IMPLEMENTED BY GIZ, CO FUNDED BY EU AND BMZ AND THE NEXUS REGIONAL DIALOGUES PROGRAMME

LATAM4WEF

Empowering youth innovators and SMEs to develop solutions for Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia in water, energy, and food security challenges

The Water, Energy & Food Security (WEF) Innovation Lab is designed to be the youth-centered workshop for innovation and development of endogenous technology solutions, guided by the WEF technology needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and aligned with the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of participants' host countries. Through an action-based learning component, SAFEEM will bring together youth representatives, the future generation leading changes in WEF local issues with remarking background of community leaders and early Changemakers with SMEs (including AgriBusiness and other related companies) and WEF Technology experts from the key network allies in Latin America and the Caribbean to explore innovative design thinking tools for enhanced WEF action/projects in Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia.

PÁGINA EN ESPAÑOL

LATAM 4WEF Matchmaking Demo Day - Coming soon!

Where: Mexico City

When: 30th March, 2023

Place: TBC

Time: 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Selected Teams

MEXICO

Geokeri

Gekori is a consulting company specialized in geothermal project development

VISIT WEBSITE

CHILE

Nace Project

Desalination of seawater for human and agricultural consumption.

VISIT WEBSITE

COLOMBIA

AiGROU

Our solution addresses one of the biggest challenges in the agricultural industry, the inefficient use of water and energy; where using open technology and a custom Machine Learning pipeline, we provide a platform that allows medium-sized farmers and ranchers to analyze and better understand their data to maximize efficiency and productivity while reducing their water and energy consumption.

VISIT WEBSITE

COLOMBIA

FWF

We solve the problem of rising feed costs by providing technological equipment to help farmers generate circular economies from the use of organic waste to produce protein.

VISIT WEBSITE

COLOMBIA

Lynks

The agricultural/agro-industrial sector must become more sustainable and efficient. That is why Lynks brings TRANSPARENCY-TRAZABILITY-INTELLIGENCE to all processes involved with water resources, applying technologies such as IOT/BI/Analytics in order to facilitate the sustainable use of resources, maximize the efficiency of machinery in the field and make effective control of personnel and processes.

VISIT WEBSITE

Benefits:

Participate in the Innovation Labs to get an entrepreneurial mindset, basic techniques of entrepreneurship, and create a MVP to face WEF challenges.
Get the chance to be one of the winning teams to participate in the Online WEF Innovation Academy Programme to launch and iterate your WEF solution.
After the Academy assessment, flights to the Matchmaking Demo Day onsite event.
The winning team will have the chance to win a trip to attend to the Nexus Conference in Germany: Flights and accommodation will be covered.

Why should you apply?

Learn from experts to create and test innovative solutions to tackle real WEF challenges in Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia.
Connect with important stakeholders and experts in the region and get the chance to travel flights will be covered for the matchmaking event.
Get the chance to attend to Nexus Conference in Germany

Who can apply? Young Entrepreneurs

Young entrepreneurs between 20 and 30 years old.
They must be attending university or have completed higher education.
Aspiring or early-stage entrepreneurs or students interested in launching an idea in WEF area and building entrepreneurial muscle and launching an idea to address WEF challenges.
Passionate about solving WEF technology needs and challenges in Latam.
They can apply as individual applications or if they already have a team of a maximum of 3 members that will work at the Innovation Lab.

APPLY HERE

Timeline

Open Call

9 of November, 2022

Close of applications

26 of December of 2022

Annoucement

December 27 of 2022

Innovation Lab

January 11-13 of 2023

Innovation Academy

January 16 - March 10 , 2023

Latam4WEF Matchmaking / Demo Day (ONSITE)

March 23 of 2023

Focus Challenges:

During Demo Day, the last day of the Innovation Labs, Jury Members will use these criteria to choose the groups of startups that will continue into the next stage of the program. Also, the application of the WEF values will be taken into consideration for eligibility.

W - Water security: Could access and availability of surface, ground, produced water, and/or third-party water be improved? Could the quality of surface, ground, produced water and/or third-party water be improved as a result of the project?
E - Energy security: Could access or availability of renewable energy be improved as a result of the project? Is the reliability of energy supply improved?
F - Food security: Is the access and availability of food supply improved as a result of the project? Will the quality of food and/or nutrition levels improve, e.g., due to crop diversification or enhanced access and availability to food all year round, as a result of the project?

Project Team

About us

Nexus

The Water, Energy & Food Security Resource Platform is an independent information and facilitating platform developed within the framework of the Global Programme „Nexus Regional Dialogues”, implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH jointly funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the European Union. We are working towards mainstreaming the Nexus dialogue on water, energy and food security in high-level regional policy dialogues, investment decisions and within global development policy. Our Programme implements the Nexus Regional Dialogues, which support regional stakeholders to operationalize the WEF Nexus concept into policy recommendations and pilot projects.

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Safeem

SAFEEM (Swiss Association For Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets) is an independent, non-profit organization based in Geneva that was created to support entrepreneurs in emerging markets. SAFEEM believes that entrepreneurship, especially when technology-based, can be a powerful means of poverty reduction through economic empowerment. SAFEEM is committed to entrepreneurs developing innovative solutions for the pressing global challenges the world is now facing.

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Press release

LATIN AMERICA • TECHNOLOGY

LATAM4WEF launches search for youth innovators and SMEs solving the regions’ water, energy, and food security issues

LATAM4WEF is for youth innovators and SMEs in LATAM to develop solutions that could help address water, energy, and food security (WEF) challenges.

Nov. 10, 2022