The UN Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN), in partnership with SAFEEM and Seedstars, is calling all young innovators in Latin America that are creating climate technology solutions to join the Climate Innovation Labs, a three-day hackathon where the best projects will continue on to receive a 6-8 week Climate Innovation Academy Program to help build out their companies. For more information and to register for the launchpad, simply apply before August 6, 2021 here: https://seedsta.rs/3z1vNFU 

The Climate Innovation Labs is a fast paced three-day online event that will bring together selected youth participants as well as climate technology experts within the selected sectors and technology fields in Latin America to explore innovative design thinking tools, flexing their entrepreneurial muscles and creating solutions for enhanced climate action.

“It is very important to support young people to engage in climate action, and this programme provides them with the tools and diverse partnerships to create solutions. This programme was a big success in other regions, and now we invite youth in the Latin American region to be challenged to think outside of the box and co-create ideas for climate mitigation and adaptation solutions aligned with countries Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs),” noted  Dr. Rose Mwebaza, CTCN Director.

Previously, the hackathon brought together 11 startups from Africa and Asia-Pacific that specialized in energy sustainability, electricity, food, agriculture, deforestation, environments, waste management, and more. Each startup had the chance to pitch at the Youth Climate Innovation Lab Demo Day where they had the chance to have 1:1 meetings with investors, partners, and experts of the industry. Following the success of the project, the Latin American edition aims to bring out the same level of talents and solutions from the region, helping the companies accelerate their growth.

The program is accepting individuals (to be grouped into teams later on) or groups with a minimum of three members. Each participant must fit the following criteria to be eligible for the program: 

• Participants must be between the ages of 20 and 30 years old; 
• Attended or completed higher education; 
• Must be an aspiring/early-stage entrepreneur or a student interested in launching an idea on climate change and building entrepreneurial muscle; and,
• Must be passionate about solving climate technology needs and challenges.

At the end of the Climate Innovation Labs, the selected participants will be provided follow-on support to implement and scale selected solutions through a 6-8 week Climate Innovation Academy Programme delivered by Seedstars. 

For more information about the Climate Innovation Labs and to submit your application, visit the page before the deadline on August 6, 2021 here: https://seedsta.rs/3z1vNFU