Haaga-Helia coordinates the Finnish ClimateLaunchpad 2021 business idea competition

For the third time, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences is coordinating the international ClimateLaunchpad business idea competition, which is organised in cooperation with Laurea and Metropolia Universities of Applied Sciences (3AMK).

This year’s competition themes are urban solutions, the circular economy, sustainable mobility, clean energy, food systems, and adaptation and resilience.

ClimateLaunchpad is the world’s largest and best-known competition for green business ideas, aiming to find new and sustainable solutions to climate change.

Participation in the competition does not require a ready-made business model, as the idea will be developed together with the help of our professional coaches as the competition progresses. However, the is one condition: your business idea must have less than EUR 200,000 in funding.

The prizes for the competition have usually consisted of money as well as a place in the prestigious EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator program in Amsterdam.

The best-known success stories of the Nordic ClimateLaunchpad include Aqua Robur, Blue Lobster, Mimbly, Modviro, Rens, SolarSack and Solfoil.

The climate business is a growing business

Haaga-Helia's project manager responsible for coordinating the Finnish ClimateLaunchpad competition, Hanna Kangas, says that she is already familiar with the topic.

According to Kangas, all three Universities of Applied Sciences are committed to taking sustainable business into account in their curricula and RDI activities.

— Responsibility and sustainable development are important strategic priorities in our teaching. We are at the forefront when it comes to training responsible future experts and leaders, she says.

Kangas believes that the climate business is one of the sure growth areas, as it is difficult to imagine a future business that would not take climate impacts into account. She also thinks that companies have a key role to play in tackling the climate challenge in order to create a better world. 

According to Kangas, this was also one of the reasons why she wanted to be involved in organising the Finnish ClimateLaunchpad. The competition is a great opportunity for startups that emphasise green values. 

— ClimateLaunchpad was created to support those who want to change the world instead of just talking about doing it, she sums.

The three-stage competition culminates in the autumn final

ClimateLauncpad is split into three stages. First, the participants will attend intensive online courses and take part in a joint Boot Camp held in June, where they will learn how to fast track their ideas into businesses, get their ideas funded and launched and bypass all the possible pitfalls along the way.

After that, they will get some intensive coaching which will prepare them for the National Finals. By winning it, one of them gets a chance to compete in Regional Finals, from where the road can continue all the way to the global competition held in October. 

In the Global Finals, the finalists of the regional competitions can redeem their tickets to international success by sharing their ideas with investors and other top figures in the business world.

Of course, there is prize money to be won, but that’s not all. The top teams selected by the jury will automatically get direct access to the Climate-KIC ClimateLaunchpad Accelerator, the renowned business school where great ideas grow into great businesses.

You shouldn’t waste your chance to redeem the ticket to international success but apply immediately. The application deadline is 30th May.

More detailed information can be found from here.