Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge 2021 gets underway
Green start-ups from the Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Norway and Sweden, the countries with a Postcode Lottery, can compete for a place in the final of the Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge. This international sustainability competition has grown to become one of the largest of its kind in the world. There is a total of €1 million in combined prize money for the five best start‑ups, €500,000 of which, plus coaching, is awarded to the winner. With this international competition, the Postcode Lotteries is helping start-ups to bring their innovations to market to help to make the world more sustainable. Applications can be entered until 12:00 CEST (noon) on 15 April 2021 at www.greenchallenge.info.
As part of its mission to help make the world a greener place, the Postcode Lotteries are organising this international competition for the fifteenth time this year.
Dorine Manson, Managing Director at the Dutch Postcode Lottery, explains: “This anniversary year, we hope to be inundated once again with concrete plans from entrepreneurs for tackling the green challenges our world is facing. This time, we are specifically looking for sustainable innovations or solutions that people can relate to, which can be used in everyday life and/or that can be turned into a consumer product. Once again, I look forward to being inspired by entrepreneurs who are thinking in terms of solutions instead of problems, and are working on the solutions that our planet needs most today."
About the competition
Green entrepreneurs can submit their business plans between 1 March and 12:00 CEST (noon) on 15 April 2021. The organisation will make an initial selection from these entries. The start-ups selected will be informed in mid-May that they can develop their plans and continue to compete for a place in the final. The preliminary jury will announce the 25 nominees at the end of June. In early September, a shortlist of five entries will be announced and go on to the final at the end of 2021. The start-ups will pitch their ideas to an international jury. In the final, the jury will decide who wins the first prize of €500,000 and which start-up will be runner-up, winning €200,000. The other three finalists will receive €100,000 each. In addition to the prize money, all finalists will also receive some six months of expert coaching to help them optimise their business opportunities.
Last year, the British start-up SoluBlue wowed the Jury by revealing its potential to revolutionise the way in which we store food in order to eliminate plastic and food waste. Its innovative packaging stops food from rotting by absorbing excess moisture, so packaged food gradually dries instead, meaning that many everyday foods stay fresh for more than 50% longer. Ayca Dundar, Co-Founder of SoluBlue, explains: “Winning the top prize is not only going to revolutionise our growth plans, but it will also provide further confidence to investors that our technology is the future. We’ve proven that our packaging works, so now is the time to show the food industry and consumers that SoluBlue can help to create a cleaner and greener planet!”
