Climate Startup Week September 10-23, 2022

To foster the climate startup ecosystem, Climate Collective Foundation will present its flagship initiative – Climate Startup Week, the largest platform of its kind in Asia, starting from September 10, 2022.

Climate Startup Week, which is being held for the 3rd year in a row includes over 45 online and offline events and is expected to attract high profile investors and speakers across the globe to address key issues around South Asia’s climate challenges, and connect startups as well as budding entrepreneurs.

Climate Startup Week is a platform for changemakers – startups, investors, corporate innovation networks, development agencies and policymakers – addressing diverse climate challenges. In 2021, almost 900 stakeholders attended Climate Startup Week. This year’s event is also expected to draw stakeholders from across the board in large numbers. As part of its startup accelerator programs, Climate Startup Week also offers several opportunities for startups to pitch to active investors and includes the Asia-Pacific Regional Finals of Climate Collective Foundation’s global partner, green business accelerator Climate Launchpad (supported by the EU’s Climate-KIC) – eminent jury members include leaders in climate innovation and investment such as Mridula Ramesh, Raman Kalra and Starlene Sharma.

“Climate Startup Week attracts changemakers from across the climate startup landscape in South Asia – it’s a platform for startups, climate tech VCs, corporate innovation networks and policymakers to connect and collaborate.

This edition also has a focus on climate jobs and education with masterclasses led by global climate experts. The focus is to build an enabling environment for innovation, entrepreneurship and talent and help create a vibrant climate tech ecosystem in the region” Pratap Raju, Founding Partner at the Climate Seeds Fund, and Co-Founder of the Climate Collective.

Climate Startup Week also includes a series of industry roundtables bringing together public sector and industry stakeholders to discuss key issues around climate change; the role of startups in India’s decarbonisation targets, trends in climate tech investment, innovations in adaptation and resilience across Asia and Africa, women in climate entrepreneurship, climate and AI etc. In this coming decade, start-ups are expected to play a key role as catalysts in developing the solutions necessary to fight catastrophic climate change. There are estimated to be over 2,0001 Indian startups in this segment and in terms of early-stage funding deals, climate tech is among the most active categories in India, and on a strong upward trajectory.

“Today, India is one of the fastest emerging economies in the world and one of the most vulnerable to the ramifications of climate change. Climate-tech startups provide an opportunity to tackle impending issues through innovation and the finance necessary to get there. Ultimately, business can play a critical role in supporting the Government to achieve India’s decarbonisation goals” said Nalin Agarwal, Founding Partner at the Climate Seeds Fund, and Partner at the Climate Collective.

About Climate Collective Foundation Climate Collective Foundation (CCF) is an India-based non-profit, focused on empowering entrepreneurs addressing climate change and the circular economy. It aims to strengthen local climate startup ecosystems by bridging the gap between the development and private sectors throughout the Global South. Founded in 2016, CCF has built a network of over 1000 public and private sector ecosystem partners and is supported by influential global innovation networks such as New Energy Nexus and the EU’s Climate-KIC. Active in 6 countries – India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, UAE, Nepal, and Bangladesh – CCF hosts the region’s largest climate tech startup events including Climate Startup Week and the Climate Tech Investment Summit.

The writer of this article is Dr. Seema Javed, a known Environmentalist, Journalist and Communications Expert