CLIX 2020 demonstrates global reach with 1,402 entries

Business Bureau, Gulf Today

The World Future Energy Summit’s Climate Innovations Exchange (CLIX) 2020, supporting innovative global green tech and sustainability start-ups, hosted by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), has marked year-on-year growth of 67 per cent in applications and 54 per cent in participating countries. Demonstrating its international reach, this year’s edition has received 1,402 entries from 128 countries, including 73 from the USA, 42 from India, 25 from the UK, and 18 from the UAE.

CLIX 2020 of WFES has announced the 42 finalists out of a record-high 600 shortlisted entries. Finalists will be able to benefit from demonstrating their innovations at the Middle East’s largest future energy and sustainability event, along with financial support, and the opportunity to pitch to incubators and accelerators, venture capital and private equity firms, institutional investors, and sovereign wealth funds.

Dr. Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “Once again, CLIX has opened its doors to innovators and entrepreneurs from across the globe. In its previous editions, the platform has disrupted climate and sustainability action worldwide. Currently in its third instalment, CLIX boasts a proven track record of facilitating successful partnerships between trailblazing start-ups and forward-thinking investors.”

Dr Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi added: “MOCCAE is proud to host CLIX, as it recognises the power of harnessing the creativity of young minds to identify unconventional solutions to environmental challenges. The platform aspires to provide a viable opportunity for young entrepreneurs to secure funding and develop winning environmental concepts for the benefit of our planet.”

Dr. Eng. Mohammed Nasser Al Ahbabi, Director General of the UAE Space Agency, said: “Building on the legacy of the 20th century’s Space Race, the New Space movement and philosophy encourages individual entrepreneurship and the creation of public-private partnerships to catalyse innovation. CLIX is bringing together the best and the brightest space innovations, and demonstrating how they can be scaled up into commercially viable products.

Dr. Eng. Mohammed Nasser Al Ahbabi, added: “As a CLIX partner, the UAE Space Agency is proud to be supporting local space start-ups, fostering research and development in space exploration, and developing the next generation of space pioneers.”

CLIX connects entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors in four pillars: Sustainability in Space, Future of Food and Agriculture, Future of Energy, and Future of Mobility.

The Sustainability in Space finalists are Bluefield Technologies from the USA with its microsatellite methane monitoring, and Orbital Micro Systems, also from the USA, with its microwave radiometer weather satellites. The Future of Food and Agriculture finalists include Augmenta Agriculture Technologies from Greece with its farming automation solutions, DamoGO from South Korea, with its mobile app to reduce food waste, Edama Organic Solutions from Saudi Arabia, with its organic waste recycling solutions, and Revotree from Italy with its precision farming technology.

Among the Future of Energy Finalists are PolyCycl from India with its converter of waste plastics into petrochemical feedstock and industrial fuels, PowerUp Fuel Cells OU from Estonia with its hydrogen fuel cell generator, Solzen Energy from South Africa with the world’s thinnest graphene-based solar storage ultracapacitor, and Wallvision from The Netherlands with its build-in solar facades for buildings.

The Future of Mobility finalists are Brilhon Technologies from Brazil with its fast-charging electric vehicles network, Fuelsave from Germany with its freight fuel-saving solution, Playcar SRL from Italy with its mobility-as-a-service solution, and TWAICE Technologies GmbH from Germany with its predictive battery analysis method.

Judging the CLIX 2020 start-up innovations are representatives of the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, Masdar, the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, the UAE Space Agency, MOCCAE, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, and innovative organisations such as Catalyst and Hyperloop.

CLIX is further supported by global innovation ecosystem stakeholders, including the Solar Impulse Foundation, startAD, WAMDA, and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

The World Future Energy Summit, hosted by Masdar and part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, a global platform for accelerating the world’s sustainable development, runs at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec) from January 13-16, 2020. Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week will take place from January 11-18, 2020.