BusinessWire India
Singapore/ New Delhi [India], February 28: Three cross-border teams emerged as winners at the Singapore International Foundation's (SIF) Climate Hack 2024 Pitch Day recently, marking the finale of the five-month programme which began in September 2024. First launched in 2021, Climate Hack aims to equip individuals in Asia with digital skills to develop and accelerate tech-driven solutions for climate change.
The winning teams were represented by 13 youths from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and the Philippines. The winning ideas included strategic cross-sector partnerships to ensure scalability, personalised user experiences to address unique needs, and more cost-effective alternatives to existing solutions.
More than 300 youths from 27 countries participated in the programme to develop climate solutions. They received training from leading industry experts in areas such as digital proficiencies, problem-solving skills, entrepreneurial thinking, and best practices in presenting and marketing their ideas. Nine out of the ten shortlisted teams comprised youths from different countries, reflecting the criticality of collaboration in addressing climate challenges.
Ms. Manvitha Yalamanchili, a member of Sustainloop and a Climate Hack 2024 winner from India said: "When I first connected with my teammates from Malaysia and the Philippines, we found that we shared the same dream of creating meaningful impact in the climate space despite coming from different countries. That is what brought us together to form Sustainloop. Our team's diverse backgrounds allowed us to gain insights from different industries, and I am thrilled to have found inspiring mentors in my teammates."
Jaryll Chan, SIF Executive Director, Programmes Division, said: "Climate change affects every single one of us as we live in an interconnected world. At the SIF, we believe in driving collaborations to develop solutions for a better world."
Winning Teams Announced at Pitch Day of Climate Hack 2024
At Pitch Day, 10 shortlisted teams presented their tech-driven solutions to a panel of judges. They addressed environmental challenges in areas such as natural resource management, land use, transport, waste management, and ecological economics.
Three winning teams were chosen based on their creativity, persuasiveness, teamwork, and the impact and feasibility of their solution. They are:
1. E-Connect (Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and the Philippines)
2. SustainIQ (Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and the Philippines)
3. Sustainloop (India, Malaysia, and the Philippines)
Additionally, Ecovolve (Cambodia, Indonesia, and Singapore), received the People's Choice Award. The award was based on voting on social media leading up to Pitch Day and by the live audience during the event.
All four teams will visit Singapore in March this year to learn more about the Singapore Green Plan 2030 - a whole-of-nation movement to advance Singapore's national agenda on sustainable development.
Carla Gomez Briones, Climate and Sustainability Specialist, United Nations Development Program Global Centre for Technology, Innovation, and Sustainable Development (Singapore) was one of the judges at Pitch Day. She shared: "The ingenuity and depth of thought demonstrated by the teams have been truly inspiring. From tackling diverse challenges like natural resource management to rethinking waste systems, these young changemakers have shown a remarkable ability to innovate with purpose and impact. Their solutions not only address urgent climate issues but also reflect the power of collaboration across borders to create a sustainable future."
Sheena Joy Palcis, a member of E-Connect from the Philippines said: "Climate Hack has helped me gain insights on turning my climate-resilient ideas into action. Through the workshops, I gained skills to develop an impactful and practical solution. The feedback and resources that I received from our mentors and trainers also helped to ensure that our team's solution remains relevant amidst a rapidly evolving global landscape. There is still much to be done in building a more sustainable society, but I am hopeful for a brighter future with all the youth-led innovations that were presented at Pitch Day!"
Climate Hack 2024 was organised in collaboration with key partners Action for Change in Southeast Asia (ActSEA), Kidzstarter, and Temporary Local. It was supported by volunteer trainers and mentors from IT consultancy Cognizant, social impact organisation DataKind Singapore, and volunteering platform TheOneHourProject, as well as individual professionals who volunteered in their own capacity.
Since 2021, Climate Hack has trained close to 1,000 youths from 24 countries across Asia. Collectively, the programme's participants have developed 130 digital prototypes and solutions to address climate-related challenges.
In 2021, Climate Hack received the World Bank Digital Skills Innovation Award in the Lifelong Learning category for its programme innovation in advancing digital proficiencies in Asia.
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