructure monitoring.

AI and data-driven platforms that improve forecasting accuracy and response planning. Meet a driven cohort of founders and build the relationships that matter. You’ll deepen your network through ongoing touchpoints designed to support real collaboration well beyond the program.

Technical and industry experts work with you throughout the challenge to refine your solution, sharpen your approach, and support your progress toward the final pitch. Selected startups present their technology to Verizon leaders, technical experts, and industry stakeholders in a live pitch event that puts their strongest work on full display. Support for up to 8 startups, with each receiving $50,000 in non-dilutive funding.

(An additional $50,000 in prototyping grants will be awarded to up to 2 startups to conduct testing at third-party labs.) To learn more, please click below to register for one of our Virtual Info Sessions: Information Session #1: JANUARY 28, 2026 @ 1 PM EST Information Session #2: FEBRUARY 4, 2026 @ 1 PM EST Need more info? Send an email to programs@masschallenge.

org Eligible applicants must be U.S. owned and operated. The program seeks technological solutions that are motivated by unsolved but important problems in crisis communications, supported by a solid business case for the proposed solution.

Evaluation criteria for submitted proposals fall into the following three groups: Proposals should be grounded in a robust understanding of a problem that has been identified and defined through community involvement and any additional analysis. There should be a defined pathway to achieving community impact by addressing the problem through the proposed technological innovation.

Proposals should demonstrate a technological fit with one or more existing Verizon technologies, particularly 5G, and with other technologies as appropriate. The proposed solution should represent an innovative approach to solving the problem. This challenge is designed for companies with a validated product or solution that is ready for piloting or scaling.

Proposals should demonstrate alignment between the proposed technology, founders’ capabilities , and the anticipated scope and scale of business market traction . Already have a MassChallenge Startup Profile? If you already have a MassChallenge Startup profile lo gin here , and you will be directed to the Verizon Community Disaster Resilience Innovation Accelerator application wizard.

Cli ck here to create your startup profile and look for the email in your inbox to verify your profile on MassChallenge. Once your profile is verified, select ‘Programs’ from your MassChallenge dashboard. Then, scroll to the Verizon Community Resilience Innovation Accelerator application and select ‘Get Started Now’.

Eligible applicants must be U.S. owned and operated. The program seeks technological solutions that are motivated by unsolved but important problems in crisis communications, supported by a solid business case for the proposed solution.

Evaluation criteria for submitted proposals fall into the following three groups: Proposals should be grounded in a robust understanding of a problem that has been identified and defined through community involvement and any additional analysis. There should be a defined pathway to achieving community impact by addressing the problem through the proposed technological innovation.

Proposals should demonstrate a technological fit with one or more existing Verizon technologies, particularly 5G, and with other technologies as appropriate. The proposed solution should represent an innovative approach to solving the problem. This challenge is designed for companies with a validated product or solution that is ready for piloting or scaling.

Proposals should demonstrate alignment between the proposed technology, founders’ capabilities , and the anticipated scope and scale of business market traction . If you're creating technology that can help communities prepare for, withstand, or recover from natural disasters, this challenge is for you. Initial applications take less than 10 minutes.