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Richard Templer of Climate-KIC UK argues that a Cleantech 2.0 scene is starting to drive a new wave innovation and growth. 

www.climate-kic.org

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As part of the Climate-KIC Spark! lecture series, clean energy entrepreneur, Jigar Shah, discussed how he believes that climate change and business model innovation can be turned into jobs and a multi-trillion dollar opportunity.

You can watch the Q&A here and there's a 90 second entrepreneurship into here. 

To find out more about Climate-KIC and our education programmes visit: climate-kic.org

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Richard Gellai | Ziteboard Q&A

Richard Gellai (left) has worked extensively on spreading entrepreneurial culture and transparency in Hungary. The Budapest based entrepreneur joined Climate-KIC in 2013 through our intensive entrepreneurial summer school, The Journey.

He has since gone on to co-found Ziteboard, a whiteboard browser-based service which has won three highly respected start-up/development competitions. He also arranges multiple business and sustainable meet-ups and is an active contributor to the Hungarian start-up scene.

He took time out his busy schedule to talk us through his new business and how entrepreneurial programmes like Climate-KIC can turn ideas into businesses.

Thanks for taking the time out to talk to us. Why did you get into climate entrepreneurship in the first place?

It was inevitable. Back in 2009 I had been studying sustainability in Stockholm but abandoned the field for business. Years went by but in the back of my head I always had that itch for something more than funny and profitable products or services. Last year I decided to give it another try. I set-up BusinessMeetup, a business network which now has 1,200 members, and GreenMeetup, a sub community of sustainable-ordinated businesses with around 550 members. I’m building these because the need for added value services and activities is considerable.  

For those people who aren’t aware of Ziteboard, what is it and why should they be excited.

Meetings and presentations usually require visual note taking - people doodling and drawing squares, arrows and the like. Just think of brainstorming sessions, group presentations and collaborative project plans. We noticed how obsolete whiteboards and flip charts are for such an important task. By the end of the meeting the content of the whiteboard is transcribed or a photo is made so the original content is degraded: a memo which you don't understand or a photo that can get lost.

And flip charts use an incredible amount of paper.

We are creating an easy to use, device independent, post-app service that uses no paper and loses no information. Ziteboard is a zoomable whiteboard in your browser.

Why not create an app?

A normal digital whiteboard would be enough if your screen is huge but you know it's not. In fact, even within one company - devices differ in size and even operating systems. The only thing they have in common is the browser. That's why we decided to go for a universal service instead of developing separate apps for each platform. The problem remains if you create an app, screen sizes are different and generally too small for doodling. So we developed a zooming interface to convert this problem to an opportunity. That's Ziteboard. It’s not presentation software and it’s not a project planner – it’s a zoomable whiteboard in your browser. Nothing more, nothing less.

Talk us through the team. Who is involved and how did you fit it?

Our core team of four (hacker, mathematician, designer and hustler (me)) is dedicated to make this project a success. With Tom Hornos (Ph.D., physics) we've been working together since 2006 on several IT and offline projects at university. He has the technological background to plan and implement complex IT-architectures for which solid mathematical foundations from Nick Salk (MSc Mathematics) are essential. Creating appealing visual appearance for each project is a must, which comes from a great illustrator and UX-designer, Tom Rekasi who I met in 2012 at a business training course of mine.

Ziteboard needed all these skills and the existing trust to become reality and we’re also aware of our shortcomings so we’ve already started looking to create jobs to expand our team.

When did you realise that Ziteboard will take off?

We were four months into development when we decided to enter to a worldwide start-up competition earlier in the year. It was the easiest way to get relevant feedback from an international pool of early adopters.

We didn't expect to the Coshx Labs start-up competition – we just wanted the experience. But we did win and the $50,000 in development fund launched us to a higher level.

Having the founder of TechStars say that this may be the next big thing was quite a validation.

Users started to subscribe in bulk. Requests for features, collaborations and co-developments arrived and then keep arriving in our inboxes. You could say that's when it really started. We won a pitch competition showcasing Ziteboard and private investors started to show up.

Suddenly it was obvious.

How long has Ziteboard been in process?

We're developing for a bit more than seven months. We're using a core technology that's the same age, it's full of surprises but it gives us an incredible advantage over existing products.

What difficulties have you faced?

Creating something from nothing is a constant challenge. People presume what you develop is exactly what they think it is. To meet unsaid demands and needs is close to impossible. We had to develop user interviews, measure relevant data and detect changes in the emotion of users. It was a difficult, manageable task but something which we found absolutely vital.

