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Start-ups

From idea to investment – support & funding for start-ups at every stage

CATAL1.5°T supports your ideas and provides your climate venture with funding, know-how and access to networks of domain experts, mentors and investors.

What’s new at CATAL1.5°T?

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CATAL1.5°T West Africa welcomes its first climate ventures

29.11.2024Alex Calvin Gbetie, GIZ

After a rigorous two-month selection process, 40 climate ventures from 8 West African countries, have been awarded entries to the first phase of the Pre-Acceleration program.

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CATAL1.5°T Climathons igniting local climate action across West Africa

28.11.2024Felipe Caballero, Climate-KIC

In October 2024, CATAL1.5°T Climathons in 8 West African countries united stakeholders to develop business ideas for local climate challenges.

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Winners of CATAL1.5°T Climathons in West Africa

28.11.2024Leyla Eminli, GIZ

Explore winning projects in climathons across West Africa during October and November, 2024.

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First Demo Day for the Pre-Acceleration Programme

20.11.2024Josué García, GIZ

The CATAL1.5°T Pre-Accelerator Demo Day showcased 19 climate startups, uniting experts to advance climate tech solutions in Latin America.

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CATAL1.5°T Roadshow: activating main ecosystem stakeholders in ClimateTech across West Africa

17.11.2024Fatou Doumbia, GIZ

The CATAL1.5°T initiative has united ClimateTech players across West Africa to drive collaboration and innovative solutions for a sustainable transition.

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Seven venture capitalists successfully completed their CATAL1.5°T training

10.11.2024Josué García, GIZ

The programme focused on providing tools and strategies to incorporate ESG criteria at each stage of the investment process.

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Empowering women entrepreneurs in West Africa

04.11.2024Fatou Doumbia, GIZ

UX in Climate program launched in Senegal, Togo, Côte d'Ivoire and Benin.

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“We must act now” – the Launch of the “Forum on Climate Tech Investments” at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference

25.10.2024Severin Peters, GIZ

CATAL1.5°T hosted a high-level discussion on how to empower emerging markets to attract investments.

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Powering climate innovation: local partners fuel West Africa's climate tech pipeline

25.10.2024Rosina Naab, GIZ

From ideas to impact – how CATAL1.5°T's network is continuously supporting start-ups

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The CATAL1.5°T Initiative celebrates its first Demo Day for the accelerator programme

25.10.2024Josué García, GIZ

September 19 was a milestone for the CATAL1.5°T Initiative and its accelerator programme in Latin America: the first cohort’s Demo Day.

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Subscribe to CATAL1.5°T’s newsletter!

16.10.2024Angeli "Ann" Regala, GIZ

Introducing the CATAL1.5°T Newsletter: a quarterly resource for climate tech ecosystem in the Global South.

Felipe presenting at the demo day of the first batch of the accelerator programme
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Building a better planet: insights from Tec de Monterrey’s Felipe González Rosas

04.10.2024

In an interview, Felipe González Rosas, Climate Entrepreneurship Director at Tecnológico de Monterrey, shares his experiences working with the first cohort of CATAL1.5°T’s Accelerator programme.

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Accelerator finalist Vexxel uses biotech for a more sustainable agriculture

09.09.2024

The Argentinian start-up Vexxel is revolutionising the agriculture sector in Latin America with their innovative approach to reducing chemical fertiliser use through biodegradable nano-capsules.

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Discover how our accelerator finalist, Cirkula, addresses food waste

23.08.2024

The start-up Cirkula is making a significant impact in the food sector by helping businesses manage food waste and reduce CO2 emissions through easily accessible technology.

All members of the CATAL1.5°T Initiative gather in front of GIZ building in Berlin.
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Get to know the CATAL1.5°T Initiative team

08.08.2024Angeli "Ann" Regala, GIZ

Meet the CATAL1.5°T staff and learn about the vital role of climate tech start-ups in achieving a net-zero future.

The batch 1 of the Pre-accelerator programme in Latin America gathered for a group photo during their bootcamp
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CATAL1.5°T Initiative in Latin America Launches the First Bootcamp for its Pre-Accelerator Program

11.08.2024Josué García, GIZ

The CATAL1.5°T initiative's Pre-Accelerator Program bootcamp for Latin America was held on July 29 to July 31 in Monterrey, Mexico. The program selected 20 promising climate tech start-ups from the region to receive funding, training, and mentorship. The bootcamp included sessions on ESG criteria and business development, and featured outstanding speakers from the ecosystem. The program aims to support start-ups in their growth and innovation efforts, with two more cohorts to follow.

