Winners announced for ClimateLaunchpad 2015

Desert Control has been announced as the winner of this year’s ClimateLaunchpad competition, winning €10,000 and a place in the Climate-KIC Accelerator for their business case which is about transforming desert and dry, sandy soil into productive farmland.

Two further teams have also been awarded cash prizes. The top 10 teams have also been rewarded a place on Accelerator programme to commercialise their ground-breaking cleantech business ideas.

The winners of the ClimateLaunchpad European Final 2015 are:

• First prize: Desert Control, Norway
• Second prize: Arctus, Iceland
• Third prize: ReLaDe, Estonia

A new record of cleantech ideas

This year’s competition attracted a record number entrants, with over 700 cleantech entrepreneurs applying from across 28 countries. A total of 82 teams were shortlisted to enter the challenging ClimateLaunchpad programme to refine their business offering, including perfecting their business model, value proposition and pitch.

At the ClimateLaunchpad European Final in Amsterdam, each of these 82 teams pitched to a renowned jury that judged the entrepreneurs on real-world criteria including feasibility, scalability, job creation and climate impact.

Andreas Julseth, a participant from Desert Control, says:

“We are thrilled to have been chosen as ClimateLaunchpad winners. The trainers and the other participants really helped to bring out the best in ourselves. We knew we had a great idea, but through the programme we have been able to validate that there is market out there. We look forward to taking our business to the next level in the Climate-KIC Accelerator.”

Every team went through a demanding programme to refine business aspects, including perfecting their business model, value proposition and pitch.

Clear message to COP 21 Paris: Invest in entrepreneurs to tackle climate change

Frans Nauta, Deputy-Director Entrepreneurship Climate-KIC and also founding father of ClimateLaunchpad, says: “The ClimateLaunchpad European Final was an amazing event, showcasing so many great business ideas, all with the potential to create new jobs and economic growth in Europe. Today, start-ups from all over Europe are sending a clear message to the COP21 negotiations in Paris: Invest in entrepreneurs if you want to tackle climate change. It is the single biggest business opportunity of the 21st century”.

Click here for more detailed information on all finalists, whose business ideas span a broad range of sectors including energy, water, transportation and urban development.