Europe can be a difficult market for high-end entrepreneurs - in many cases, unless you went to the right school or are friends with the right politician, the approval structure might be too daunting no matter how good the idea might be. A new program hopes to give young minds a helping hand through the red tape, and perhaps get them some money as well.
With ClimateLaunchpad, students, entrepreneurs or researchers in 23 countries who are dreaming of starting their own business can submit a clean technology idea which will be judged by impact on climate change and growth potential. The best ideas will gain access to the Climate-KIC Accelerator, which means the chance at some money and the connections to get a company going.
A two-day business boot camp and a series of coaching sessions prepare participants for the country finals, where they will pitch their business plan to a professional jury. The three finalists of each country will enter the European Final in September in the Netherlands. In the semi-finals, 8 teams will be selected and gain access to Climate-KIC Accelerator, the real-life business school focused on developing and commercializing clean tech start-ups. The overall winner of the European final receives a cash prize of €10,000, the runner up gets €5,000 and third place wins €2,500.
The competition is open to participants based in Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Application deadlines per country are available on the ClimateLaunchpad website.
ClimateLaunchpad - Turn A Green Energy Idea Into Money
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