Innovation Cluster’s Post

Sustainability and responsible business practices are more crucial than ever. 🌎 Companies utilizing open innovation show a remarkable 20% improvement in their ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) performance metrics, driven by the adoption of innovative and responsible business practices. 🌱✨ Open innovation is not just a trend; it's a strategic approach to tackling global challenges. Through collaborative efforts, companies can develop cutting-edge solutions that enhance their ESG impact while driving growth and competitiveness. From reducing carbon footprints to improving social inclusivity and strengthening governance practices, the benefits are substantial and far-reaching. We've seen firsthand how these partnerships lead to tangible results. Corporates gain access to innovative technologies and fresh perspectives, while startups benefit from the guidance, scale, and the market reach of established companies. It's a win-win scenario that accelerates progress and drives meaningful change. Ready to learn more about the possibilities of open innovation and join us on this exciting journey? 🤝 https://lnkd.in/gHtTg7rZ #OpenInnovation #ESG #Sustainability #Startupbootcamp #Innovation #ResponsibleBusiness#SDGs #ESGgoals #innovationwillsavetheworld

Investment in sustainability-focused startups is on the rise, particularly in sectors like cleantech and green energy. This trend reflects a growing global emphasis on environmental conservation, with investors increasingly prioritizing companies that demonstrate a commitment to sustainable practices. As awareness of climate change and ecological issues grows, funding for innovative solutions that address these challenges is becoming more attractive. This shift not only supports startups dedicated to sustainability but also promotes long-term environmental benefits and responsible investment strategies.

Are you a startup in the green-tech ecosystem, focused on making a positive, profitable impact in the sustainability economy?🌍💪🏼 R-evolution and R-ventures are constantly on the lookout for disruptive innovations that can demonstrate a positive impact on the planet. ‘We believe that innovation, collaboration, and pioneering partnerships will open new doors to embracing a sustainable future.’ – Fredrik Andersson Guldkula Learn more >>> https://lnkd.in/gtpBTkwK 🌱 #revoplanet #GreenTech #Innovation #Sustainability #ClimateAction #Impact investing #Collaboration #Technologyinnovation**

🎉 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟭 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀! 🌍 What an incredible journey it’s been! One year ago we founded Aiōn and took a big step towards our mission to empower SMEs with cutting-edge sustainability management solutions. We couldn’t be more proud of the milestones we’ve achieved together. 🚀 Here’s a recap of some of the key highlights from our first year: 🌟 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺: We had the privilege of joining the prestigious Impact Factory acceleration program, where we connected with visionary peers, refined our strategies, and set the stage for future growth. 👥 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵: A pivotal moment for us – securing our first client was a testament to the value and potential of our sustainability management platform. It validated our vision and inspired us to keep pushing forward. 🚀 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘔𝘝𝘗: We successfully developed and launched our Minimum Viable Product (MVP), delivering powerful tools for SMEs to measure, track, and improve their sustainability efforts. This was a major milestone in bringing our solution to life. 💼 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺: We achieved investment readiness under the INVEST - Venture Capital Grant, a significant step that positions us for continued growth and innovation. This milestone underscores our commitment to creating a lasting impact in the sustainability space. As we look back on this incredible year, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to our team, partners, clients, and supporters. Your belief in our mission has been the driving force behind our success. Cheers to the next chapter of Aion Sustainability Solutions GmbH – we're committed to continuing our organic growth with more innovation, collaboration, and positive impact on the horizon🌱 #Aion #SustainabilitySolutions #Anniversary #StartupMilestones #ImpactFactory #MVP #INVESTGrant #Innovation #GreenTech #Sustainability #BusinessGrowth

Our Forward 2023 impact report is live! 📰 Rockstart’s inaugural Forward report, launched last year, marked our first step towards greater accountability. Our goal was not only to align ourselves with best industry practices but also to push the meter forward in responsible and sustainable investing. The Forward 2023 report takes a look at our results from last year, establishing meaningful benchmarks, evaluating our impact, and ensuring alignment between our actions and our words. Purpose-driven founders transform industries, spark tangible change, and contribute to a more sustainable future. It’s our job to empower them as they drive progress ➡️ forward ➡️ Here are some report highlights: 🌱 100% of our portfolio companies have no negative impact on biodiverse areas, emit directly into water sources, or produce hazardous waste 🌍 32% of reporting startups have carbon reduction initiatives in place, which is substantial given that most of the startups are Pre-seed and Seed. The number goes up to 38% of Series A stage startups 👩💼 65% of startups with a formal board maintain gender diversity at this level, but there’s work to be done on ensuring gender equity in leadership positions across teams Read the full report: https://brnw.ch/21wIICr

