At a recent climate event in New York, beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship reflected on the need for global capital to recognise the power and profit of investing in youth innovation
Generation Innovation, an event by beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship, recently convened investors, corporate leaders, and youth entrepreneurs in New York to highlight the role of capital in effectively scaling climate solutions, especially in emerging markets.
“Climate solutions in Africa and Asia are projected to hit $500bn by 2031. However, only 15% of clean-energy investment reaches emerging economies – even though they’re home to 75% of the world’s people,” shared Florian Hoffmann, a founder of beVisioneers (pictured).
The gathering underscored the urgency of new approaches. Despite the green economy representing a $2.5tn annual investment opportunity, less than 15% of clean-energy investment currently flows to emerging markets, though they generate 60% of breakthrough solutions and are home to the majority of the world’s youth innovators.
“Global climate investment is clustering in later-stage deals, leaving early-stage innovators overlooked,” said Hoffmann. “Generation Innovation showed the power of bringing young entrepreneurs and seasoned leaders together, and showed that collaboration across generations is essential to unlocking a better future for our planet.”
Moving climate ventures towards profitability
beVisioneers is the world’s largest fellowship dedicated to youth-led environmental innovation and supports 1,000 fellows annually across more than 55 countries. Each fellow receives funding, training, mentorship, and access to networks that enable them to launch community-driven sustainability projects.
At the event, beVisioneers fellows spoke on their inventions, from cocoa bean waste turned into textiles, to biodegradable diapers made from pineapple, to breakthrough systems recycling plastic into oil.
The beVisioneers event offered a framework on how to support climate ventures that will move into profitability in the near future. Find out more here.