Darnell Adler celebrates his victory at the Red Bull Basement World Final in his hometown of San Francisco. (Photo: Priscilla Rodriguez / Red Bull Content Pool.)
After global innovation win, USC Dornsife graduate aims to make calling for help safer
Darnell Adler’s Lifeline AI took the top prize at Red Bull Basement’s World Final, giving the recent economics graduate new momentum to build what he hopes will become a global standard for discreet emergency alerts.
Just weeks after graduating from the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Darnell Adler won the top prize in a global innovation competition for students and first-time founders.
Adler’s startup, Lifeline AI, won Red Bull Basement’s 2026 World Final in San Francisco, earning $100,000 in equity-free funding, $25,000 in Microsoft Azure credits and mentorship from Red Bull Ventures.
The competition drew more than 135,000 ideas from 40 countries. Adler’s winning concept is a personal safety platform designed to help people discreetly call for help in moments when taking out a phone and speaking or dialing 911 may be unsafe.