Last week, alongside numerous members of our coalition, our Director Bianca Dragomir addressed an audience of investors, startups, and #cleantech leaders at the annual Energy Tech Summit, Europe’s largest event for climate technology innovation, held in Bilbao for the first time with the support our anchor partner BBVA. Speaking with other experts on the panel “Innovations in Climate Finance: Driving investments,” Bianca brought an optimistic message to the crowd, while underling the urgent need for massively increasing investment across the region to ensure Spain and Portugal achieve their potential as Europe’s next cleantech industrial Hub:  “2022 was an extraordinary year for investment in clean technology startups in the region, with €676 million in funding for just around 160 startups, but currently we estimate there are between 500 and 600 startups in Spain and Portugal specialized in clean technologies, at different stages,” she explained. “They need investment, they need a more favorable regulatory framework so their technology can reach the market sooner, they need partnerships. And that’s where we come in.” Thanks to BBVA Spark for this great article highlighting some of the key moments and insights of the day. Carlos Torres Vila Antonio Bravo Acín Amaya Lopez-Duran Viani Lourdes Dominguez Bengoa Santiago Muguruza, CFA Jan de Dreu  Breakthrough Energy Alberto Toril Castro  Matteco Zubi Group Iker Marcaide Seaya Borja Rosales Carlos Fisch   Adara Ventures Alberto Echeverri    Axon Spain Luis César Castañeda  Kira Ventures Jan de Dreu Christopher Cederskog Sunhero

🌱 As I reflect on my journey in the investing space, one thing is clear: we all have a responsibility to support the transition toward a more sustainable future. While personal actions, like conscious consumption, are essential, empowering innovators and changemakers can further create lasting, systemic change. 👩💼 I had the privilege of participating as a mentor in Village Capital's Greentech LatAm 2024 program, an incredible initiative supporting startups that are creating sustainable solutions for the future of our region. 💡 These startups are transforming how we tackle environmental challenges by offering innovative solutions for a greener world. Learn more about this amazing initiative here: https://lnkd.in/etTH9q7Q #Sustainability #Impact #Greentech #LatAm

Did you know that the UK is the leader for Greentech fundraising in Europe? We often hear about the EU being the most advanced region for sustainability. Here’s the reality: - Global Appeal: A whopping 35.5% of cleantech deals involved foreign investors, the majority originating from the US, the EU, and Japan. - Strong domestic investors: The VC scene is generally much more developed compared to its European counterparts, and cleantech represents 1/3 of all investments for UK-based VCs! - Top-tier research and education: The UK ranks 3rd globally (after the US & Germany) in the top 100 cleantech companies according to the Cleantech Group. This makes sense considering the favourable regulatory landscape for startups, the UK’s commitment to sustainable technologies, and the clever minds cultivated across its top universities.

Day 1 of #LCAW: Undaunted Innovation Hub I attended a fascinating event yesterday, run by Undaunted, a partnership between two world-renowned scientific institutions: Imperial College London and the Royal Institution. Undaunted have a successful model where they create an ecosystem to support innovation, aiming to make London and the UK a great place to start and scale intelligent, sustainable solutions to the climate challenge at pace. Alyssa Gilbert opened by explaining how climate change can be seen as humanity's biggest market failure and addressing this will take innovation that is founded on commercially driven solutions. This approach resonates with Xynteo’s ideals of good growth where business delivers growth that benefits the needs of people, planet and the future. The first panel was focused on financing innovation, with Jim Shaikh, hosting and Pippa Gawley, Bailey Morrow and Lucy Yu , providing their insight. There was a big focus on collaboration and co-creation - something fundamental to the way Xynteo works - looking at new ways of de-risking investment by bringing together investors, larger corporates and public sector organisations to inject both funding and ideas at early stages of development. Lucy Yu highlighted the intersection of innovators, investors and customers (like the public sector) is where powerful innovation happens, echoing our belief that it is the convening of systemically interested parties together is where truly game changing ideas emerge. In the second panel Zahraa Essa led a fascinating discussion about how innovation can power London's green economy with Peter Runacres, Alex Conway and Elissa Brunato. There was much passion around the potential for Innovators to have an impact beyond climate, creating jobs, social impact, economic growth and driving up skills. Peter Runacres spoke passionately about how showing these broader benefits will help drive investment, echoing Xynteo’s belief that change is systemic and these potential positive outcomes are all levers for change. Alex talked about the potential for larger corporates to invest their ESG funds into innovation technology, where the potential payoffs are huge but capital is the barrier to entry - Neatly painting the future where public and private capital could help kickstart climate innovation which would itself power a new green economy in the UK and provide positive returns. A win-win!

💚 Green at Heart Tools and Grants Now Accepts Applications from all EU Countries 🇪🇺 Over the past 12 months, Impact Hub Vienna, Impact Hub Madrid, Impact Hub Amsterdam, OekoBusiness Wien and City of Amsterdam have been developing an ESG management project tailored for SMEs and startups in the social economy sectors in the Austrian, Spanish, and Dutch markets. This tool assists teams in evaluating their current status and provides actionable recommendations for enhancing their sustainability scores. Exciting news - we still have available funds and have extended access to all EU countries! (€8,000 per company on average!) This funding can be used for various purposes such as improving energy efficiency, experimenting with sustainable materials, adopting eco-friendly packaging, seeking legal advice on environmental regulations, training your team on sustainability, developing a robust sustainability strategy, and more. Remember, the deadline for applications for the grant is October 27. Fill in the tool to discover your primary ESG opportunities, and based on the recommendation you get submit your grant application (sounds complicated but it is quite easy), and within 3 weeks, you'll receive confirmation and can kickstart your sustainability initiatives promptly. Interested in this opportunity? Check this notion page https://lnkd.in/dt2gRyTZ