The clock is ticking for humanity. Record-breaking global temperatures, increasing occurrences of extreme weather, and other ominous events due to the climate crisis have proven that our way of life is unsustainable. Drastic change is necessary if we are to survive as a species. This realisation is what led to the creation of the 4Revs Innovation Challenge, a global competition for startups, which aims to act as a catalyst for helping humanity solve its biggest challenges for survival.
Addressing the 4 biggest challenges facing humanity
The 4Revs Innovation Challenge focuses on addressing four of the most critical challenges humanity faces in the near future:
- Food security: With the global population increasing rapidly, a food crisis is inevitable as we face a shortage of agricultural land and the escalation of human conflict with wildlife.
- Access to clean water: The same can be said with water. Given our current lifestyles, as pollution spreads, how can we source enough clean water for consumption?
- Natural resources: Both of the above challenges, highlight the vast amount of natural resources we consume as human beings. It begs the question if we can build an infinitely expanding economy without so much waste?
- Affordable clean energy: None of the above would be possible without energy. Yet, the question remains if we move away from fossil fuels to embrace cleaner energy sources without endangering livelihoods and the environment.
These are all pressing issues we need to immediately address. Alas, current systems have proven to be ineffective. Disruptive change is needed to change the status quo. The key to bringing about such disruption is by supporting startups with innovative solutions.
This is where the 4Revs Innovation Challenge enters the equation. The programme has partnered with corporations, social ventures, educators, public & civil organizations, along with other stakeholders across the world. The 4Revs programme aims to connect promising startups with its global partners to help accelerate the development of innovative solutions to the critical challenges humanity is facing by 2050.
What startups will gain through the 4Revs Innovation Challenge
The programme is open to startups across the world. Applying startup will need to have a product or service addressing at least 1 of the 4 issues highlighted above. After registering, all participants will go through an evaluation process to identify 50 finalists and 8 winners.
This process will begin after registrations close on the 8th of September. The first round of evaluations will take place from the 9th to the 23rd of September. This will be followed by the deepening stage from the 24th of September to the 6th of October. Finally, there will be a second round of evaluations held between the 7th and 19th of October, prior to the final event.
Finalists of the programme will gain access to the 4Revs platform. This will offer them opportunities to connect with various companies and stakeholders across the globe to assist the entrepreneurs on their mission. Further, the startups will also receive valuable promotional opportunities from 4Revs, which will present their solutions as a global case study.
The 8 winners will additionally have the opportunity to have 20 minute meetings with partnering companies of the initiative to directly explore potential business opportunities. Winning startups will also get to participate in one-on-one workshops with three major investment funds; Village Capital, Yunus SB, and NEsST.
Participation in itself is a great experience, offering startups the chance to work with a global platform where they can broaden their horizons, and see what other great projects other start-ups are involved in. If you’re a founder interested in taking your startup global and passionate about saving humanity, click here to find out more and register for the 4Revs Innovation Challenge.