As the challenge of global warming is posing a serious threat to the environment, many tech entrepreneurs are coming up with concepts focused on sustainability. Aspirational and young entrepreneurs are highly inclined towards minimalism, zero waste, and other initiatives that will bring about sustainability in the tech ecosystem.
Given that a slew of startups are developing outstanding innovations to tackle global challenges, they need support to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations. And, now there is an accelerator program of BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt that supports them from the innovation and business creation center UnternehmerTUM.
RESPOND accelerator program supports entrepreneurs who want to contribute to a peaceful and sustainable future in line with the Agenda. During the program, founders of ambitious tech startups will have access to workshops, mentoring and close contacts to the global BMW Foundation Responsible Leaders Network.
The first accelerator program will debut on June 22, 2020 and here we list 10 startups that will take part in the RESPOND Accelerator 2020 program that you should know about.
Amparo (Germany)
Founder/s: Lucas Paes de Melo, Wesley Teerlink, Felix Dietrich
Founded year: 2016
Funding: NA
Amparo works with the vision to restore mobility to amputees in the most remote regions. Its mobile rehabilitation clinic called Amparo Clinic started a campaign to raise funds to provide prosthesis to those who want it. For the prosthesis, the company uses innovative and direct-mold technology. The Confidence Socket is the first interim socket system, which can be custom-molded directly to the residual limb up to ten times.
BOSAQ (Belgium)
Founder/s: Jacob Bossaer
Founded year: 2015
Funding: NA
BOSAQ provides decentralised and sustainable drinking water purification systems for rural areas worldwide both in industrial and developing countries. The company uses a patented purification process based on renewable energies and membrane technology so that the costs are reduced dramatically. BOSAQ works with the mission to provide the world with sustainable premium drinking water in a socially responsible way and believes that everyone should have access to the same.
Brickify (Nigeria)
Founder/s: NA
Founded year: NA
Funding: NA
Brickify recycles plastic waste into bricks that are resistant to water, fire, and heat. These bricks can be used for both the construction of roads and low-cost housing. The bricks work like legos and interlock with one another thereby requiring no additional materials for the construction phase. Eventually, it is possible to make the construction process more affordable than the usual practices.
goodbag (Austria)
Founder/s: Todor Lazov, Christoph Hantschk
Founded year: NA
Funding: NA
The goodbag is the first reusable and smart bag, which lets you plant trees, collect plastic waste out of oceans and receive exclusive discounts every time you bring your own bag. It is smart as there is a sewn-in NFC chip, which rewards users every time they use the bag. To avail the discount, you need to download the goodbag app, purchase a goodbag and start scanning it whenever you shop.The goodbag can be purchased either via online or partner stores for €9.90.
GOT BAG (Germany)
Founder/s: Roman, Benny
Founded year: 2016
Funding: NA
GOT BAG is the world’s first company to make a bagpack out of ocean plastic. As per statistics, nearly 9 million tons of plastic waste enter the oceans every year. This is where GOT BAG has come up with an innovative solution to keep the oceans free from plastic. For this, the startup works with a network of 1,500 fishermen in Asia to collect plastic from the ocean. The plastic waste is sorted and its PET parts are processed into yarn, which is used to manufacture the backpacks.
Hawa Dawa (Germany)
Founder/s: Birgit Fullerton, Jannai Flaschberger, Karim Hesham Tarraf, Matthew Fullerton, Yvonne Rusche
Founded year: 2016
Funding: NA
Hawa Dawa blends its proprietary IoT smart sensor data with other data sources including satellite data in order to give precise air quality information. It demonstrates that end-to-end solution is really needed by the market. The German startup helps cities and companies manage air quality in a better way. It crowd-sources the data on an interactive & realtime city map letting you know when and where air pollution is bad.
KRAFTBLOCK (Germany)
Founder/s: Susanne König
Founded year: 2014
Funding: NA
KRAFTBLOCK works with the mission to design a storage-based sustainable energy system. It provides eco-friendly, sustainable, highly scalable and cost-efficient modular thermal energy storage systems that can operate with temperatures of up to 1,300-degree Celsius. The energy storage systems are made of 85% recycled materials so that these have a lower carbon footprint than competing systems thereby leading to a transition in the use of renewable energy.
Made of Air (Germany)
Founder/s: Allison Dring, Daniel Schwaag, Kasia Zalewska
Founded year: 2016
Funding: NA
Made of Air is a radical new biochar-based material designed to combat climatic change. The startup produces a thermoplastic base material, which is made of 90% atmospheric carbon and thus carbon negative. Notably, it is a sustainable alternative for use in construction, interiors, furniture, and more. It removes more CO2 from the air than it emits, can create a surplus of usable heat and electric energy, and formed to meet multiple building applications.
Meersens (France)
Founder/s: Morane REY-HUET
Founded year: 2017
Funding: NA
Meersens is a pioneer in providing an app + IoT solution for everyone with Artificial Intelligence. The startup monitors their environment and checks for any possible hazards that can impact their health such as water quality, air quality, waves, UVs, noise, pesticides, etc. In addition to giving you the tools to identify pollutants in your environment, it also provides tools to fix the same.
Plan A (Germany)
Founder/s: Lubomila Jordanova
Founded year: 2017
Funding: NA
Plan A helps companies to build a carbon-neutral and sustainable economy by providing them with a digital platform to reduce, monitor, reduce, and compensate for their environmental impact. Plan A has developed the first Emissions Reduction Software, which will let businesses to monitor, calculate and reduce their monthly carbon footprint, and create customised action plans for sustainability.
Main image picture credits: RESPOND Accelerator
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