Frankfurt am Main, 9-11 November 2021 – This year’s Investor Forum 2021 took place in the frame of the very first "Global Sustainable Chemistry Week (GSCW)" hosted by the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3). A total of 170 international guests from start-ups, finance, industry, science, NGOs and politics took part in the virtual third international Investor Forum of the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3).
The ISC3 is pleased to announce the successful conclusion of its third Virtual Investor Forum. During the three-day expert event, the ISC3 brought together innovative sustainable chemistry and renewable energy solutions in front of distinguished international investors. Throughout this event, investors had the opportunity to interact firsthand with our sustainable chemistry Start-ups and engage in in-depth conversations about their solutions. Additionally, the ISC3 presented diverse panels in the topics of new and alternative business models; regulation and reporting in connection with chemical-related restrictions and the role of sustainable chemistry in the energy transition and ways forward and concluded the ISC3 Innovation Challenge 2020/2021 with the award ceremony.
In our three-day event, Dr. Alexis Bazzanella, Director of the ISC3 Innovation Hub, welcomed the international audience and was complemented by Ms. Andrea Ortega, Junior Communication Manager ISC3 IH, Germany, and Ms. Juanita Halblaub, International Relations Manager ISC3 IH, Germany, who then led through the sessions on the second and third conference day respectively.
On the first day, the session opened with an introduction on alternative and sustainable business models held by Prof. Dr. Thomas Clauß, WIFU-Endowed Chair for Corporate Entrepreneurship & Digitalization in Family Business at Witten/Herdecke University, Germany; Adjuct Professor for Business Model Innovation at University of Southern Denmark, Denmark. Followed by a panel discussion, moderated by Ms. Alicia Sornson, Manager, Programs and Partnerships - MENA at Village Capital, United States of America. Together with Ms. Zubeida Zwavel, Executive Director at the Centre for African Resource Efficiency and Sustainability (Cares), Republic of South Africa, Mr. Thomas Jakl, former President of EU Council working group on international environmental policy (chemicals) and Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), Co-Author of "Chemical Leasing" and "Chemical Leasing goes Global", Austria, Prof. Dr. Thomas Clauß, WIFU-Endowed Chair for Corporate Entrepreneurship & Digitalization in Family Business at Witten/Herdecke University, Germany and Adjuct Professor for Business Model Innovation at University of Southern Denmark, and Mr. John Kayenje, Cost Containment Manager, Crown Beverages Ltd., Uganda, she discussed the topic of sustainable and alternative business models.
On the second day, the session opened with a discussion on Finance and Sustainability as an Introduction to the current Taxonomy Discussion held by Mr. Blake Goud, CEO at Responsible Finance & Investment (RFI) Foundation, United Kingdom. Followed by a panel discussion, moderated by Ms. Cornelia Frentz, Manager Corporate Governance at European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF). The panelists consisted of Mr. Blake Goud, CEO at Responsible Finance & Investment (RFI) Foundation, United Kingdom, Prof. Dr. Marzia Traverso, Rapporteur at the Technical Working Group European Platform on Sustainable Finance, Belgium, Prof. Dr. Martin Führ, Research focuses on environmental law and industrial plant law, and regulatory impact assessment, legal expert for the German Bundestag, and Mr. Peter van der Zandt’s, Director of Risk Management at the European Chemicals Agency, Finland.
And finally during the last day, Dr. Alexis Bazzanella, Director of the ISC3 Innovation Hub moderated a lively panel discussion on the Role of Sustainable Chemistry in the Energy Transition and Ways Forward between Mr. Thomas Goergen, VP Global Alliance Management at Covestro Deutschland AG, Germany, Dr. Soren Bowadt, European Commission, Deputy Head of Unit “B3 Industry”, European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA), Belgium, Ms. Sonia Rueda, Chemical Industry Advisor at GIZ PtX-Hub, Germany, Mr. Florian Sigmund, Investment Manager at frankly.green, Germany, and Ms. Florentine Van den Eerenbeemt, Responsible Investment Specialist at NN Investment Partners, Netherlands.