You finished Climate-KIC’s summer school, The Journey, roughly this time last year. What has been the most beneficial thing you learnt from in start-up experience so far?

In my business consultancy I regularly meet brilliant minds who are ready to change the world and cannot think on a smaller scale.

Throughout the five weeks I spent on The Journey, I became more sensitive and more able to work with them and developed ways to support their strike of genius to easily implementable, commercializable ways.

Also I've learnt a lot about myself for which I'm grateful for all whom I met and keep in touch with since.

After winning three competitions, what advice would you give to someone thinking of taking their idea that next step beyond The Journey?

You will always regret not trying. You really have nothing to lose if you enjoy what you are doing. Be open to opportunities, talk and listen a lot. Work with friends, trust is the biggest asset you may have in a team.

When can we start using it?

Go to ziteboard.com and give it a try. It's the simplest, minimal and free version of Ziteboard.

We are already accepting pre-orders for Ziteboard PRO (launches 10/10/2014) which syncs 24 zoomable whiteboards to the cloud, enables photo import, PDF export, enables simultaneous drawing by multiple users and instant collaboration.

We work full time for what we love and will make Ziteboard the best thing that has ever happened to online collaboration and interactive presentations.

To find out more about Climate-KIC and our education programmes, visit: climate-kic.org

To find out more about Ziteboard, visit their website: ziteboard.com

Lead Photo: János Philip

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The Unemployed Generation

Prageeth Jayathissa (second from right) at the G20 Youth Summit. 

73 million. It’s a rather large number. Especially when realising that this is the number of youth in the ages between 18-34 in 2013 without work.

This statistic comes out to represent 12.6% of the global population in the age bracket and the issues don’t stop there.

With a stagnant economy in the developed world and 660million more youth to enter the job market by 2015, there are some major societal changes that need to be addressed. And they need to be addressed now.

Unfortunately the political debate continues to revolve around issues that do not bring direct results. “The foreigners stole our jobs!” seems to be a common rant, even though the majority of migrants bring in skills that their host country lacks. Yes, there is also a global skills shortage.

This generation is unfortunate to be entering a time where countries are shifting from a product-based economy to an innovation-based economy. This means that we no longer need masses of workers, but highly skilled, and highly creative individuals.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” the teacher asks. “A plumber, a doctor, a builder, a teacher?” This line of thought revolves around an idea of a fixed job in a linear world. A world that is still based around the industrial revolution.

The concept of innovation, in essence, is relatively absent. 

That search for problems in the world and finding creative solutions is never really on the curriculum. Which is a shame as it brings about a fantastic French word, entrepreneurship.

Having more youth engaging in entrepreneurial activities is a way to solve their current unemployment and create employment opportunities for others.

Furthermore, people that are self-employed have higher life satisfaction, and may have the opportunity for a very successful life.

So what is preventing 73 million youth from taking these brave steps?

Well, there are a few barriers that need to be addressed.

1. Fear of Failure

Failure is unfortunately linked to negativity in many societies. In reality, going outside one’s comfort zone and failing often results in valuable understanding. The EU has the highest level of fear of failure where 47% of the population indicated that it would inhibit them from starting a business. It is particularly high in Greece (70%), Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Poland. Interestingly these happen to be the countries with the highest unemployment rates in Europe.

2. Financial Support

The majority of new businesses are financed through personal savings, family and/or friends. Although this is adequate for the start, sufficient capital is required for the business to grow to a sustainable level. Furthermore, it increases the fear of factor. Governmentally financed institutions such as Climate-KIC provide seed funding and coaching which is vital for the survival of many high-tech businesses. These governmental support mechanisms need to grow and should be a crucial topic of discussion.

3. Networking

While gaining access to financial capital is a first step, the access to a network is also important. Having people to feedback on your idea, provide mentorship and initiate your marketing are crucial. Keeping your idea a personal secret is often huge mistake - the idea is completely useless unless it’s made into a reality.

4. Education

Although Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest level of entrepreneurial activity; only 45% have successfully completed secondary school. Even globally there is a shortage of necessary business skills that are necessary to start a business.

5. Administrative Challenges

Only a few countries have a clear and streamlined process flow for setting up a company. The total chaos of registration, combined with the lack of education eliminates many potential businesses from being established.

So if you’re a teacher, push your pupils to be more innovative. If you’re a parent, make sure that you encourage failure. And if your friend Pete is thinking of starting a business, give him total support, as guys like Pete are the ones that can really stop an economic crisis.

And while you’re at it, check out www.ckaa.eu, just check it out. It’s a little project that we are working on to help entrepreneurs out there.

