Detailed FAQ is available at: https://climatelaunchpad.org/faq/

How does the competition work?

The ClimateLaunchpad programme gets you all the knowledge and skills to build a successful start-up. The competition consists of three stages:

Round 1: Boot Camp
You apply in your own country. A minimum of 7 business ideas per country will get selected to participate. The competition starts off with a 2-day (National) Boot Camp. You’ll be invited by mail. Find more information on your country page.

Round 2: Intensive coaching and National Finals (plus Regional Finals for India and Africa)
The weeks after Boot Camp you will attend six intensive coaching sessions. You’ll perfect your pitch, value proposition and business model. After that, you’re ready to rock your National Final where you’ll pitch in front of the National Jury. In Africa and India the top teams of each country go on to Regional Finals*. Winning teams of National and Regional Finals get to compete in the Global Grand Final.

* Regional Finals for India and Africa are new in 2019. All details and logistics will be finalised and communicated asap.

Round 3: Global Grand Final
If you are among the winners of your National and/or Regional Finals, you get to compete in the Global Grand Final. In this ultimate final you’ll pitch your idea in front of leading investors and entrepreneurs. You’ll receive valuable feedback and get a chance to discuss your idea in more detail during network sessions. The jury will select sixteen finalists to compete for direct access to EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator and prize money.

For more information check our competition page.

What kind of ideas is ClimateLaunchpad looking for?

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. Not sure if your idea fits the bill? Contact us, we’re happy to help.

Who can join ClimateLaunchpad?

Anyone with a promising cleantech idea who dreams of becoming an entrepreneur should join. You can be a new start-up, SME, researcher, student, public organisation, consultant, engineer, a combination of the above or something that doesn’t fit a job title. Don’t worry if you don’t have a business plan quite ready. We’ll help you strengthen your plan or teach you how to create one.

You can only apply in your own country and 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 with the same idea.