The first cohort of climate accelerators in Latin America and the Caribbean have begun their training to promote climate solutions in the region in a program designed by IDB Lab, the innovation laboratory of the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB), and EIT Climate-KIC, a European innovation and knowledge community co-financed by the European Union and supported by the Clean Technology Fund.
Twenty-eight entrepreneurship support organizations (ESOs) from Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico and Peru are participating in a two-year program in which they will develop their capacities to become accelerators of 100 climate technology startups, so they can efficiently support climate-focused startups and increase climate impact. In parallel, the program seeks to boost the climate innovation ecosystem through events, community support, networking and visibility of investor networks.
The selected ESOs, which include innovation agencies, incubators, accelerators, venture capitalists, hubs, coworking spaces and other facilitators of the region's entrepreneurial ecosystem, will have access to four months of bi-weekly workshops and mentoring sessions that will culminate in the co-creation of a proposal to accelerate climate technology innovations at the regional level. They will use an open-source toolkit to run their own ClimAccelerator, which includes management resources, content and a coaching network, and will be guided by a climate impact framework to align their environmental and financial goals. They will also be able to join a global network of more than 400 organizations focused on the transition to zero net emissions.
After the training phase, the program will focus on fostering regional climate innovations. By mid-2024, three to five ESOs with the most promising results from the program will be selected to receive targeted mentoring to accelerate 100 climate technology startups within 12 months. The official call for such startups will be made in the second quarter of 2024, although those who wish to do so can sign up by registering their details here to receive updates and information about the program.
The third phase of the program will focus on the analysis of the ecosystem and the ESOs and their relationships with the climate entrepreneurship community, for which a mapping of the ecosystem's actors will also be carried out. It will also deepen a network of investors and seek collaboration with events promoting sharing ideas with the community.
Those who want to be part of this transformative initiative, whether as mentors, investors, public or private actors, or climate advocates, among others, can contact climaccelerator@climate-kic.org.
About IDB Lab
IDB Lab is the innovation lab of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, the leading source of development finance and knowledge focused on improving lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. IDB Lab's purpose is to drive innovation for inclusion in the region by mobilizing funding, knowledge and connections to test early-stage private sector solutions with the potential to transform the lives of populations made vulnerable by economic, social and environmental conditions. Since 1993, BID Lab has approved more than $2 billion in projects deployed in 26 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. www.bidlab.org
About EIT Climate-KIC
EIT Climate-KIC is the European Knowledge Innovation Community (KIC) working to accelerate the transition to a carbon-free economy. With the support of the European Institute of Technology, a body of the European Union, EIT Climate-KIC identifies and supports innovation capable of mitigating global warming and combating climate change. It collaborates with entrepreneurship support organizations, funders and investors to support start-ups and accelerate climate solutions at the scale and speed needed to drive systemic change. https://www.climate-kic.org/lac-capacity-building/
Manzano Guillen, Maria De Gador
