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The World Bank Youth Innovation Challenge: Water Solutions for a New Climate Reality is designed to accelerate innovation and unlock the potential of the next generation of youth aquapreneurs from around the world.
Participants entering the World Bank Youth Innovation Challenge will:
- Sharpen your entrepreneurial skills in pitching to investors, developing your business plan, honing product-market fit, growing a thriving team, early stage fundraising, scaling from lab to market, and more.
- Improve business plans and pitch scalable solutions to water tech CEOs, VCs, and other impact investors
- Receive market feedback from water and sanitation utilities, irrigation operators, and other end users.
- Network with a global community of successful entrepreneurs , water experts, investors and other innovators.
- Access a 6-month Accelerator Program that provides one on one mentoring by successful Water tech CEOs (winners only).
The World Bank and partners invite all interested and eligible youth aquapreneurs (age 18-35) to apply by February 23, 2024, with innovative solutions tackling one or more of four global water challenges:
The Challenge launched at CoP28 on December 8th, 2023, and will run through October 2024. It is a joint initiative of the World Bank’s Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE) and Water Global Practice’s Utility of the Future Program who are joined by innovative partners including:
- CEO Champions from Water-Tech Companies: 3R Water, Acquacycl, Pani Energy, CANN Forecast, Desolenator, Kai Pono Solutions, Kilimo, Nitrogen Sensing Solutions, Oneka, NatureDots. Permalution, Xylem
- Outreach and Learning Partners: Mazarine Ventures, Microsoft Philanthropies, Ripple2Wave, Sustainable Oceans Alliance, Youth Business International, World YMCA
Join the youth group to stay updated and grow the community: https://connect.newibnet.org/young-water-professionals/