Colombia. The Connect Climatech Accelerator already supports more than 15 startups whose solutions focus on reducing the carbon footprint and optimizing the use of resources.
In this way, this organization is positioned at the center of innovation for sustainability in the region, with a vision focused on catalyzing change towards a greener and more responsible economy. This multi-corporate accelerator seeks to facilitate the transition to sustainable practices, connecting innovative startups with
large corporations to reduce the carbon footprint and optimize the use of resources through the adoption of technologies focused on circular economy, bioeconomy and energy transition and decarbonization.
"The urgency of responding to environmental challenges such as forest fires and water crises requires profound changes and at an unprecedented speed. It is in this need where collaboration between technology entrepreneurs and large industries becomes essential to develop real and effective solutions to climate change," said Eloísa Vela, manager of Connect Climatech Accelerator.
The program offers participating startups direct access to the expertise and technical support of leading companies, accelerating the development of sustainable pilots and solutions. For Connect Climatech Accelerator, open innovation is a key tool to build a greener and more resilient future in Latin America.
One of the biggest challenges facing the accelerator is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in industry, a problem that requires a transition to clean energy sources and more sustainable resource management. According to data from Golding Data, about 70% of current emissions come from the use of fossil fuels in industry.
Diana Gaviria, executive director of Connect, believes that this initiative "positions Colombia as an emerging hub for innovation in Climatech, a movement that refers to ventures that reduce the carbon footprint, help the energy transition and protect biodiversity. In this sense, the Connect Climatech Accelerator becomes a key project to support industries to be increasingly sustainable and implement practices that contribute to the care of the planet."
The Connect Climatech Accelerator model is based on corporate memberships where companies such as Grupo Energía de Bogotá, Grupo Bolívar, Esenttia, Ecopetrol and Promigas, identify specific challenges, select startups with potential and collaborate in mentoring and pilots. Not only does this give startups access to the resources and insights of large companies, but it also allows corporations to adopt innovative and agile technologies that ease their own transition to more sustainable operations.
For Connect Climatech, open innovation is essential to address large-scale environmental challenges. By uniting the agility of startups with the resources of large companies, it is possible to implement faster and more efficient solutions, especially in Latin America, where investment in research and development (R+D) is low. According to the OECD, Colombia invests less than 1% of its GDP in R+D, well below economies such as Korea, Israel and the United States, which exceed 3%.
The Open Innovation & Investor Summit - OISUMMIT, the most important innovation event in Latin America, in addition to being a space in which open innovation is promoted, will be a place where Climatech will be discussed with the accelerator as an exemplary model. Experts such as Manuel Leyva, vice president of growth at Esenttia and Wisther Cano, director and inventor of the startup Innova Energy, will also participate in this conversation. The event, which will be held on November 12 and 13 at the Agora Convention Center in Bogotá, will address other topics around technological trends and investment, building successful ecosystems and innovation to solve global problems. More information about the event is available at www.oisummit.co.