Prageeth Jayathissa is the president of the Climate-KIC Alumni Association, a network that binds highly skilled professionals from across Europe with a single focus: create solutions to combat climate change by inspiring innovation through entrepreneurship.

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The Climate-KIC Alumni Association (CKAA) has created a network that binds highly skilled professionals from across Europe with a single focus. They create solutions to combat climate change by inspiring innovation through entrepreneurship. Find out more: www.ckaa.eu This video was created by PH Studio.

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Abdulla Sheikh of Imperial College, London recently attended represented Climate-KIC (and Iceland) at the National Model United Nations conference (NMUN) in New York. The conference gathered more than 5,000 university students from around the world who, for five days, became international diplomats representing all 193 UN member states. In keeping with the spirit of the UN proper, important global issues such as peace, human development and climate change were discussed with the aim of proposing new resolutions. Here's what Adulla had to say about what he learnt from his experience. Visit www.ckaa.eu to find out more about the Alumni Association.

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CLIMATE-KIC ALUMNI AT THE UN.

Four ambitious members of the Climate-KIC community headed to New York City to participate in the National Model United Nations conference (NMUN). In a simulation of a real UN conference, the conference gathered more than 5,000 university students from around the world who, for five days, became international diplomats representing all 193 UN member states.

In keeping with the spirit of the UN proper, important global issues such as peace, human development and climate change were discussed with the aim of proposing new resolutions.

Climate-KIC were represented by a strong student contingent from our partner universities, four of whom have produced a photo journal which sheds light on the inner workings of UN negotiations. 

(L-R) Congli Dong (TU Delft), Rachel Brooks (Imperial College, London), Paul Peschel (TU Berlin) and Marieke van Deelen (Wageningen UR) inside the UN headquarters, NYC. 

Delegation of Grenada

We are now known as the Delegation of Grenada and we've asserted ourselves firmly at the heart of discussions pertaining to those issues closest to our hearts, namely climate change and sustainability. Sitting on the GA2 (General Assembly Second) and UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) committees, we were able to provide significant technical insight where some, the majority of whom had political backgrounds, fell short.

By adhering to strict international decorum, the ideas of delegates from all around the world could be pooled in a diplomatic fashion, allowing for a unique learning, and decision-making, experience.

Unfazed by the allure of Manhattan, delegates worked tirelessly to propose and approve a plethora of comprehensive resolutions on matters such as Transformation to a Green Economy: Challenges for Transportation Worldwide (UNEP), and Agriculture Development and Food Security (GA2). With a sudden burgeoned knowledge of international shipping conventions and development roadmaps, and a whole host of small-island allies, lousy ideas were discarded, and sturdy, world-improving ideas were shaped into propositions (later to become resolutions). 

United Nations Environment Program committee meeting in NYC. Spot Climate-KIC’s Rachel and Paul. 

Countries' delegates expressing their opinions.

Snapshot of a committee meeting

How can several hundred people speaking different languages sit together in a room and participate equally in a conversation? The mechanics of the UN strive to make this possible, but it is not without challenge. Big countries bullying small countries, alliances forming between friends, a certain amplification that comes with money; understanding these sorts of dynamics, and the way world-changing decisions are reached, is arguably one of the most important steps for young innovators who want to change the world. 

On our way to the NMUN. 

Getting into the spirit of the conference

Participating in conferences like this provides an invaluable opportunity to peer deep into the heart of where policy comes from – and since policy is a major player with climate change mitigation and adaptation, it provides clear snapshot of the challenge at hand.

In pursuit of the technologies for mitigation and adaptation to climate change, innovation is needed.

To change political currents, innovation will be needed. 

Paul and Congli with their mementos.  

Politics and Entrepreneurship? Really?

At first glance the formal and political character of an UN conference might not seem to fit the entrepreneurial ambitions of the Climate-KIC community. We want to share three crucial insights based on the UN experience with you.

1 - Everything is negotiable

It might come as a surprise, but the UN member states can vote about many things related to themes of the conference. Even though there are many traditions and protocols, there is much room for critical thinking and negotiations. For example, they vote on the order of the items on the agenda, speaker time, adjourning the meeting, removing certain parts from resolutions and so forth.

This attitude is valuable for the entrepreneurial ambitions of the Climate-KIC members: create discussion and negotiations. You do not have to accept what you do not agree with. It is okay to negotiate and propose your opinion.    

UN voting procedure

2 - Pay close attention to your environment

During the UN conference it is crucial to stay on top of what happens around you. Who are your allies? Which countries disagree with you, and why? You need to lobby for your ideas and work together in order to make sure that your standpoints are addressed and accepted in the final resolutions. If you do not connect or focus on yourself for too long, you will definitely lose momentum.

