Challenge US: Inspiring the Next Generation of Solution Builders with Lessons from the Past and a Hope for the Future

Part historical nonfiction, part big-think book, CHALLENGE US is the first ever work that encompasses both the history of crowdfunding and challenge prizes and their implications for the future. While there have been books in the space that have alluded to crowdfunding and prize competitions in their backdrops, none have unearthed such extensive underpinnings of the practices or analyzed them in such detail as to provide insights into a rather underreported tool for societal progress.

In CHALLENGE US, readers will look at some of the most pressing issues of our time with an entirely different lens. Throughout each chapter, they will explore some of the world’s most iconic and monumental milestones in history—like the construction of the Statue of Liberty and the innovation in the early aviation industry and how crowdfunding and challenge prizes were the catalyst for their inception and creation.

The book, which spans centuries, also encompasses a wide breadth of characters—from cutting-edge innovators and gutsy explorers to prominent financiers and sponsors—taking readers not just through a dry crash course in history or crowdsourcing methodologies, but into a fascinating tale of both iconic triumphs and grueling tribulations. Packed with compelling anecdotes and expert research, CHALLENGE US will hook a broad span of readers, inspiring them to build a better future, together.