Kenya will have a strong presence at the regional finals of the Climate Launchpad (CLP), a competition organized by the European Institute of Technology (EIT), Climate-KIC, with the support of the European Commission, whose Descartes incubator is the national relay in France. The Kenyan team was recently formed after a national CLP competition that was held online and broadcast live on YouTube.
The Kenyan start-ups that will take part in the CLP regional final (Africa) are: Pine Kazi, Ecobora Company and CleanAirKE. At the end of the national competition, the three start-ups received a total of 250,000 Kenyan shillings ($2,308) in funding for their commitment to finding effective solutions to climate change.
A meeting that will bring together 30 participants
The regional (Africa) final of the CLP will be held before the end of 2020. The competition will be attended by 30 African start-ups, including Pine Kazi, which manufactures shoes and bags from recycled pineapple waste. Ecobora Company of Kenya will also participate. The young company provides a sustainable biomass fuel for industries, households and “marginalized” schools. The third Kenyan start-up selected, CleanAirKE, works to reduce air pollution by recycling waste to create grocery bags, packaging lids and water bottles.
In addition to renewable energy, sanitation and waste management projects, initiatives dealing with issues related to sustainable agriculture or sustainable urban mobility will also benefit from CLP’s support. The annual competition is open to all individuals or start-ups in their first year, resident or established in one of the participating countries.
Once all the regional finals have been completed, a grand international final will be organized. The CLP finalists will compete in front of an international jury. The top 10 competitors will receive a $12,000 prize and a Golden Ticket to the prestigious EIT Climate-KIC incubator.
Inès Magoum