Global Green Business Ideas Competition open for applications in over 55 countries
Delft, 13 January 2019 – Starting today, global green business ideas competition ClimateLaunchpad welcomes applications in over 55 countries on all continents. The programme is set up to help aspiring entrepreneurs grow their cleantech ideas into global businesses. Today the competition opened up applications for the 2020 edition. ClimateLaunchpad welcomes 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 business school in disguise, that is how former participants refer to our competition. We transform people with green tech ideas into successful entrepreneurs. Climate change is solvable. Not with single cure, we need – and there will be – thousands of big and small cures. Green start-ups lead the charge in fixing this.”
In all participating countries, selected participants start off their rigorous training with an intensive 2-day Boot Camp and six Coaching Sessions to prepare for their National Finals. The top-2 of all competing countries will pitch at their ideas the Global Grand Final in September 2020.
The top-notch curriculum and trainers got rated 10 out of 10 in 2019. Countries where the competition is not yet present are invited to join (https://climatelaunchpad.org//become-partner/).
The world’s top-16 best ideas win access to the Climate-KIC’s Accelerator, a programme focused at cleantech commercialization. Also, there are cash prizes that help the most viable start-ups move forward with their businesses in order to create impact.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.
“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
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Appendices:
- 2019 numbers in new infographic
- 2019 winners recap video
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Note to editors:
For more information about ClimateLaunchpad, press and interview requests please contact:
Andre Koster
Chief Communications
ClimateLaunchpad
www.climatelaunchpad.org
Twitter: @ClimateLaunch
Facebook: www.facebook.com/climatelaunchpad
LinkedIn: 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 55 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
