Deadline For Climatelaunchpad Competition Is May 13

Jamaicans have eight days left to submit their applications in the local aspect of the ClimateLaunchpad competition, the world’s largest innovative green business idea contest.

Deadline for submission is Friday, May 13. Interested persons with ideas around adaptation and resilience, circular economies, urban solutions, clean energy, sustainable mobility, and food systems can apply by visiting www.climatelaunchpad.org.

The showdown will be executed by the Caribbean Climate Innovation Centre (CCIC), an entity under the Scientific Research Council. It is open to anyone and has just one requirement – a pioneering entrepreneurial idea with the potential to help address climate change.

It also sets the stage for the ideas to grow into global businesses through access to a regional accelerator programme. This initiative brings together entrants and international investors for investment opportunities.

Chief Executive Officer of the CCIC, Carlinton Burrell, told JIS News that applicants will begin to bear fruit from as early as being shortlisted for the next step, an intensive three-day boot camp from June 15 to 17.

This will be followed by rigorous coaching sessions, leading up to a national final in August. The top-two finalists will advance to the regional segment of the competition to contend with rivals from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbadoes, St. Lucia, and Suriname.

Successful participants at this stage will get the chance to battle in the global grand final in November. The overall winner of this stage will receive a cash prize of €10,000, the runner-up will get €5,000 and the team that places third will take home €2,500.

“[The competition] can be seen as a green business school in disguise where successful applicants will be trained by global trainers in business development and climate change innovation, giving them a chance to become successful entrepreneurs,” Mr. Burrell said.

“Since 2019, over 80 teams from the region were assisted through the programme and are now in the process of setting up their global businesses. The entrepreneurs have been making impactful changes in each of the participating countries with about 20 per cent advancing to tap into futher financing while achieving significant growth,” he noted,

ClimateLaunchpad is being funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

The programme is a part of the entrepreneurial offerings by EIT Climate-KIC, the European Union’s innovation programme for climate change.