We can all have the tendency to focus on what we are doing in our own little world; we fall in love with our own ideas and work and we can become engrossed on working on our own projects and neglecting to connect to our environment. Just like in the UN this can turn out to be fatal and you might lose the momentum you needed to actually make your dreams happen. 

Small Island States cooperation in UNEP committee, lobbying for reduced carbon emissions and stricter shipping legislation. Island nations are the ‘frontier’ communities that are most vulnerable to effects of climate change.

3 - Don’t underestimate power of diplomacy

The UN is an international organisation with people from all over the world. Even though all participants have their personal communication styles, within the UN context they all are expected to show diplomacy. This does not mean that people should check their personality out at the door; but that they treat each other with respect keep an open mind and have a cooperative attitude. After some practice, we and other Climate-KIC delegates discovered that a diplomatic attitude helped in reaching agreements more easily.

The Grenada Delegation (NMUN-NY-B) at Times Square. Wouldn't you trust this motley crew?

NMUN needs input from organizations such as Climate-KIC

The students that participated in the NMUN were very skilled in negotiations, sensing their environment and acting diplomatically. However, many had a lack of knowledge when it came down to the content. As a result, many resolutions that were proposed did not establish a clear direction to mitigating climate change or improving food security while some proposals might have even worsened the current situation.

Of course, the UN proper does consist of professionals in the field, but nonetheless this is why it is important that Climate-KIC continues to make itself known in influential organisations such as the UN. Indeed, upon reflection, it seems we should take a moment to just appreciate the very great wealth of skills and knowledge encompassed by the Climate-KIC community. 

Words by: Rachel Brooks, Paul Peschel, Marieke van Deelen and Congli Dong.

Pictures by Rachel Brooks. 

To find out more about Climate-KIC and our education programmes, visit: climate-kic.org

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Two Climate-KIC Alumni, Suzanne Lutfalla (AgroParisTech) and Darcy Dwyer (TU Delft) went to the European edition of the Cleantech forum in Sweden to learn more about cleantech startups and how pitches are won (and lost). They blog about their top five cleantech companies to be inspired by. 

In Stockholm last May we welcomed the 10th annual European Cleantech Forum, showcasing some of Stockholm’s early stage innovative cleantech businesses. 

The Cleantech Forum aims to bring together investors, corporates, government leaders such as GM, GDF Suez and cleantech entrepreneurs such as Solease, Ubitricity or Chromogenics.

Alongside my fellow Climate-KIC student, Darcy Dwyer, we had the opportunity to attend the event as volunteers. 

The venue was set in the Brewery conference center, a very central location in Stockholm and it welcomed around 400 people during three days.

We helped the organizing staff setting up rooms, and getting people registered - we got to know how such a conference works from backstage - but there was also plenty of time for us to attend the sessions, mingle with the entrepreneurs and investors.

The event allowed us to have a clearer view of what makes a young company successful and also to better understand what investors look for in a start-up.

We had the opportunity to listen to many pitches.

And after sitting among the investors, listening to numerous pitches given by young companies, we came up with our top five Cleantech companies for you to draw inspiration from: 

1. O-flexx are a German company which develops technologies to create electricity from heat sources (thermoelectric processes). 

Their pitch was really clear and they had brought an example of their technology on stage, it's really bluffing to see a little wind turbine starting thanks to the heat generated by a candle! Even though the efficiency for creating electricity out of heat is not super high, there is so much wasted heat in industries that their idea is well worth the audience award they won. 

 2. Disruptive Materials, a spin-out from a laboratory of Uppsala University (Sweden), focuses on creating new advanced materials with very specific properties, like Upsalite®. 

This one was the perfect example of how academic science can lead to super ideas for businesses. As a PhD student myself, I know how it can sometimes be difficult to bridge the gap between academia and entrepreneurship, they did a great job doing just that and that's why this company is in our pick.

3. glō are another Swedish company which also has activities in the USA and in Japan, develop and commercialize advanced LED products based on nanotechnology which can be assembled to create highly efficient light displays. 

Their name alone is pretty cool, especially with the Japanese ō (pronounced oh). But that is not the only reason for this company to be in our pick, LEDs have already taken over the market for house lighting, but finding good, stable and efficient LEDs is still a challenge which has been achieved by this company. Moreover, they are also a derived from academic research. 

4. Solairdirect are a French company who produces and markets competitive solar power. Their international development strategy is remarkable; they are present in France, India, Chile, southern Africa, southeast Asia and also in the United States. Furthermore, we really liked how they have also developed different activities which complement each other: business model development, financing, research, development and installation of solar parks.

