The program initiated by Amazon and EIT Climate-KIC aims to boost early-stage startups creating sustainability-focused products. Last year’s program attracted 1,300 applications across more than 50 countries. This year’s Accelerator is open to businesses focused on recycling technologies, and start-ups creating more sustainable consumer products.
GLOAmazon and EIT Climate-KIC, Europe’s leading climate innovation hub, announced the start of the Amazon Launchpad Sustainability Accelerator, a 12-week bespoke program to support innovative, early-stage start-ups who are building more sustainable products and want to scale fast. The Accelerator arrives with customers increasingly interested in shopping more sustainably. In Amazon’s UK and European online stores, customers purchased more than double the number of Climate Pledge Friendly products in January 2022 compared to the same period last year.
The Amazon Launchpad Sustainability Accelerator is now welcoming applicants from across the UK and Europe. The program is best suited to early-stage start-ups who are building physical products to make it easier for people to live more sustainably. Founders will have ambitions to use e-commerce to fuel the growth of their products, and they will be committed to building and growing their business with environmental impact in mind.
Amazon will work with Accelerator participants to complete a Climate Impact Assessment from Impact Forecast, to understand their product’s potential climate impact, and develop strategies to make them even more environmentally-friendly. This will ensure the start-ups’ products are quantifiably more sustainable than what is currently available in the marketplace. They may address new ingredients, raw and recycled materials, and other sustainable innovations, providing customers with more choices that are good for both them and the planet.
Amazon Launchpad Sustainability Accelerator is designed to help founders navigate the challenges of starting and scaling a sustainable business through expert-led virtual workshops, specialized mentorship, a tailored curriculum, access to a network of like-minded founders, and office space in Amazon’s headquarters in Shoreditch, London. Successful participants will receive a financial boost, with a €12,000 equity-free grant, US$25,000 worth of AWS Activate Credits, as well as €6,000 sponsored Amazon Advertising credits to kick-start their growth. The businesses will also be featured on the Amazon Launchpad storefront and receive free account management for one year.
“We created the Amazon Launchpad Sustainability Accelerator specifically to support the entrepreneurs of the future who are developing ground-breaking sustainability-focused products,” said Aditi Singh, General Manager, Amazon Launchpad, Europe.
We are looking for start-ups with sustainable innovations and bold ambitions to grow and ultimately help their customers around the world make more sustainable choices in the products they buy. Applications are open now, and we welcome brands who want to take their business to the next level and fast-track their growth to apply today.
“One of the essential ingredients for achieving the transformations we need now is to make sure that all new companies are thinking systemically and are fully sustainable and regenerative from the outset,” said Kirsten Dunlop, Chief Executive Officer, EIT Climate-KIC. “We are delighted to be collaborating on the Amazon Sustainability Launchpad Accelerator, giving start-ups that are sustainable from the very start, the support, grants and visibility they need to drive responsible consumerism.”
Leaders from Amazon and EIT Climate-KIC, including Aditi Singh, Amazon Launchpad General Manager, Aimee Apel, EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator Lead, Cyrus Wadia, Head of Sustainable Products Worldwide, Amazon, and Adiari Vazquez, Ph.D., The Climate Pledge Fund at Amazon, will serve on the Amazon Launchpad Sustainability Accelerator Advisory Committee, helping to select the start-ups and participate in the program.
Applications for Amazon Launchpad Sustainability Accelerator are open now: UK, DE, FR, IT, ES, NL
The deadline for applications is March 25, 2022 and successful applicants will be announced in the Spring.