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microTERRA’s impact on water sustainability & health – meet our accelerator finalist

12.08.2024

The start-up microTERRA is making waves in the climate tech sector with their innovative approach to agricultural wastewater treatment and sustainable food ingredients.

The speakers and facilitators of the ESG training in Senegal for VCs during a session discussion
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ESG Training for Venture Capital funds held in West Africa

18.07.2024Leon Pelt and Milena Stolz, GIZ

Seven selected West African Venture Capital (VC) firms participated in a training on best practices in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles tailored to the needs of VCs. The training was provided by VentureESG and hosted by the CATAL1.5°T Initiative. The training was all about how the VC firms can succeed in aligning their operational processes and investment decisions with best practices in ESG and become regional leaders in the field.

Sofía Elizalde, Technical Advisor for NAMA PyME; Erika Sánchez, Technical Advisor for the CATAL1.5°T Initiative; Bianca Corona, Technical Advisor for Recuperación Verde; and Itzel Alcérreca, Technical Advisor for the Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance at Impact Days in Mexico
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CATAL1.5°T Initiative present at Impact Days in Mexico City

15.07.2024Josué García, GIZ

On June 20 Erika Sanchez from the CATAL1.5°T Initiative took part in the panel "Are Social and Economic Development at Odds?", which was held during the Impact Days – an event organized by Impact Hub in Mexico City. The panel looked at different perspectives on challenges and opportunities identified in green economy businesses, climate financing, and climate and technology entrepreneurship. The CATAL1.5°T Initiative also confirmed future calls for its Accelerator and Pre-Accelerator programs, along with a series of 'climathons' (climate hackathons) in Latin America.

Participants from the first Bootcamp for the Acceleration Programme of the CATAL1.5°T Initiative
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First CATAL1.5°T Bootcamp for the Accelerator Program Bootcamp held in Latin America

25.05.2024Josué García Pérez, GIZ

Ten Climate Tech start-ups from four Latin American countries have begun their acceleration process with the first CATAL1.5°T Acceleration Bootcamp. During the program they will have access to funding of 100K euros, mentoring and networking sessions to enhance their development.

Radiant smiles light up the Global Workshop of the CATAL1.5°T Initiative as participants come together in a spirit of collaboration and innovation.
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Empowering Climate-Tech Start-ups: Insights from the CATAL1.5°T Global Workshop 

28.05.2024Angeli "Ann" Regala, GIZ

CATAL1.5°T Initiative to advance efforts in supporting climate tech start-ups

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CATAL1.5°T launches its acceleration program dedicated to SMEs and start-ups in West Africa

24.04.2024Morgane Awu, Communication Officer, Investisseurs & Partenaires

The CATAL1.5°T acceleration program is officially launched in West Africa. 30 companies in the climate sector will benefit from technical and financial support to accelerate their growth.

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Launch of the CATAL1.5°T video

26.10.2023The catalist-Team

This video explains the CATAL1.5°T Initiative's purpose in less than three minutes

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CATAL1.5°T at the UNCCC Climate week in Panama

01.11.2023Milena Stolz, GIZ

The CATAL1.5°T Latin American platform hosted a one-hour panel discussion on opportunities & challenges for Climate Tech entrepreneurship promotion in Latin America on October 23rd, 2023.

Applications for our start-up programmes are open

Ideator, first-time founder or serial entrepreneur – no matter your experience and the stage of you climate tech solution, you can find your support programme here.
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Tackle climate change with your community!

Climathons

Climathons are our ideation programme: the events bring together local citizens, innovators and entrepreneurs with ideas that address the challenges of climate change with technology. Take part and create an impact!
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Get your climate tech solution market-ready!

Pre-accelerator

Our pre-accelerator for climate tech start-ups provides you with training, technical support and funding. Let’s take your prototype to the next level!
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Scale your way to VC!

Accelerator

Your climate venture is already well on its way to making a positive impact on climate change? Prepare to successfully navigate the challenging growth phase – with training & coaching, networking and repayable grants!

About the CATAL1.5°T Initiative

The Initiative is is funded by the international Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in cooperation with top-tier global and regional partners.

Learn about us