5. Avantium is a Dutch company producing plastics made from plant based materials and not fossil fuel resources. They were able to convince huge market players like Coca Cola to work with them in order to change the plastic used for their bottles, that is something worth mentioning! Now, more companies are joining in order to change their products and move towards more renewable sources. As leaders in this global change, Avantium is in our pick! 

This trip was made possible by the Climate-KIC Alumni Association who took care of our travel and accommodation expenses.

To find out more about Climate-KIC and it's entrepreneurial, innovative education programmes visit: climate-kic.org

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Brilliant!

John Oliver hosts a mathematically representative climate change debate, with the help of special guest Bill Nye the Science Guy, of course.

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CLIMATE CHANGE AWARENESS IS NOT FUNNY (AND IT SHOULD BE)

Six common excuses against it plus four things to inspire you to do something about it

Jose Manuel Linares Felipe

Last year, Italian comedian, Beppe Grillo, converted his popularity in his home country into a political movement which went on to achieve a third of the vote in the general election.

The European elections on May 25th could see his “5 stelle” movement could become the second Italian political force, overtaking Berlusconi’s party in the process. 

Luckily for us, renewable energies and reducing emissions are pillars of Grillo’s election programme. But that is not always the case.

The so-called “politically incorrect” comedy is being intelligently used against many progressive ideas achieved at very high costs and requiring constant vigilance: tolerance, historical acknowledgement, evolution-ism and climate change awareness.  

I regard humour as the highest form of communication: whether intelligent, vulgar, technical, childish or dark; humour can cover all facets in order to connect with its audience. And its cathartic effect means you’re more likely to believe its message - whether as clear as day or hidden in a subtext. In other words humour can be the perfect ideological Trojan horse.

But are we completely neglecting a basic social awareness strategy by leaving it in the wrong hands?

We need look no further than South Park.

For the last 16 years, the kings of the politically incorrect, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, have brought four crude and irreverent schoolboys to life. Each week we see at least one taboo or socially-accepted norm systematically massacred in 20 minutes of expletive-ridden, outrageous scenes.

The series has had a dig at every imaginable sensitive topic from abortion to racism, but one of its favourite targets has to be environmentalism.

In one episode, climate change is represented by the figure of the “ManBearPig”, a mythical creature that is “half man, half bear and half pig” that a frenzied Al Gore desperately tries to warn us against the dangers of.

It is doubtful that South Park considers itself a source of serious arguments, but nevertheless it is - providing a stream of “punch lines” on denial and piquing the curiosity of those that have still to form their own opinions on the matter.

It will be young people who will be forced to make decisions in the not too distant future, and climate change is set to be a long battle which they’ll be facing. However, those fighting to raise awareness about climate change have lacked a tool like humour to bring in those who are unsure about the science and what climate change really is and means.

My advice is to learn from your enemy. Luckily, South Park provides us with plenty of material.

climate change activists are lame: people fighting for the environment are old new-age hippies who listen to bad music and wear unfashionable clothes. They are naive and rather foolishly appeal to people’s kindness and appreciation of the beauty of nature to try and change our damaging habits.

climate change activists are smug: people who jump on the bandwagon, even if only for one single pro-planet cause (electric vehicles, separating rubbish, etc.) take on a moral superiority that they do not hesitate to rub in their neighbours’ faces. Awareness is nothing more than a status symbol, and if you don’t have it people will look down their noses at you.

climate change activists are nerds: people fighting for the environment are always wielding technical data and statistics that are boring and incomprehensible to the public in general. If you call them out on their being superior, they often revert to smugness, and should you try and lower the cultural level for everyone to understand, they start to use the same old romanticised arguments (lameness).

climate change activists are scaremongers: theories on climate change always jump to exaggerated conclusions and only ever try to fill everyone with fear. The effects can always be traced back to something much more ordinary, and those who can’t see it are doomsters.

climate change is humbug: it’s obvious that climate change is not real and those who defend it zealously are only representing a hidden economic or political agenda. This culture obsessed with ecology is just an invented conspiracy dreamt up by the more left-leaning sector of politics in their fight for power.

climate change activists are intolerant: accepting the reality of climate change has become institutionalised and an obligation - the latest in discrimination. Climate change denial is a perfectly respectable democratic position to take, and anyone who tries to silence this kind of thinking is a fascist.

Admittedly some of these opinions are contradictory, but that’s not the point - the idea is to make them all sound nothing more than populist junk. As a result, it’s important that people who want to bring and convince people that climate change is a real and present threat which we should be actively seeking to mitigate against, are aware of these potential weaknesses in their arguments.

