February 22, 2018 – Until April 29, it is possible to apply for the participa-tion in the world’s leading green business ideas competition «Climate-Launchpad 2018», which gives the climate innovators from Latvia the opportunity to join the largest network of green business.
For the first time in Latvia the international competition is organised by Design Factory of Riga Technical University (RTU), stated the project leader Liene Rubina. She invit-ed scientists, students, innovators and start-ups to submit their ideas that could posi-tively influence climate change and use the opportunity to implement them on a global scale. Participation in the competition means not only training, development of differ-ent competences, expansion of cooperation and promotion of international recognition of the idea, but also competition for a cash prize of up to ten thousand euros and the opportunity to develop the idea in the Climate-KIC Accelerator. Application for the competition.
Founder of ClimateLaunchpad, Frans Nauta, believes that climate change can be tackled. To do this, thousands of large and small solutions are needed and they will be found. That is why ClimateLaunchpad promotes the growth of green business global-ly. What is the mission of competition? Reducing climate change, while developing business, states Frans Nauta.
The ClimateLaunchpad 2018 competition has four rounds. In the first round, the jury from Latvia will select from seven to twenty business ideas, whose implementers will have to participate in a two-day Boot Camp. In the second round, six-week long coaching session, to improve team’s pitching skills, business model and product de-velopment cycles. The National Final will be held in August when teams from Latvia will be selected for the Grand Final in Scotland. The Grand Final will be held in No-vember, when teams will have to pitch their ideas in front of the leading investors, ex-perts and entrepreneurs of the Europe. After presentations, fifteen finalists will be se-lected to compete for the prize money and access to Climate-KIC Accelerator.
ClimateLaunchpad competition is one of the initiatives of the Climate KIC, a European knowledge and innovation community of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). RTU is a full member of Climate KIC. Competition was established in 2014. Last year Australia, India, Azerbaijan and Kenia joined the competition. This year 35 countries participate in ClimateLaunchpad, but it is supported by more than 100 partners, including well-known companies and organisations, such as, «Accen-ture», «Benard Schulte Shipmanagement», «Deloitte», «Ernst & Young», «Hellenic Bank», «Microsoft», «PricewaterhouseCoopers», «Sparebank», «Volvo», World Wild-life Fund.
