Seven finalists have been unveiled for the 2024 version of The Liveability Problem (TLC) which obtained a record-breaking variety of greater than 1,000 submissions throughout greater than 100 nations. Improvements reminiscent of sustainable aviation gasoline and cricket-derived protein making the shortlist for the primary time.
This yr marks the seventh version of TLC, a international innovation platform that hunts for options to the largest sustainability challenges dealing with cities within the tropics, presented by Temasek Basis and organised by Eco-Enterprise. Finalists will now compete for S$2.5 million (US$1.86 million) in funding on the Grand Finale to be held at Ecosperity Week, a 3 day sustainability-themed convention by Temasek.
This yr’s version of TLC featured two tracks: local weather change, and meals and vitamin. The finalist groups have been chosen for his or her disruptive applied sciences which have vital potential for influence and comes from the world over together with from Singapore, Canada, The Netherlands, Spain, and Vietnam.
This yr’s finalists are:
Local weather change
1. Workforce: bound4blue (Spain)
Resolution: Wind-assisted propulsion suction sails to scale back gasoline consumption for ships by 40 per cent.
2. Workforce: GAFT (The Netherlands)
Resolution: Scaling the availability of carbon damaging sustainable aviation gasoline by producing clear ‘used cooking oil’ substitute from carbon dioxide.
3. Workforce: Inexperienced COP (Singapore)
Resolution: Decarbonising maritime transport by 50 per cent with excessive vitality density drop-in biofuel mix produced from agri-waste.
4. Workforce: Nandina REM (Singapore)
Resolution: Producing industry-grade, round carbon fibre supplies recovered from plane with greater than 70 per cent carbon emissions discount.
Meals and vitamin
5. Workforce: Cricket One (Vietnam)
Resolution: Scalable nutritious superfood that has a carbon footprint 100 instances decrease than beef.
6. Workforce: Terra Bioindustries Inc (Canada)
Resolution: Excessive-value proteins and sugars manufacturing at 50 per cent decrease emissions from the valorisation of agri-food aspect streams.
7. Workforce: tHEMEatCompany Pte Ltd (Singapore)
Resolution: Vegan ingredient that makes various protein merchandise look, cook dinner, odor and style like actual meats.
Countdown to the finale
In addition to the million-dollar prizes, winners will pitch to the area’s established buyers for an extra S$500,000 in funding prizes together with Enterprise Singapore, influence funding fund Octave Wellbeing Economic system Fund, and enterprise capital funds AeraVC and TRIREC.
“We’re so inspired to have obtained over 1,000 stand-out submissions from greater than 100 nations the world over regardless of the shorter submission window attributable to Ecosperity being earlier this yr. This represents the unbelievable momentum we’re seeing in local weather tech globally and underscores our have to scale financing to fund these options that handle particular hard-to-abate sectors to allow them to attain industrial markets,” mentioned Jessica Cheam, founder and managing director of Eco-Enterprise.
“The ultimate seven groups chosen by our steering committees this yr deliver a various vary of sensible options that may decarbonise the economic system and strengthen the area’s meals and vitamin programs,” she added.
The shortlisting panels are represented by ADM Ventures, Engie Manufacturing unit, Singapore’s Nationwide Local weather Change Secretariat, New Power Nexus, Nurasa, Singapore Meals Company, SMART Innovation Centre, The Yield Lab, Vertex Ventures, Wavemaker Influence, Temasek Basis, and Eco-Enterprise.
The grand finale will happen on 17 April at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.
Final yr’s Liveability Problem winners have been a clear fuels enterprise in the USA and a Singapore-based aquaculture vaccine developer. Amongst notable earlier winners is US-based Equatic, previously generally known as SeaChange, which is constructing the world’s largest ocean decarbonisation plant in Singapore; Teora, a start-up creating orally-delivered resolution prevents and treats scale drop illness virus in Asian sea bass, and TurtleTree Labs, a precision fermentation and cell-based know-how start-up.
