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 grow their cleantech ideas into global businesses. We welcome innovations in renewable energy, energy efficiency, food and agriculture, water, transportation, industrial technology or any other way to tackle climate change.
Frans Nauta, ClimateLaunchpad founder: “A green business school in disguise, that is how former participants refer to our competition. We train people with green ideas to become successful entrepreneurs. Since the start in 2014 we already helped 1,500 teams on their way with setting up their global businesses. This year we will run the programme in at least 50 countries. We know climate change is solvable. We also know there will not be one single cure, we need – and there will be – thousands of big and small cures. That is why it is our mission to fix climate change, one start-up at a time.”
In all participating countries, selected participants start off their rigorous training with an intensive 2-day Boot Camp. The Boot Camp is followed by intensive coaching sessions, leading up a National Final in each country. The top-2 of all competing countries will battle the Global Grand Final in November 2019.
Countries where the competition is not yet present are invited to join.
The world’s top-10 best ideas win access to a regional accelerator program. The overall winner of the Global Grand Final also receives a cash prize of €10,000, the runner up gets €5,000 and the team that comes in third place wins €2,500.
ClimateLaunchpad is part of the Entrepreneurship offerings of EIT Climate-KIC, the EU’s main climate innovation initiative. Over 100 partners, such as Accenture, Benard Schulte Shipmanagement, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Hellenic Bank, Microsoft, PWC, Sparebank, Volvo and World Wide Fund, support the competition.
“It is this kind of investment of time and energy what Climate-KIC is for. ClimateLaunchpad is a space for converting passion to action.” – Kirsten Dunlop, CEO Climate-KIC.
“I attended several other competitions before, but here we got the biggest win. Going through the competition changed my mind on where to focus to create the biggest impact.” – Osman Baytaroğlu, Founder of Agrovisio, a 2017 participant.
Information about ClimateLaunchpad, how to enter the competition and updates are available at www.climatelaunchpad.org (#clp19)
===
Appendices:
- Infographic: ClimateLaunchpad over the years
- ClimateLaunchpad Global Grand Final 2018 video:
===
Note to editors:
For more information about ClimateLaunchpad, press and interview requests please contact:
Diana Zaharia
diana@climatelaunchpad.org
ClimateLaunchpad
www.climatelaunchpad.org
Twitter: @ClimateLaunch
Facebook: Climatelaunchpad
LinkedIn: ClimateLaunchpad
Instagram: ClimateLaunchpad
About ClimateLaunchpad
ClimateLaunchpad is the global green business ideas competition. Its mission is to address the negative impacts of climate change by ways of innovation, invention and entrepreneurship. A green future demands thousands of innovations challenging the current business models. The competition supports aspiring and promising cleantech entrepreneurs with training, coaching and networking opportunities. ClimateLaunchpad operates on a global scale, currently in over 50 countries.
ClimateLaunchpad was established in 2014 and is part of the Entrepreneurship offerings of EIT Climate-KIC.
About EIT Climate-KIC
Climate-KIC is one of the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) established in 2010 by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), the EU body that creates sustainable economic growth in Europe, tackling the global challenges of this time.
www.climate-kic.org
About the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)
The EIT is an independent body of the European Union set up in 2008 to spur innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe to overcome some of its greatest challenges. It brings together leading higher education institutions, research labs and companies to form dynamic cross-border partnerships – Knowledge and Innovation Communities, KICs – that develop innovative products and services, start new companies, and train a new generation of entrepreneurs.
eit.europa.eu
