Techstars joins Cleantech.org $100,000 GS Beyond Energy Innovation Challenge
Cleantech.org and Techstars announced that Techstars is joining the Cleantech.org GS Beyond Energy Innovation Challenge as an Accelerator Partner. Applications are open for the $100K prize until all semi-finalist slots are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis and are filling up rapidly.
The finalists will be selected from a pool of 21 semi-finalists, five of which will be invited to participate in the virtual pitch event scheduled for July 21, judged by a diverse panel of select venture capitalists, executives, and corporate venture investors representing some of the top investors in the energy transition.
The pitch competition winner will win a cash award of $100,000 with no strings, deliverables, or equity dilution provided by GS Beyond, the Silicon Valley-based innovation arm of the South Korean headquartered global energy, power, construction, and retail conglomerate GS Group. Semi-finalists have opportunities to pitch to prospective investors and customers.
Cody Simms, SVP, Climate & Sustainability, Techstars: "We have over 180 startups working on climate and sustainability efforts across our global portfolio today and growing. Entrepreneurs create a better future for everyone, and supporting them as they build to address climate change and the future of energy is a mission that resonates deeply with us."
The challenge is accepting applications via GSBeyondEnergy.com to energy sector startups in the US with a minimum viable product (MVP) or working prototypes in the earliest seed funding stage to those in later stages with customers. The competition looks for companies in the following categories: Digitization of Energy, eMobility in Cities, and New Fuels.
Neal Dikeman, Chairman, Cleantech.org and Partner, Energy Transition Ventures: "The challenge is supported by some of the top incubators and accelerators in the cleantech sector. "I'm excited to support and work with Techstars and include startups from one of the largest accelerator programs in the world."
Interviews.
[Interview] Caroline Mutuku, General Manager, Glovo, Kenya
Caroline Mutuku is Kenya's General Manager of multi-category app Glovo. Caroline joined Glovo in December 2022 from Swvl Kenya where she also served as the General Manager from December 2021. In this interview...read more here
[Interview] Renate Swanepoel, COO, INC. Networking
Renate Swanepoel is an entrepreneur, global networker and inspirational speaker that has helped thousands of people around the world to find their purpose. She has gained significant networking and communication...read more here
[Interview] Anne-Marie Chidzero, Chief Investment Officer, FSD Africa
Anne-Marie Chidzero is the Chief Investment Officer at the Financial Sector Deepening Africa (FSD Africa) Investments. In this interview, she talks about the risks and opportunities in backing Africa’s early-stage startups...read more here
[Interview] James Kilpatrick, Chair, Gravitilab, UK
Gravitilab is a "Space as a Service" business providing research, testing and qualification facilities to space agencies, government, academia and commercial enterprises. The company’s Chair and Chief Finance Officer...read more here
[Interview] Ramanjeet Singh, CEO, Woosper, USA
Woosper is a US-based digital advertising and marketing agency focused on creating experiences that help clients discover their place in the digital world. The CEO Ramanjeet Singh...read more here