Inaugural ‘Week of Action’ reignites climate activism on the heels of COP26
Hundreds of citizens, entrepreneurs and young professionals rallied together for the Climate KIC Week of Action to celebrate international climate action in the lead-up to the UN Climate Change Conference.
Spanning the week of 25-31 October, the virtual event highlighted the transformative, climate-positive ideas and solutions conceived via Climate KIC’s educational and entrepreneurship programmes: Climathon, ClimAccelerator, Pioneers into Practice, Journey, and ClimateLaunchpad.
From mobility to energy to finance, a different climate-related challenge marked each day of the event with inspiring workshops, interviews, and panel discussions streamed live across social media. In total, the event broadcasted 25 hours of live streaming and engaged with over 50 experts working across the sustainability sector.
ClimAccelerator’s packed programme offered both aspiring entrepreneurs and spectators a front-row seat to hours of innovation insights by climate start-up CEOs, tips and tricks for funding your next green venture, and deep dives into the entrepreneurial ecosystems of Europe and beyond. These recorded sessions can be viewed on the ClimAccelerator & Climate Innovators YouTube channel.
Throughout the week, Climathons events took place simultaneously in nearly 100 cities across the globe, where participants worked together to co-create solutions for local climate challenges such as energy consumption, food waste, mobility and finance. This year over 200 cities hosted a Climathon, which marks the largest number of participating cities since the ideathon’s inception in 2008. The live daily check-ins with Local Organisers and past Climathon winners can be viewed on the Climathon YouTube channel.
Meanwhile, the Climatelaunchpad programme kicked off its three-day global competition for green business ideas. The Global Grand Finals featured 70 of the world’s most promising cleantech start-ups representing 55 countries. The team SMDPower Solutions placed first for its AI-driven IoT for existing air conditioners that helps cool rooms sensibly and reduce electricity. The top 16 pitches from the Global Grand Finals can be viewed on the Climatelaunchpad website.
Following the successful launch of the inaugural Climate KIC Week of Action, plans are already underway for a second edition! The hybrid programme is tentatively scheduled to take place online with pop-up events in select European cities coming October 2022.
On January 27th 2022, we will celebrate Climate-KIC Entrepreneurship Programmes by sharing information, insights, best practices and future prospects for 2022.