It might also be a good idea to take action and give the deniers a taste of their own medicine.

Humour is a very legitimate form of getting our ideas across and we shouldn’t be afraid of making fun of something we believe is damaging our society and future of our planet. The very few comedians who have broached the subject have often found themselves falling into the traps we have just described.

It’s now time we saw talented and more aggressive artists who aren’t afraid of attacking dangerously contagious opinions head on. To paraphrase another famous fictional character: “Mocking is good. Mocking works”. 

To serve as inspiration, here are some direct links to the four South Park episodes most closely related to climate change. So, if you think you can stomach it and want to get to know the enemy better... enjoy!

Season 9 Episode 8: Two days before the day after tomorrow

A global warming state of emergency is declared in South Park. The world’s largest beaver dam breaks and floods the adjacent town of Beaverton. As the victims wait for help to arrive, everyone in South Park tackles priority number one: Who is to blame? Only Stan and Cartman know who’s really at fault.

http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s09e08-two-days-before-the-day-after-tomorrow

Season 10 Episode 2: Smug alert

Kyle and his family are moving to San Francisco. The only way Stan can get his best friend back is to convince everyone to start driving hybrid cars. Just as everyone starts to feel really good about what they’re doing for the environment, scientists discover a stormy, dark mass accumulating over the town.

http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s10e02-smug-alert

Season 10 Episode 6: Manbearpig

Former Vice-President, Al Gore, speaks to the students of South Park Elementary about a serious threat to the planet: Manbearpig. Gore enlists the boys' help to search for the elusive creature and gets them all trapped in a cave-in.

http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s10e06-manbearpig

Season 11 Episode 3: Lice capades

An infestation of head lice plagues South Park Elementary. When Mrs. Garrison refuses to name names, Cartman finds a way to detect who has lice so they can make fun of the unfortunate kid. Meanwhile, we follow a family of lice within the offending colony on their epic journey for survival… to a new homeland, if necessary.

http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s11e03-lice-capades

Jose Manuel Linares Felipe is an architect, energy consultant and communicator. He was also a Pioneer into Practice in both 2012 and 2013 for Climate-KIC. He contributes regularly to www.architettolinares.blogspot.com “All I wanted to know about energy efficiency and everybody was afraid to talk about”.

 Translation by Jason Shilcock

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In the next edition of the Climate-KIC Spark! series, Jigar will discuss his book and how he believes that climate change and business model innovation can be turned into a $10 trillion dollar wealth-creating opportunity.

Jigar Shah is a clean energy entrepreneur who is passionate about creating market-driven solutions and eliminating market barriers to address climate change. As well as being the founder of SunEdison, a company at the early forefront of Solar PV pricing models, Jigar is the former CEO of Richard Branson’s Carbon War Rooms, and is now the author of ‘Creating Climate Wealth: Unlocking the Impact Economy’.

To find out more about Climate-KIC, visit our website. 

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Climate-KIC Mobility: Biofuels Research

Name: C. Chambon

Place of study: Imperial College, London

Specialism: PhD - Towards an economically viable biorefinery

As part of a group of six Imperial students who visited California, I travelled to San Francisco to work on two projects: the New Climate Economy project and a research collaboration with the Joint BioEnergy Institute.

The New Climate Economy project is an intergovernmental-commissioned project looking at how economic goals can be achieved in a way that also addresses climate change.

The Innovation stream, led by Stanford University and Imperial College, London, is focused on the potential economic and environmental impact of disruptive technologies.

Beginning in January, six Imperial College students focused on different technologies for the project and we researched topics as varied as solar PV, nanomaterials, customer segmentation and the smart grid. We used this research to prepare case studies for our weekly teleconferences with Stanford. 

My focus was on carbon capture and storage or utilisation (CCUS) technologies, and the policies needed to support them.

In Palo Alto, we worked with Stanford students to construct a business model for each of our technology clusters.

Our research findings were presented to NRG Energy’s newly formed Station A, a kind of skunkworks for energy resilience within NRG, a wholesale power company.

The collaboration was a successful and productive one; several of us will continue to work with the New Climate Economy project to publish our research which will contribute to next year’s UNFCCC COP negotiations in Paris.

During the latter half of the trip, I combined visits to Stanford with research for my PhD at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.

The San Francisco Bay Area is well-renowned as a bioscience and biotech hub – it is home to over 200 bioscience companies, start-ups and research institutes. And one of these is the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), a branch of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.

