Deadline: 1-Dec-22

Applications are now open for the ClimateLab Program.

Themes

• They employ a top-down investment approach that lives at the intersection of environmental impact and commercial viability. It focuses on four sectors of distinct importance and great potential impact to climate outcomes on the continent.
  • Agri-FoodTech
    • The world is a farmer. They support cutting edge technology to make that farmer- and the logistics and processing that gets food on people’s plates- more environmentally efficient. This leads to better personal and climate outcomes.
  • Clean Off-Grid Solutions
    • Most Africans live off grid. They need to come online. The only way this can occur without massive negative environmental effects is for the lights to turn with clean renewables from day 1. They make that happen.
  • Mobility
    • African cities are growing at an alarming rate. They need solutions that optimize energy efficiency and air quality. They leverage the research and technical ability of Stellenbosch University to design these startup solutions.
  • Energy Efficiency
    • The cleanest energy is the energy they don’t consume. They love technologies that do the same amount of work (or more) but using less energy.

Benefits

• The 12-month business builder program offers the following:
  • $50,000 through a SAFE agreement with a valuation cap:
    • $25,000 of cash up front
    • $25,000 of co-building and other services
  • 12-month bespoke program consisting of 8 months of active business building and 4 months of support services
  • Dedicated business building team working with cohort companies
  • World-class experts allocated to each team to complete project deliverables
  • Curated board of directors to provide strategic and governance support
• Additional Benefits:
  • Amazon Credits: Companies will receive USD 25,000 of Amazon Web Service (AWS) credits for 24 months from receipt
  • Hubspot Discounts: Companies can receive up to 90% off of their first year of their Hubspot CRM subscription
  • Service Provider Discounts: Discounts are available from SU LaunchLab’s preferred accounting legal, tax and marketing service providers
  • Pitch and branding: Companies will receive a professional pitch deck from SU LaunchLab’s preferred provider as well as 1:1 pitch coaching sessions
  • Impact and Climate Reports: Depending on the stage and type of company, the opportunity exists for companies to collaborate with external consultants (or Stellenbosch University) to develop impact and climate reports for the company
  • Events: Companies will be invited to all demo days, closed-door investor events, and community events
  • Co-Working Facility: SU LaunchLab runs a co-working space situated in Stellenbosch, and up to 2 founders can make use of the hot desk facilities for the duration of the program
  • CEO and Founder Coaching: Dependent on the founders’ needs and personal situation, a life coach will be provided to support founders
  • Content: Access to proprietary SU LaunchLab generated content and templates
  • Stellenbosch University: Companies will be provided with the opportunity to have knowledge exchanges with leading academics across a variety of different faculties and schools including agriculture, engineering, climate, data science, etc.
  • SU LaunchLab Network: Access to the entire SU LaunchLab network of investors, stakeholders, industry partners, etc.

What they do for Entrepreneurs?

• Prepare your business to take on significant external capital
• Execute the fundraise with you as a trusted advisor
• Assist in developing a high-impact team to deploy capital

Outcomes

• Diagnostic Report
  • They develop a report with key strategic insights and opportunities to share with stakeholders, investors and ambassadors.
  • The report serves as the foundation for business building support.
• Financial Model
  • Startups are in a race against time between product-market-fit and runway. A clear, usable, actionable financial model is not only a must for raising investment but also provides the leadership team with a clear path to success.
  • Every team receives a world class model based on their unique operations and objectives.
• Professional Pitch Deck & Training
  • A pitch deck is the ideal format to clearly articulate the key aspects of the customer problem, business model, team and milestones.
  • Every startup will be pitch perfect through training and employing data driven story telling.
• Expert-Led Deliverables
  • They utilise their robust network of seasoned, experienced experts to help their teams make creative mistakes.
  • Their Experts work directly with teams in 4-6 week sprints with a clear deliverable as determined through the Diagnostic Report.

Eligibility Criteria

• Accepting four teams only from across Africa.
• Climate impact:
  • Mitigation: Companies that reduce or remove greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
  • Adaptation and Resilience: Companies preparing for a world that will be significantly impacted by climate change
• Preferred sectors:  
  • Clean Off-Grid Energy Solutions: Clean Cookstoves, PAYGO Solar, Storage & Cooling
  • Mobility: Electric Vehicles, Charging Infrastructure, Batteries
  • Agri-FoodTech: Precision Agriculture, Meat Alternatives, Regenerative Farming
  • Energy Efficiency: Smart Devices, Retrofits, Heating & Cooling
• Preferred regions: 
  • South Africa
  • East Africa
• Stage:
  • Early-stage startups (pre-seed and seed) with positive signs of product-market fit, evidenced by customer validation
  • Clear ambition to scale – they are looking for companies that can make a significant dent in climate change
• Company needs:
  • Finance: Fundraising, financial models, cash flow management, business dashboards
  • Hiring and culture: Identifying and closing key hires, developing the hiring processes, culture setting
  • Scaling Sales: Sales playbooks, business development,
  • Legal support
  • Marketing and branding

For more information, visit https://www.launchlab.africa/climate-lab