ClimateLaunchpad: The Green Business Ideas Competition 2018 (Win up to €10,000)

Deadline: Varies

Entries are open for the ClimateLaunchpad: The Green Business Ideas Competition. The competition is your ticket to global success. Provided you have a green business idea and have what it takes to become an entrepreneur. Your idea can be an innovation in renewable energy, a sustainable transition in the food chain, a mind shift in urban mobility or any other way to tackle climate change.

ClimateLaunchpad is the world’s largest green business ideas competition. Innovation and invention can lead the way to a clean future. That’s why they create a stage for the people who have great cleantech ideas and help them develop those ideas into startups making global impact. ClimateLaunchpad is part of the Entrepreneurship offerings of Climate-KIC. Fixing climate change, one start-up at a time.

Battle for your idea during the National- and Grand Final. Winners of the Grand Final get accepted into the Climate-KIC business Accelerator: a huge step in making your dream come true.

The Programme

Once you’re accepted into the competition, the games begin:

• Step 1: Boot Camp: ClimateLaunchpad kicks off with a 2-day Boot Camp in your own country. Their trainers will teach you all you need to know about jumpstarting your business.
• Step 2: Intensive coaching and National Finals: The Boot Camp is followed by a period of intensive coaching. You’ll perfect your pitch, value proposition and business model. They’ll make sure you are ready to rock the National Final where you get to pitch in front of your National Jury. The Top-3 of each country enters the Grand Final.
• Step 3: Grand Final: The Top-10 competitors in the Grand Final will get direct access to the Climate-KIC Accelerator, the renowned business school where great ideas grow into great businesses. On top of that there is also prize money. The overall winner of the Grand Final receives €10,000, the runner up gets €5,000 and the idea that comes in third place wins € 2,500.

All other National Finalists who made it to the Grand Final get a chance to pitch their idea to the review board of Climate-KIC Accelerator. Impress them and gain access to their programme.

Eligibility

In 2018 the competition is open to participants based in the 35+ countries listed on this page.

You can only enter if:

• You have not yet started a business or your company has been incorporated for less than a year (definition: your legal entity does not exist for more than 1 year);
• Your new venture has attracted less than € 200.000 in total funding (this includes all funding, like grants, government loans, angel and/or VC investments, et cetera)
• You have not yet sold products, solutions or prototypes on commercial terms.

You cannot enter ClimateLaunchpad if you have:

• Already been accepted into Climate-KIC Accelerator with this idea;
• Already been accepted into ClimateLaunchpad (or the former CleanLaunchpad) in a previous year.

Criteria

Your idea can be an innovation in renewable energy, a sustainable transition in the food chain, a mind shift in urban mobility or any other way to tackle climate change. As long as it’s in the cleantech domain. That means it’s “a scientific innovation that uses existing technology to do more with fewer resources, and has a commercial driver.” Even if your idea is still on the back of a napkin, you’re most welcome to join.

Application

• To enter the competition you submit an idea or innovation that can make environmental impact. They’ll help you fast track that idea into a business and bypass all possible pitfalls along the way. You’ll learn how to get your idea funded and launched.
• Once you are selected to join ClimateLaunchpad, the Boot Camp and coaching sessions will help you develop your idea to a rock-solid plan. You will pitch this during your National Final. The top 3 winners of each national competition will go on to compete in the Grand Final.
• Even if your idea is on the back of a napkin, you’re most welcome to join. Our National Juries select the best proposals to join the National Finals.

Deadline varies by country from February to June 2018. See here.

Let us challenge you, join the competition