UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA), an independent climate action organisation, has partnered with the Webit.Foundation (Webit), one of the largest global innovation platforms of investors and scale up companies.
Together, the two organisations are bringing Founders Games – Webit’s flagship global scale-up competition – to the UAE for a special edition, Grow@COP, focusing on startups working to advance climate action and sustainability.
More than 3,000 startups applied for the chance to compete, and 20 exceptional semi-finalists from across Health, FinTech, Energy, Mobility, EdTech, Food, and CleanTech have been selected.
They will compete for a share of Webit’s investment fund, and the opportunity to pitch to a global jury of investors and venture capital firms, including Google, Sequoia, EarlyBird, Lakestar, DN Capital and more.
The competition’s award pool is US$6 million which will be confirmed by the board of directors of Webit Investment Network after completing the final due diligence.
Hosted at COP28 in the UICCA Pavilion, Youth Pavilion and Conference Center at COP28 Green Zone between December 3rd and 10th, the eight-day programme will be specially curated to align with COP28’s thematic days. On the first seven days, startups related to the day’s theme will present their pitches.
On 10th December, the five highest-scoring startups will get to pitch their idea in front of an All-Star Jury at the Grand Finals for the chance to secure investment and the opportunity to pitch at a special ceremony during the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Founder and CEO of UICCA, said, “The world urgently needs a new generation of innovative climate technologies that can help accelerate change towards a more sustainable future. Through our partnership with Webit for Grow@COP, UICCA hopes to discover some promising new climate ideas, and offer entrepreneurs a platform to connect with investors, mentors and supporters who can help them grow their businesses and really make a positive impact on our planet.
Most importantly, Grow@COP will highlight the potential of innovative solutions to catalyse transformative change, and cultivate a legacy of environmental stewardship for generations to come."
Dr. Plamen Russev, founder and chairman of Webit Foundation, stated, “We can only create a sustainable, desirable future by working with sustainable companies that generate social and environmental change alongside business growth. Finding, endorsing and supporting growth-stage companies from over 150 countries is what the Webit Foundation has stood for over the past 15 years.
We are very excited that through our partnership with UICCA, we are able to showcase sustainable business solutions for the climate crisis, in front of influential global leaders with the opportunity to apply them. Solutions are here – join us at Grow@COP to see them. It’s time to act”.
Founded in 2008, through its global-scale events Webit has supported over 1,500 companies from 140 countries with funding, access, mentoring and partnerships. The Founders Games, Webit’s flagship global scale-up competition and platform, is hosted twice a year with a funding award of US$6 million to fund highly scalable and high growth startups from around the world that generate social and environmental impact. Grow@COP has been designed in alignment with Founders Games, with a specific focus on Climate Tech startups.