Water saving taps, fly larvae that turn organic waste into animal food and plastic car parts made from agricultural waste are among the innovations by entrepreneurs who have just completed the 2017 Global Cleantech Innovation Programme for SMEs in South Africa (GCIP-SA). Eleven finalists were chosen for their innovations that aim to solve environmental challenges in areas such as energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste beneficiation, water efficiency, green buildings and green transportation. The GCIP-SA is a competition-based business accelerator offering participants extensive training and mentoring on key business aspects such as product/market fit, business model development, financing strategy, management team, sustainability, and innovation to help them get their products investment-ready. They are also connected to local and international networks and exposed to potential partners and funders. The winners were announced at a gala event in Pretoria in November 2017 where participants also showcased their innovations to Minister of Science and Technology, Mrs Naledi Pandor, and other highlevel guests from government, foreign embassies, the private sector, the investment community and academia. Awards by industry sponsors Spoor & Fisher, Skeg Product Development, Africawide and Cape Media were also announced at the event.
“Participating in GCIP-SA is hard work and it stretches entrepreneurs… This is one of the best entrepreneurial accelerator programmes globally.” Euodia Naanyane-Bouwer, Gracious Nubian
“The GCIP-SA gave me skills to develop a working business model … and it provided me with a platform to network with other business people.” Linda Linganiso, Unizulu
The GCIP-SA is part of an international initiative to promote clean technology innovation and grow SMEs into sustainable businesses. Over the past four years, the programme has been jointly implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), with funding by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The GCIP-SA will be integrated into TIA on 1 January 2018.
To view the GCIP Winners and Finalists, click here
Enquiries: 012 472 2760 / cleantech@tia.org.za / southafrica.cleantechopen.org
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