DAWERR Innovation Challenge 2023 (Lebanon)

Deadline: 4-Jun-23

Seize the opportunity to reshape the future of solid waste management in Lebanon’s rural communities with your innovative solutions. Collaborate with fellow eco-entrepreneurs, gain expert insights, attend eye-opening workshops, and refine your business idea to scale and create a sustainable impact. Apply now and be the catalyst for change!

Under the Diverting Waste by Encouraging Reuse and Recycling (DAWERR) Activity funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Berytech is organizing the DAWERR Innovation Challenge 2023 (IC23) to support selected participants grow their business in the fields of Solid Waste Management (SWM) in Lebanon.

Held over two consecutive days, the DAWERR IC23 is an exciting opportunity for entrepreneurs and startups, working on innovative solid waste management solutions solving real problems/challenges in rural communities in Lebanon to enhance their solutions to scale up and grow in the market.

Over two days, teams will have the opportunity to enhance their knowledge, receive support to validate their business solutions through workshops and 1-1 sessions with experts, and then to pitch their solutions to a panel of judges.

The startup or SME will have to:

• Be working on solving challenges in the Solid Waste Management sector across Lebanon particularly in rural areas,
• Have a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

Discover The Challenges

• The DAWERR IC23 will challenge participants to solve one of the problems municipalities face in managing solid waste from the point of generation to final disposal. The aim is to introduce financially sustainable solutions that increase the reuse, push for recycling, and monetize solid waste ultimately reducing the amount of solid waste that goes to landfills. Accordingly, applicants to DAWERR IC23 must have solutions and existing MVPs to address one or both challenges, including challenge statements.
  • Challenge #1: Sorting at Source. Solutions that target sorting at source should aim to:
    • Address sorting practices, behaviour change and/or scalability challenges. In most areas, solutions should be able to encourage people to start sorting at source and separate their waste into organic waste, recyclables, and rejects. For new and existing sorters, this solution should also aim at facilitating practices by the waste generator to either (1) set out the pre-sorted waste into three (3) bins for selective collection or (2) drop off the pre-sorted recyclables and organic waste at designated drop-off or community composting kiosks;
    • Change a fundamental aspect of SWM which is people’s behaviour. The solution should enable more effective Social Behaviour Change (SBC) campaigns -I.e., facilitate more impact and a greater reach for every dollar spent on SBC campaigns. In other words, when the solution is implemented, areas and communities targeted by SBC campaigns would register an increase in the percentage of people who sort their waste at the source and have changed their behaviours as compared to the pre-solution situation; and/or
    • Scale up an existing successful SBC model to new areas or possibly into a national level model. Solutions must show results from existing markets, and ease of adaptability, and where applicable, an in-depth understanding of the new targeted area(s).
  • Challenge #2: Selective Collection. Solutions that target selective collection of pre-sorted waste should aim to:
    • Amend and optimize existing solid wase collection operations to make them more cost and resources efficient. Solutions should adjust, upgrade, change, innovate or automate any or all aspects of the operations in a way that lowers risks and the impact of negative change. Solutions must clearly demonstrate efficiency and effectiveness by optimizing resources utility, lowering costs, or delivering more results;
    • Mobilize communities where people adopt a drop off approach. Solutions must enable people to have options where they can drop off their pre-sorted solid waste at certain designated fixed or mobile locations. This should complement or replace existing collection schemes and routes. Where applicable, solutions must also guarantee that the required changes in existing collection methods to accept source separated waste; and/or
    • Reduce the adverse impacts of the informal sector, also known as scavengers, in SWM especially for recyclables. Solutions should propose approaches by local authorities to regulate or integrate scavengers in the proposed SWM system while maintaining acceptable profits for all stakeholders.

Benefits

• Workshops: Get all the information you need to enhance your solution.
• Clinics: Receive support from mentors and experts.
• Pitching: Pitch your solution to the jury and receive expert feedback to enhance your idea.

Challenge Details

• 6 Winners – UP TO $25,750
• Note: Six winning startups or SMEs of the DAWERR IC23 will be incubated for 12 weeks at Berytech. Each venture will receive financial assistance as in-kind grants of up to $750 to validate their solutions, further develop their MVPs, and out of the six short-listed ventures, DAWERR will select up to three startups or SMEs to move on to the second phase of the incubation program and provide them with in-kind grants of up to $5,000 each to be spent on further developing and scaling their solutions.
• Upon graduation of the second phase of the DAWERR IC23 incubation program, registered entities will have the opportunity to receive a grant of up to $20,000 from DAWERR to pilot and scale their innovative solutions. This funding will enable these entities to accelerate their business operations and market penetration, driving growth along the recycling value chain.

Eligibility Criteria

• You are encouraged to apply if you have a team working on solving challenges in the solid waste management sector. DAWERR strongly encourages female participation in the IC23.
• Your startup or SME needs to meet the following eligibility criteria:
  • Registered or non-registered entities with at least an MVP addressing (one or more) challenges;
  • Team members residing in Lebanon with at least two co-founders per team;
  • Team should include multidisciplinary experts; and
  • The EOI must propose a solution to solve one or both of the DAWERR challenge statements.

For more information, visit Berytech.