Deadline: 3 February 2020
Have you developed an innovative digital solution with positive impact in the areas of Environmental Climate Action, Gender Equality or EduTech? Is your digital innovation operational & has been introduced to the market? If yes, then apply for the Innovation Factory Digital Innovation Accelerator and take your innovation to the next level!
The Innovation Factory is currently inviting applicants for its Digital Innovation Accelerator which is a multi-stage programme that includes a 6-month acceleration programme and a final competition.
45 short-listed teams will participate in the 6-month Digital Innovation Accelerator programme where they will – among others – receive capacity building support; refine their business models and pitch strategy; optimise their SDG impacts; and work on their investment readiness.
At the end of the acceleration phase, teams will submit their refined business plans to compete for the final prize. 12 winning teams of the competition stage will receive tailored support packages equivalent to 15.000€ each that will go into further development of their products and/or the scaling of their start-ups. Additionally successful teams will also profit from the Innovation Factory’s network.
Focus Sectors
- GENDER EQUALITY
- Women and girls make up half the global population and therefore half its potential. However, gender inequality in various forms still persists everywhere and stands in the way of sustainable economic growth and social progress. Similarly, this disparity between genders is also reflected in the access to digital technology.
- Whether it is providing equal education access or increasing access to adaptive microfinance, technology provide endless possibilities to improving quality of life and enabling women and girls to participate in building resilient communities.
- EDUTECH
- Good quality and accessible education is a crucial foundation for sustainable development. In addition to improving quality of life, it equips locals with tools to further develop innovative solutions to global problems. According to the UN, 617 million children and adolescents lack minimum proficiency in reading and mathematics, and up to 750 million adults still remain illiterate.
- Digital technology has a high potential to help propel forward impoverished communities, and to help youth gain relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills for employment.
- ENVIRONMENTAL CLIMATE ACTION
- Climate change affects all communities globally with increasingly severe weather pattern changes, rising sea levels and extremely high greenhouse gas emissions. Limiting global warming to 1.5ºC will require drastic changes in all aspects of society. Furthermore, the poorest and most vulnerable people are affected the most.
- Digital innovations that contribute to climate and environmental action can deliver scalable solutions to enable countries to increase local adaptation efforts across all communities and advance quicker towards cleaner and more resilient economies.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications open to start-ups, companies, non-profits to submit innovations for sustainable development: Gender Equality, EduTech or Environmental Climate Action.
- Have a clear business case and feasible financial sustainability for future/current revenue model.
- Have a digital innovation that delivers positive impact in the above-mentioned areas.
- Digital innovation solution is operational & has been introduced to the market & its intended users.
- Being locally-driven or locally-led from one of these 5 countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Mexico, and Senegal.
For more information, visit https://innovation-factory.app/