Upcoming Deadlines : Funding Opportunities for Impact Startups

Impact startups, here are the upcoming deadlines for various impact-focus funding opportunities, fellowships, competitions, pitch events, accelerators and many more ! 
With the aim of supercharging ventures that will help us achieve the SDGs by 2030, here are several opportunities for impact businesses can’t be missed ! 

RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS 

Global Agrifood Techpreneur Programme

Global Agrifood Techpreneur Programme supports young graduates to engage in addressing key food sustainability challenges in their country to improve food production and distribution, end hunger, end obesity and malnutrition while preventing food waste
 
Deadlines : February 20th 2023.

ABB Electrification Startup Challenge 2023

Enterprise Organiser : SynerLeap, ABB Distribution Solutions, Microsoft
 
ABB Distribution Solutions is a technology leader in electric power distribution. We improve electric power quality and reliability while strengthening grid resilience through automation. With ABB Ability™ enabled digital products and solutions our customers can unlock the full potential of their electrical systems.
 
ABB Battery Energy Storage Systems are an important asset to support the environmental sustainability strategies of our customers. Incorporating ABB Battery Energy Storage System technologies can balance the need to reduce carbon emissions, while ensuring power continuity, in a world where renewable generation is becoming the largest source of global electricity.
 
Through participation in various compensation programs from grid operators, as well as enabling the smart integration of renewable power generation sources, ABB Battery Energy Storage System can drive customers toward more sustainable operations and improve financial results.
We are looking for a startup challenger with a passion for innovation, collaboration, and inventiveness to develop a control logic software architecture that can maximize revenue streams and optimise total cost of ownership of customers operation sites by means of an ABB Battery Energy Storage System.
 
Application deadline February 21, 2023

Enterprise Singapore: Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge

Enterprise Singapore: Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge, aiming to bring together industry partners and creative innovators to co-develop innovative sustainability solutions and ultimately implement them on a global scale.
 
Deadline : February 26th, 2023.

Sustainable Ocean Alliance and RespectOcean: Ocean Pitch Challenge

Created from the alliance, in France, between Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) and RespectOcean, this challenge aims to:
  • Develop and promote economically viable solutions for the protection of the oceans and its marine and coastal ecosystems;
  • Give the opportunity to applicants to have their solution reviewed by a Committee of experts of the Blue Economy (the “Expert Committee”);
  • Train 10 finalists at the pitching technique in order to develop their presentation skills, and increase their chances to have their solution funded by investors;
  • Reward the top three candidates during a Grand finale  ;
  • Reward three additional solutions on the following themes “special prize for the preservation
    of marine biodiversity“, “special prize for bio-inspired solutions“, “special prize for early-stage solutions”.
Ocean Pitch Challenge
For the third edition of our event, the call for applications will be open until February 28th, 2023.
 
10 applications will be selected for the Grand Finale by a jury of international Blue Economy experts and will be announced on April 6th, 2023.
 
These 10 selected solutions will receive pitch coaching until the Grand Finale, which will take place in a hybrid format on May 23rd, 2023 (in Paris and online).
 
On D-day, the 10 finalists will be invited to pitch their project in front of a jury, which will select the three winners of the 2023 Ocean pitch challenge® based on their pitch. For more information about the program and the participation criteria, check the contest’s website and FAQ 

Sustainable Forest Economy Challenge

This challenge calls  ecopreneurial start-ups that provide innovative and scalable models for sustainable forest management, the production and application of different wood products and enabling technology solutions.
 
Manulife – a leading insurance and financial services company as well as the world’s largest timberland investment manager – has partnered with UpLink to accelerate the innovation agenda to ensure a sustainable forest economy at scale. This is the first of two innovation challenges run in collaboration with Manulife.
 
This innovation challenge calls for innovative and ecopreneurial approaches to sustainable forest management, the production of wood products and their application in different industry sectors as well as enabling technology solutions. 
 
Submissions will be accepted from 19 January to 1 March 2023. We encourage applications from under-represented groups and geographies. Submit your solution by clicking on the ‘Submit’ button.
Manulife, in collaboration with World Economic Forum, are calling for innovative and scalable approaches to sustainable forest management, the production of wood products and their application in different industry sectors: 
 
What are we looking for? 
  • Business Model: for-profit start-ups, social enterprises and/or small and medium-sized enterprises that are already generating revenue and have a sustainable funding model (not-for-profit organizations with a clearly defined, revenue-generating project may also be considered).  
  • Scale: Innovations must demonstrate the potential and desire to scale, and have a vision for achieving long-term financial viability, impact and sustainability. 
  • Stage: Impact-oriented pilot, growth, or scale-up phase start-up companies with demonstrated success toward scale and an operating model in place. Submissions at the “idea” or “prototype” phase will not be considered. 
Geographic Scope 
 
We are looking for submissions from all around the globe that are scalable in their respective local contexts and potentially replicable in different parts of the world.   
 
Focus Areas 
 
The focus areas of this challenge are: 1) sustainable forest management 2) innovative wood products and their commercial adoption 3) enabling technology solutions. Successful submissions may tackle one or several of these focus areas

GreatCompanies Women Entrepreneur Award 2023

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀.𝗶𝗻 (𝗚𝗖)
Great Companies primarily launched to address Industry Recognition for Micro & Small and Medium Businesses (MSME). We endeavour to share and certify the best practices and ideas for the MSME sectors.
 
𝑨𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝑾𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝑬𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒖𝒓 𝑨𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝟐𝟎𝟐3 (#𝑮𝑪𝑾𝑬𝑨𝟐𝟎𝟐3)
We encourage you to share details as requested. Detailed submission will aid the jury to make a judicious decision.
 
GCWEA 2023 is open to women entrepreneurs only. The lady nominee is expected to be playing an active role in the leading their business.
 
𝗡𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝘀 :【𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄】
There are Value Added Services that we offer as an Option. The details can be found at the end of the form.
 
𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿d𝘀
 
𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦
Nomination Closes on : 𝟬𝟭 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑
Award Announcement : 𝟬𝟖 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

Greatlead 2030 Challenge For SDG 14

The blue economy is the 7th largest in the world, worth nearly $25tr in asset value. Despite this, it is drastically underinvested from a public and private capital point of view. Estimates suggest that $520bn is lost annually in economic activity and 26 million people are forced into poverty due to coastal natural disasters and ocean degradation.
 
One Young World with support of Credit Suisse: inviting applications for its Lead 2030 Challenge to support Sustainable Development Goal 14 “Life Below Water” (March 1st).

Our challenge invites participants from the examples below, however not restricted to, solutions that could protect and/or restore existing ocean based resources. For example:

  • Reducing marine waste (along any part of the value chain.
  • Alternatives to single use plastic packaging/materials.
  • Support sustainable aquaculture practices.
  • Preventing food waste and food loss along the food supply chain from post-harvest to the retail and consumer level.
  • Provide marine conservation benefits.

Alternatively, solutions linked to opportunities for enhanced or new economic activity derived from the ocean. For example:

  • Ocean related energy.
  • Blue carbon initiatives.
  • Minimise shipping contribution to climate change.
Application deadline March 1st, 2023
Stay tuned on Linkedin and Twitter for useful resources. Follow #Changemakrasia for updates on online programs, fellowships, awards, competitions, pitch events, incubators, accelerators, and funding opportunities around Asia and beyond !