- Clean Cities Spain ClimAccelerator, the accelerator led by Universidad Politécnica de Madrid together with the support of EIT Climate-KIC, aims to achieve climate neutrality in urban centers.
- During the final event of the programme´s third edition, which has been as a link between accelerated start-ups, public institutions, corporates and investors, more than 70 connections of interest have been achieved.
- By April, the new call of this accelerator will be launched, focused on promoting relationships with the ecosystem, as well as impact investment.
Madrid, 11 March 11, 2024. The Clean Cities Spain ClimAccelerator, led by Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and supported by EIT Climate-KIC, concluded its third edition with the successful acceleration of more than 70 European start-ups. Following four intense months of business activities focused on investment and internationalisation the newest cohort of entrepreneurs pitched their solutions for driving climate neutrality in urban centres at a Demo Day 7 March.
The event, which took place at the Madrid International Lab, was a perfect opportunity for the participating start-ups to expand their contacts and relationships with corporates, investors and public institutions from the entrepreneurial ecosystem. During this session, several connections were made, generating more than 70 introductions between more than 15 attending entities.
The event was hosted by Francisco José Moreno from the Madrid City Hall, María Ángeles Huerta of EIT Climate-KIC, and María Luisa Martínez from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, who view entrepreneurship as a key component to unlocking innovative technologies for urban sustainability.
Pippa Gawley, founder of Zero Carbon Capital, also presented the challenges that both investors and start-ups face in the decarbonisation sector and explained the reasons why 2024 will be a chance in terms of fundraising in this sector.
Launch of the next call
The 2024 edition of Clean Cities Spain ClimAccelerator will focus on collaboration between key stakeholders of the innovation ecosystem as well as investment and international commercialisation opportunities. The selected start-ups will receive training from international professionals with strategic roles, expand their network of contacts with experts from the entrepreneurial ecosystem, as well as participate in important events in the verticals that this initiative is working on.
At the beginning of April, the call will officially open European start-ups that are developing solutions for the sustainability of our cities. The programme is expected to exceed a total of 100 supported companies by the end of 2024.
About Clean Cities Spain ClimAccelerator
The Clean Cities Spain ClimAccelerator is an acceleration programme launched in 2020 with the support of the EIT Climate-KIC, with the aim of having an impact on climate change in urban areas, as well as the commercialization of clean technologies (clean tech). The programme is aimed at startups that develop solutions with special emphasis on transforming urban ecosystems so that they are climate neutral, from mobility to waste, energy or health. There are already more than 70 startups from more than 15 different countries that are members of the Clean Cities community.
About the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
The UPM is the 1st Spanish-speaking Technological University and the 75th Technological University in the world. This University is characterized by a strong commitment to the SDGs and is working to have a climate neutral campus by 2040. The Entrepreneurship unit aims to stimulate the innovation process in the technological ecosystem. To this end, it has created and developed an “open technological ecosystem” linked to the development of products/processes based on technologies, with 330 high-tech startups created and more than 250 million euros raised in recent years. Under this premise, the University develops activities that include training for entrepreneurs and the incubation and acceleration of startups.
About EIT Climate-KIC
EIT Climate-KIC is Europe’s leading climate innovation agency and community, using a systems approach to shape innovation to support cities, regions, countries and industries meet their climate ambitions.
Together with partners across the globe, EIT Climate-KIC acts to bridge the gap between climate commitments and current reality by enabling decision-makers and investors to act. They find and implement solutions in integrated ways and mobilise finance. They build skills to accelerate learning and explore innovation, opening pathways to shift mindsets and behaviours. Through radical collaboration, EIT Climate-KIC orchestrates large-scale demonstrations that show what is possible when cycles of innovation and learning are deliberately designed to trigger exponential decarbonisation and build resilient communities.
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