ClimateLaunchpad bootcamp organised in Guwahati on August 17-18

ClimateLaunchpad North East-West Bengal, the world’s largest green business ideas competition, launched the inaugural edition of its climate and cleantech startup accelerator in the state in an effort to solve climate and environmental problems through entreprenuership. The programme is part of the entrepreneurship offerings by EIT Climate-KIC, the European Union’s innovation program for climate change, and has been supported in the North-East by Rituraj Borah (Care Luit), and the Climate Collective Foundation.

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.

Since the start in 2014 ClimateLaunchpad already helped 1,500 teams on their way with setting up their global businesses. This year the programme is run in at least 50 countries.

In all participating states in India, selected participants start off their rigorous training with an intensive 2-day Boot Camp. The NE & West Bengal Boot Camp was held in Guwahati on August 17-18 at Aranya Bhawan in Panjabari. 13 start-up teams were selected from a pool of over 30 applications to participate in the North-East bootcamp. The Boot Camp is followed by intensive coaching sessions, leading up to participation in one of the Regional Finals in September or October. The top startup in each state will battle, along with startups from more than 50 countries, at the Global Grand Final in Amsterdam in November 2019.

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 European Union’s main climate innovation initiative.

The Climate Collective Foundation runs the ClimateLaunchpad program throughout India. Last year, the Collective ran 5 state programs, accelerating 45 climate and cleantech startups. In Scotland of last year, three Indian startups made it to the Round of 16 out of 130 finalists from 44 courntires.

The key partner for ClimateLaunchpad North-East and West Bengal is Care Luit.The program was supported generously by the Assam Forest Department, whose presence at the Boot Camp helped provide comfort to all the startups that there indeed is support from the relevant agencies to make sure we develop a healthy and sustainable climate and cleantech startup ecosystem.

About ClimateLaunchpad

ClimateLaunchpad is the global green business ideas competition. Its mission is to address the negative impacts of climate change byways 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. More information about ClimateLaunchpad is available at www.climatelaunchpad.org

About the Climate Collective Foundation

The Climate Collective Foundaiton, or the Collective, is a non-profit based in Vishakhapatnam that brings together partners throughout India and South Asia to supplort climate entrepreneurship programs in the region. In addition to ClimateLaunchpad, the Collective runs Climate Runway, a follow-on startup accelerator to Launchpad, Climate Ready to support entrepreneurship development, and (coming up) Climate Seeds to invest seed and Series A capital into climate and cleantech startups.

About Rituraj Borah, North-East Lead

Rituraj Borah is a sustainability, clean energy and urban strategies enthusiast with over 15 years of experience in planning projects and delivering programs on green growth, low-emission development and climate resilient investments with focus on renewable energy infrastructure, energy efficiency, urban policies and related cross-sectoral issues.

www.riturajborah.com

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