All three panel discussions were complemented by pitching sessions with a total of 20 innovative start-ups on all three event days. In addition, further 20 start-ups from the field of sustainable chemistry presented their innovations on a separate meeting platform for investors and start-ups, as well as in a digitally available IF21 Investor Brochure. During the individual start-up and investor meetings, a total of almost 1000 minutes of B2B meetings were streamed, and it is expected that even further meetings between the ISC3 GSS start-ups and registered 20 top-tier investors might be scheduled during the next year.
In addition, the best start-up pitch per event day was selected by the international audience and celebrated with an ISC3 Investor Forum Audience Award. The winners are the following:
The Egyptian start-up "Mycelium", winner of the first day, is a biotech start-up that produces an innovative and plastic-like material from mushroom and crop waste. The Ugandan start-up “Ouroots Africa”, winner of the second day, provides plant based sustainable alternatives to single use plastic and other plastics that are 100% biodegradable and compostable. The winner of the third day, the Kenyan start-up “LeafyLife” is recycling waste diapers and sanitary pads into a fuel gel that emits 76% less carbon dioxide, no carbon monoxide, and no smoke or soot that lasts 10% longer than kerosene.
The ISC3 Investor Forum ended with the announcement of this year’s winners of our Innovation Challenge on Renewable Energies and Sustainable Chemistry. The ISC3 Innovation Challenge aims to engage, award and promote sustainable chemistry innovators and their original solutions.
The Investor Forum 2021 was organized by the ISC3 Innovation Hub located at DECHEMA e.V. in Frankfurt. The hub is also home to the Global Start-Up Service that accompanies innovations in the field of sustainable chemistry in all development stages, from the laboratory to market maturity to expansion phase. In addition to events such as the Investor Forum, the Global Start-up Service of the ISC3 supports international sustainable chemistry start-ups with a variety of further interesting support services.
The fourth Investor Forum organized by ISC3 and its international partners is currently scheduled for autumn/winter 2022, with the innovation challenge 2021/2022 focusing on "Sustainable Chemistry and Waste: Prevention, Valorization & Management".
AWARD CEREMONY FOR THE ISC3 INNOVATION CHALLENGE 21/22 IN SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY AND RENEWABLE ENERGIESThis year’s competition winners and announcement of the ISC3 Innovation Challenge 2021/2022
On November 11th, the winners of the ISC3 Innovation Competition 2020/2021 with a focus on Sustainable Chemistry and Renewable Energies were announced as part of the virtual Investor Forum 2021, and the winning innovations were selected at a festive award ceremony. The Challenge aims to engage, award and promote sustainable chemistry innovators and their original solutions.
The following start-ups convinced the international jury and stakeholders across the board as part of the ISC3 Innovation Challenge 2020/2021:
The main winner of the ISC3 Innovation Award in Sustainable Chemistry and Renewable Energy, endowed with €15,000, was the Estonian start-up UpCatalyst. The start-up produces sustainable carbon nanomaterials from CO2 and waste biomass for a vast range of applications from battery technologies to biomedicine.
The Nigerian start-up Shobab Energy won the innovation prize in the awarded category "Best Regional Impact", endowed with €5,000. Ms Tosin George, Founder of Shobab Energy, is positioning to deliver sustainable, reliable, and affordable electrification best fit for off-grid communities via a hybrid system using biomass resources and Solar PV technology.
And the Kenyan start-up LeafyLife not only won the hearts of the audience on the third conference day, but also the Innovation Challenge Award 2020/2021 in the category "Best Social Impact", endowed with €5,000. LeafyLife recycles waste diapers and sanitary pads into a fuel gel that emits 76% less carbon dioxide, no carbon monoxide, and no smoke or soot. and thus provides clean fuel for safer and healthier African homes while cleaning the environment and mitigating climate change.
The ISC3 would like to thank all sustainable chemistry changemakers and our expert jury consisting in 30 international judges for their important advancements and their participation in this second international contest dedicated exclusively to sustainable chemistry solutions only.
The call for applications for the next Innovation Challenge 2021/2022 that focusses on finding and awarding solutions from the field of “Sustainable Chemistry and Waste: Prevention, Valorization & Management” will start in January 2021.
For further information on the competition, eligibility, and how to register your participation in the 2022 edition of the ISC3 see the Innovation Challenge site.
Contact
Astrid Ewaz, Project Manager/Events, ISC3 Innovation Hub
+49 69 7564-623, astrid.ewaz©isc3.org