JBEI is a U.S. Department of Energy bioenergy research centre dedicated to developing second-generation biofuels. These are advanced liquid fuels derived from the solar energy stored in plant biomass. The lignocellulosic biomass of non-food plants and agricultural waste can be converted to petrol, diesel and jet fuel, while the non-cellulosic part is a promising candidate to replace aromatic chemicals.

My project at JBEI looked at the upgrading of lignin, extracted from the non-cellulosic part of woody biomass, into aromatic building-blocks. This experience was a valuable addition to my PhD project, which looks at the valorisation of lignin from pine wood to improve the economics of the biorefinery.  

A highlight of my stay was the visit to the scaled-up biorefining facilities at LBNL, where a one-of-a-kind reactor is used to convert biofeedstocks into fuels. It was a very inspiring glance into the future of biorefining and I look forward to working closely with their researchers and others working in the field of bioenergy.

C. Chambon

www.climate-kic.org

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Berlin's Climate-KIC Alumni Network will meet with the Green Garage entrepreneurs.

Startups like Plugsurfing will be there to respond to your questions and we'll get to hear stories about success and failures as well as what is like working in the Berlin startup scene.

Climate-KIC Alumni and students will also have the chance to meet ICT Labs Alumni and also learn about how to become an entrepreneur yourself by applying for the Greenhouse programme.

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On board at the greenhouse

Felix Willems (pictured left) and Max Erdrich (pictured right) joined Climate-KIC’s education programme, The Journey, in 2012.

They studied together at TU Berlin and have recently become part of Climate-KIC’s ‘Greenhouse’ programme which provides postgraduate students with a mentored environment to develop potential business and innovation ideas.

They’ve taken time out of their busy schedule to answer our questions about their skating business for urban commuters.  

How did you get into Climate-KIC?

(Max) - We both heard about a summer school which combines business, innovation and science. Back then we didn’t have any serious intention to start a business, but we both liked the concept of Climate-KIC’s summer school, The Journey. Its content sounded interesting, fun and promising.

Our university courses [Felix - Msc. in Physics, Max – Dip. Industrial Engineering] didn’t have much to do with either climate change or the basic principles of starting a business. Even though we didn’t need any more credits to finish our master’s, Climate-KIC seemed like a great opportunity to learn about ongoing research in the field of climate change and use our own ideas and creativity to develop a business model. What are you working on now?

(Felix) - After the Journey ended I continued with the project that my group had created, a colleague and I tested the business plan on cargo bike sharing in Berlin resulting in a two-month trial phase where we rented out cargo bikes and collected information.

When this ended, Max and I teamed up to work on our skate prototype. Our new idea is to deliver a different and modern way to get around busy cities for both commuters and inner-city users. There’s only so much I can say about it at this stage, but the final product will be a fold-able, lightweight and easy to carry-on skate which can be attached to almost any kind of shoe within seconds.

We want to develop a product that enables everyone, even inexperienced skaters, to skate comfortably and safely on most ways in the city. We’re confident we can supplement public transport and car sharing systems.

At the moment if someone wants to travel from A-to-B without driving a car, the distances between point A and the next bus/metro station are often too long to make it viable. This means that walking these distances consumes so much time that the use of public transport or car sharing becomes inefficient. Our skates will bring a solution to this problem.

Can you tell us how Climate-KIC’s Greenhouse programme helped you achieve your aims?

(Max) - The Greenhouse offers great coaching for start-ups and supports the development of early ideas.

Working on a raw idea up to the point where you hold a final product in your hands, it’s easy to get lost on the way and lose focus on your market and customers. What the Greenhouse does is provide you with experienced coaching; they help us to review our progress, ask critical questions and test the idea and business model on a regular basis.

This helps a lot when designing the product. We are forced to think about the demand and who our first and core customers are.

In Berlin, we can also get to contact other founders and people and through this network we now have the opportunity to talk to experienced product developers who take part in coaching and workshops.

Sounds like a really exciting project. When are you going to be ready? (Felix) - Starting a business also includes building up a network. This of course is also time consuming and fun. Nonetheless, we want to make progress as fast as possible. We have just ordered our first prototype and we might even be able to test it before Easter, as we’re only running this project at the moment on a part-time basis we’re really happy about our progress. How have you found the initial experience of starting up a business beyond ideation phase?

(Max) - We are very keen to push the development further. The progress of building up your own business is accompanied with ups and downs; the motivating part about it is that we are responsible for anything that happens, but of course also all that doesn't happen. Why is it important for someone at this stage to back the project? (Max) - In our case we want to produce a hardware product. Our product has to be thoroughly tested, redesigned and tested again. This process costs time and money. With the financial support we can relax – a little bit – and focus more on the project at hand which leads to making progress more rapidly. What advice would you give to someone in a similar position to you in a years’ time? (Felix) - Keep on working. Get feedback from people around you and rethink it over and over again. If you are really convinced that your idea has a potential to succeed you should definitely go for it. The Greenhouse program offers a great support and you can learn a lot over the time.   (Max) - No one will punish you if you do not succeed, it’s a great platform to test yourself and your ideas potential out on - it’s hard to find a better offer.

