Deadline: December 9, 2022
Applications are open for the LATAM4WEF Innovation Lab 2023 for Youth Innovators. The LATAM4WEF Innovation Lab accepts applications from youth innovators and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Latin America and the Caribbean to co-design and co-develop solutions that could help address water, energy, and food security (WEF) challenges in Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia & Peru.
SAFEEM (Swiss Association For Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets) and Nexus team up to launch LATAM4WEF, which aims to solve the most pressing threats to the planet through developing technology and harnessing the power of impactful home-grown solutions. Bringing young innovators together with SMEs that are aware of challenging realities in local communities, LATAM4WEF is set to provide a collaborative space for participants in ideating, validating, and scaling their technology solutions for WEF use, mitigation, and adaptation across Latin America and the Caribbean, but especially in targeted countries: México, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia & Perú.
The Labs follow a rhythm of theory followed by an action session allowing participants to put into practice what they are taught. Sessions include ideation, lean canvas, hypothesis testing, MVP development, and pitching.
Benefits
- LATAM4WEF ends with the selection of the top 10 participants who will be awarded free flights into the Matchmaking and Demo Day onsite event.
- Finalists will be able to pitch their solutions and get the chance to interact with regional industry players, ecosystem enablers, and investors. Such encounters give participants a chance to increase their network and business opportunities as well as their visibility.
Eligibility
For innovators who would like to take part and solve WEF challenges, the application criteria are as follows:
- Participants will be between 20 and 30 years old;
- Must be attending university or have completed higher education;
- Aspiring or early-stage entrepreneurs or students interested in launching an idea in the WEF area and building entrepreneurial muscle and launching an idea to address WEF challenges;
- Passionate about solving WEF technology needs and challenges in LATAM; and
- Can apply as an individual applicant or can apply as a group if they already have a team of a maximum of 3 members that will work at the Innovation Lab.
Application
Young innovators who would like to take part in LATAM4WEF can apply from November 16 to December 9, 2022.
For more information, visit LATAM4WEF.