Fifteen startups have been selected for Romania ClimAccelerator’s Idea Stage, a category of the acceleration program for green-tech startups.

The program supports the acceleration of businesses that propose innovative solutions in areas such as renewable energy, waste management, clean-tech, carbon emissions management, green construction, sustainable production, transport, and recycling.

It has two main categories: Idea Stage, for early-stage startups that have an idea for a business in the field, and Seed Stage, for companies that already have a validated prototype on the market.

The startups were evaluated by a jury made up of Alexandra Arsene, Director-Head of SME at Raiffeisen Bank; Adelina Dabu, Public Affairs, and Sustainability expert; Iulia Dorobanțu, co-founder of Charger.ro; Raluca Grigore, Programs Operations Manager & Sustainability Lead at Impact Hub Bucharest; and Claudiu Butacu, engineer & co-founder of EFdeN.

The 15 startups that were selected are:

Anlu Metal Design Studio: It uses hard-to-recycle elements such as sponge waste, which, in combination with other ceramic items, partially recycled, turn into materials that can be used in construction, architecture, or interior design.

Climate Change Race: It aims to organize an event that combines obstacle races with environmental education to give participants “an immersive and hands-on experience” on the impact of climate change.

CycleUP: It develops a digital B2B circular economy matching platform for producers and processors in various industries (agriculture, food, cosmetics, and energy) looking for secondary resources. The startup won the Climathon Timișoara 2024.

Garden in a Box: It develops modular urban gardens that act as natural cooling shelters that reduce the impact of urban heat islands. They are meant for the hotels, restaurants, and catering industry and not only. The startup won Climathon Iași 2024.

Glosus: It aims to help medium and large companies calculate their carbon emissions and their management in an easy way. From 2025, these companies will have to report the emissions.

GreenDAO: It develops a non-profit trading platform for small businesses, artisans, and local producers, facilitating access to green infrastructure such as solar panels, electric cars, and water management systems.

LEDSIO: It creates gardens in the halls or on the roofs of buildings, giving residents access to bio food throughout the year.

MeraValor: It uses apple pomace for products such as pomace powder, jam, and ice cream. The startup won the Climathon Cluj-Napoca 2024.

Pasidera: It is looking to develop a passive afterschool made of a new material, CLT (Cross-Laminated Timber), which reduces pollution caused by construction sites. The startup won Climathon Bucharest 2024.

Peculiar Spirit: It creates a sustainable clothing brand that uses upcycled materials and implements zero-waste patterns to reduce textile waste.

Pedala Defensivă: It proposes an urban mobility solution that allows users to pedal safely, using dedicated training and optimized navigation, even in the absence of improvements in cycling infrastructure.

PowerForEveryone: It aims to develop a renewable energy device for homes.

ReNature: It aims to create an online platform for urban gardening enthusiasts. The platform offers a wide range of customized kits for greening balconies and terraces.

Șercan Zmeul Zmeilor: It aims to create a functional prototype for the exploration of wind energy as an alternative to conventional wind turbines.

Vintage Things - Future Power: They collect discarded items, which they want to repurpose and reuse as art objects, in their own store. Materials that cannot be reused, such as plastic or ceramics, will be used for the production of bricks and building insulation materials.

Between July and September, the 15 startups will receive an acceleration experience that includes business modeling workshops, marketing, creating a viable prototype, financial management, and business consulting. The acceleration program also includes training sessions with a board of advisors and peer sharing.

The registrations for the Seed Stage, where ten startups will be selected, are open until September 13. Enrolled entrepreneurs will participate in an online pitching session on September 25. Selected organizations will follow an intensive acceleration program between October and December 2024.

(Photo: Sinlapachai Jaijumpa | Dreamstime.com)

simona@romania-insider.com