To find out more about Climate-KIC and its education programmes, please visit: climate-kic.org

And to find out more about this Max and Felix's project, contact them directly: [email protected].  

[climatekiceducation]

Climate KIC Mobility Funded Project: Nepali Start-up community

Part of creating these laptops was to use the traditional Nepali crafts and skills to build a new technology based product, to reveal how their traditional crafts can adapt and evolve to suite current markets and trends.

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Go beyond your expectations: CKAA mentoring programme

Kevin Ramirez

CKAA mentoring programme

This initiative was developed by the Climate-KIC Alumni Association to create opportunities for personal and professional growth.

We want the Mentoring Programme to provide young members of the CKAA with access to personal and professional growth. We believe that these mentoring relationships will foster this by providing an accessible platform to easily connect with talented professionals in different stages of their careers across various disciplines.

Through our mentoring programme, we will transform smart, motivated students and professionals into an action orientated community that learns and grows. We are fortunate to draw from the 33 mentors we currently have from all corners of the world.  

This diversity is just one of the things that really impressed us. Our new applications are coming both from people that either did Climate-KIC’s The Journey or are part of the PiP programme. We have a great human capital here and would like to make it available for the rest of the community.

What is mentoring?

One single definition of mentorship is hard to find. For us, mentorship is about sharing the mentor’s experience for the benefit of the mentee’s personal and professional growth.

Mentorship does this through a sustained informal relationship. It provides support, guidance and assistance by: sharing knowledge, skills and social capital.

How does it work?

The CKAA mentoring workgroup arranges for mentors and mentees to come together.

We assess the expertise of the mentor and the growth needs of the mentee. As an initial guide for defining growth needs, the mentoring programme is organised in four clusters that relate to the core activities of Climate-KIC:

1) I want to grow as an entrepreneur

2) I want to innovate

3) What is hip and happening in climate research?

4) I want to grow my career

Why should I do it?

Creating a community that cares about addressing climate change is an important starting point, but is not enough. There is a clear need to develop tools that allow us to grow as individuals and professionals. Put all of this together and we will have a real impact on sustainability goals.

How can I take part?

If you want to get involved, you can sign up directly as mentor or mentee.

To apply to be a mentor click here

And to apply to be a mentee click here

Please don’t forget to mention:

Which of the clusters you’re interested in

Whether you’re a member of the Pioneers into Practice (PiP) programme, participant from The Journey (please include the year of enrolment) or have any other affiliation to Climate-KIC.

Would you like to know more about this programme? 

Send us an email: [email protected]

Mentoring Programme

Joost, Jelmer, Anouk, Karim and Kevin

Click here to see our two page mentoring programme And click here to see the full brochure 

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Ready for our start-up adventure

Climate-KIC Alumni, Alwin Veldboom (top picture and bottom picture (second from left)), recently entered Yes!Delft's start-up competition designed to build bridges between students & entrepreneurs. The Wageningen based student writes about his experience of his start-up journey with DaBirdy.

Alwin Veldboom

In October, right after finishing Climate-KIC’s entrepreneurial summer school, The Journey, we decided to take our start-up, DaBirdy, further.

Joining the ‘Ready to Start-up’ course at the Yes!Delft incubator was a fitting way to keep our dream of starting our own business alive.

The weekly afternoon course at Delft provided my business partner, Margot Kromhout (bottom pic: second from right), and I with a good excuse to spend time on our business idea alongside all our other study related occupations. During the course we’ve gone through all the different parts of the business plan to provide us with the tools to sharpen our business model, market analysis and positioning.

What’s more, we entered into a competition which was a perfect platform for us to see if our business idea was really as good as we thought it was.

We worked hard and refined our plan. Despite the strong caliber of start-ups there, we reached the final with our business plan and had to take on four other teams in an exciting pitching competition.

Our hard work and pitching experience paid off, we convinced the audience of our plan by winning both the public-vote price and the jury price, giving us a huge incentive to push forward in making our dream of creating an accessible and affordable public fast-charging infrastructure for electric vehicles reality.

Because in the end, as Thomas Edison once stated: "the value of an idea lies in the using of it."

To find out more about Climate-KIC and its education programmes please visit: climate-kic.org