African startups can apply for Climate Adaptation & Resilience Accelerator

Adaptation & Resilience Accelerator - cleanbuild

African startups can apply for Climate Adaptation & Resilience Accelerator

Startups in Africa and Asia that are addressing the effects of climate change, including heatwaves, flooding, drought, storm surges, or sea-level rise, are invited to apply for the Adaptation & Resilience Accelerator.

Why you should apply

The effects of climate change are increasingly being felt all around the world affecting urban and rural communities particularly in emerging and developing economies.

As a result, there is a need for new solutions and services that can help to address climate-related disasters. This has further created a huge gap for entrepreneurs in this growing market.

Launched by EIT Climate-KIC in partnership with Irish Aid, the Adaptation & Resilience Accelerator, is a program tailored to give startup founders extra support in building their business. Startups at the idea stage will be helped to grow into sustainable businesses, and how to become investment-ready.

The program is financed by CDC Group, the UK’s development finance institution with over 70 years of experience in successfully supporting the sustainable, long-term growth of businesses in Africa and South Asia.

Note that only startups from Egypt, Ghana, Mauritius, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, or Pakistan can apply for the Adaptation & Resilience Accelerator program. The online event is set to run from November 2021 to February 2022.

What do I win?

Participants stand a chance of winning cash prizes that will be awarded to top teams:

-1st place – €4,500
-2nd & 3rd place – €3,500

Additional benefits include:

  • Webinars and workshops to grow their business skills;
  • Opportunity to network with relevant partners and investors;
  • Increased visibility as startups pitch their ideas at the Adaptation & Resilience Day with the most promising pitches selected to be
  • showcased at the United Nations Climate Summit (COP26) in November.
Eligibility

To qualify for the Adaptation & Resilience Accelerator, startups must meet all eligibility criteria.

Unique A&R solutions:

Startups must offer solutions that do any of the following:

  • Help customers identify climate hazards (like flooding, droughts, heatwaves, etc) that may affect them;
  • Build customer adaptation or resilience to these hazards.
Country of operation

Eligible startups must operate in one of these countries:

  • Egypt, Ghana, Mauritius, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, or Pakistan.
Stage of maturity

Startups must be at the right stage of maturity. This means that it must

  • Be formally registered for at least a year;
  • Have built a prototype and/or service offer ready;
  • Have a well-formulated business model with working forecasts;
  • Have some sales traction (of 3-6 months) and first customer feedback.
Deadline

Submissions close on Thursday, September 13, 2021. Click here to submit your entry.

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