In 2017 a chance encounter in a Starbucks between two expat sneakerheads quickly turns into a discussion on fashion and its impact on the environment. An idea is formed: make the perfect sustainable sneaker.

Hey all, Our motto is that we fix climate change, one start-up at a time. We may have to adjust that as we keep smashing our own targets. This year we wanted to supersede our 2018 record with 500 applications and hit the magic 2,500. Well, last week we nailed it. And we are still… Read more »

When our founder Frans Nauta recently returned from leading our Boot Camp in Karachi, Pakistan, he reported: “It was quite something: great entrepreneurs, great atmosphere. And great participation by female founders. Over 50% of participants were women, and they totally rocked.” We decided we needed to find out more about this. Participation by female founders… Read more »

2017 Finalist Iron Roots is definitely on a roll. What they do? They found a way to run all plastics out of sports apparel. In 2018 they opened up their own online store and their products are also for sale in several (physical) stores.

Australian start-up, The Compost Depot, is on a mission to reduce the amount of organic waste going to landfill. They set up a community worm farm/compost depot in Melbourne for locals who cannot compost their waste at home. As they want to grow their impact they applied for and were granted $200 000 from the… Read more »

Our partner Hello Tomorrow just launched their 6th edition of its Global Challenge for deep tech early-stage startups. The worldwide science & technology start-up competition designed specifically addresses the needs of deep tech entrepreneurs on a mission to solve the world’s toughest environmental, industrial and societal challenges. The Challenge gives scientists and deep tech entrepreneurs… Read more »

Hey all, On the competition side of things: all is under control and running smoothly. So far 1,264 green business ideas applied across the globe. Will we hit the magic 2,000 this year? #keepcounting #keepthemcoming #record Why winning awards is not always a good thing We have said it before, ClimateLaunchpad is not about winning…. Read more »

This is not your average start-up competition We are not a pitching event. You know what I am talking about… Those competitions that lure you in with the promise of gigantic sums of award money. You enter them just to pitch your business and if you somehow impress the jury, you become an award winning… Read more »

Take a deep dive into the economics of a green future with ClimateLaunchpad trainer Ron Bloemers During a sold-out MELT Innovatsioonifoorum in Tallinn, Estonia, our very own trainer Ron Bloemers delivered the opening keynote: ‘The cleantech revolution is here to stay and what it takes to accelerate it’. With 25 years on his belt in… Read more »

This is a slightly revised version of one of our best-read blog posts from 2017.   You’re considering joining ClimateLaunchpad, but not quite sure yet if it’s the way to go for you. That’s fine, we’re not trying to win you over here. We just want to help you make the right decision. Your only concern should be: will… Read more »

Hey all, Our 2019 edition is off to a strong start with the Boot Camps kicking off across the globe and 908 new and fresh business ideas already entered. #yay A whole bunch of new countries We couldn’t be more proud to welcome 16 new countries to our ClimateLaunchpad community: Barbados Canada Colombia Egypt Ethiopia… Read more »

This is the 3rd year in a row our start-ups feature on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe List. Last year it was Rainergy and in 2017 Chrysalix Technologies made the cut. From our competition straight to the 30 most promising innovators 2018 participants HiLyte and FenX claimed their spot on the 2019 List of… Read more »

Call for entries 2019 #1 Your green idea deserves business success. Get the knowledge and skills. #2 Your idea stays yours. 100%. We just help you train, compete & launch. #3 Your inner genius will shine. Work with the best trainers on the planet. #4 Prepare for global impact. You can change the world. #5… Read more »

“Missing out on women is missing out on solving climate change.” “When I started working with cleantech, the lack of women involved surprised me,” says Frans Nauta, Project Lead of ClimateLaunchpad. “We know that fixing climate change takes tens of thousands of ideas, experiments, initiatives and businesses. We need all talented and resourceful entrepreneurial potential… Read more »

Delft, March 11, 2019 – Starting March, ClimateLaunchpad welcomes applications in over 50 countries across 5 continents for the 2019 edition of the world’s largest green business ideas competition. The programme is part of the entrepreneurship offerings by EIT Climate-KIC, the European Union’s innovation program for climate change. ClimateLaunchpad is set up to help aspiring entrepreneurs… Read more »

We spoke with Monika Tomecka, UFraction8’s Executive Director to catch up on recent events: “Since the 2017 Global Grand Final we received quite a few grants and several awards.

ClimateLaunchpad trainer Ron Bloemers shares the basics of cleantech start-up training. We sat down with our Boot Camp trainer of the first hour: Ron Bloemers (founder and managing partner of cleantech business accelerator Start-U-up in Amsterdam). His 25 years of hands-on experience with cleantech, renewables and start-ups is of unparalleled value to our participants. Today… Read more »

‘ClimateLaunchpad is about creating successful start-ups that will tackle climate change.’   An interview with ClimateLaunchpad trainer Elena Messiou. In 2016 Elena Messiou became one of our Boot Camp trainers. High time for a chat with her about her experience and insights. How did you get involved with ClimateLaunchpad? “One of our other trainers is… Read more »

CO2 absorbent building blocks. A way to turn waste into energy with microbial fuel cells. Technology that puts a stop to grain waste. Those ideas won our 2018 competition. Out of the record number of 1,500 ideas entered in the record amount of 44 countries, these start-ups are among the crème de la crème of… Read more »

Yet another generation of cleantech entrepreneurs is set to tackle climate change. Green start-up ECO2Blocks from Portugal won ClimateLaunchpad’s fifth edition. They are building a business with the production of masonry blocks with 100% industrial waste-based materials, carbon dioxide and non-potable water. Second prize winner is JSP from India; they developed a microbial fuel cell… Read more »