Cleantech startups chosen for innovation accelerator
SINGAPORE – The Alliance to End Plastic Waste (Alliance) and Plug and Play has chosen 11 finalists for a 90-day accelerator program that supports startups on their innovations in ending plastic waste.
At the alliance’s Singapore hub, the virtual one-day competition chose companies from the Asia-Pacific region to take part in the End Plastic Waste Innovation Platform. This is the organizers’ third selection hub, following successful programs in Silicon Valley and Paris.
The first to be held in Asia Pacific, the program is designed to focus on three areas: collecting, managing and sorting plastic waste; recycling and processing technologies; and creating value from post-recycled plastics. The accelerator program will help selected startups seek funding from companies and investors, along with a range of global resources to address these focus areas.
Today, some three billion people in the world have limited to no access to municipal solid waste management systems. For example, according to a World Economic Forum’s National Plastic Action Report on Indonesia, 70 percent of Indonesia’s plastic waste, or an estimated 4.8 million tonnes per year, is considered mismanaged. In many countries in the region, plastic waste is openly dumped or burned on land, deposited in poorly managed dumpsites, or leaked into waterways and ultimately the ocean.
The 11 selected startups are from Australia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, and UAE:
Nicholas Kolesch, vice-president of projects for the Alliance to End Plastic Waste said: “We’re delighted to welcome all 11 finalists to the End Plastic Waste Innovation Platform. Together with the start-ups that have been selected from the Silicon Valley and Paris programs, we now have a total of over 30 startups all over the world pushing new ideas and technologies in support of our mission. Our unique partnership with Plug and Play has allowed us to support future-forward ideas and solutions that could help us address a critical issue of global proportions.”
The End Plastic Waste Innovation a collaboration and shared vision by the Alliance, an international non-profit organization, and Plug and Play, a global innovation platform. This platform taps into the best technology startups and links them with the resources, experience, and expertise from the world’s largest corporations so their innovations can be brought to scale.
“I could not be prouder and more excited to launch our third End Plastic Waste Innovation Hub. Together with the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, we will be able to accelerate the growth of these 11 innovative startups and scale their plastic wastes solutions in the areas that need it the most,” said Matthew Claxton, global director of Plug and Play’s Sustainability program.
The End Plastic Waste Innovation Platform has hubs in two other cities—Paris and Silicon Valley.
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