Chivas Ventures, the global pitching platform of Chivas Regal, has unveiled 30 finalists out of about 6,000 applicants, startups across the planet at the Skoll Centre, University of Oxford, in its search to surface the most promising social entrepreneurs.
Each finalist is expected to make a final trip to Los Angeles in July this year to compete for a share of US$1 million to fulfill their dreams of a better world.
Who The Finalists Are
Choosing would be a tough decision, as each finalist’s value proposition is really compelling: products range from solutions that recycles waste, cleans water, transforms a wheelchair to a tricycle for disabled consumers, shares surplus food and makes energy bars from cricket insect flour.
DayOne Response – for its 10-liter, US Marines-ranked #1 Waterbag that can turn any heavily-contaminated source, such as dirty river water, into safe and clean drinking water, in just 30 minutes. US-based.
NexBio – rapid identification and diagnosis of plant disease via DNA analysis. Based in Poland.
Xinca – recycles rubber tires from landfills to create rubber shoes, leveraging inmates from a nearby prison as a labor source. Based in Mendoza, Argentina.
Bioestibas – ecologically-made shipping pallets, made from discarded flower stems. Industrial pallets today cause 40% of global deforestation. Based in Colombia.
Recycle Points – incentive-based, waste-recycling operation employing unemployed women in its communities. Based in Lagos, Nigeria.
SoloCoco – range of organic, fair trade products (oil, flour, soaps, lotions and more), sustainable from the coconut tree to finished product, with single unemployed mothers in its labor community. Based in the Dominican Republic.
Sens Food – among its products, the Sens Bar made with cricket flour, made by a chef who has 13 years of experience in cooking with insects. Based in Czechoslovakia, with recent advice from food tech accelerators in San Francisco.
Sanivation – delivery of modern toilets to refugee camps, while transforming waste collected to a clean burning alternative to charcoal, which in turn provides an alternative to deforestation. Based in Kenya.
Wearobot – affordable and modular exoskeleton technology for those who suffer from mobility loss. Founder was inspired by his dad’s suffering from complications of aging. Based in Monterrey, Mexico.
Sea2See – designer eyewear recycled from sea-littered plastic and abandoned fishing net. Based in Spain.
iDropWater – water purification and dispensing units at point of sale stations, 80% cheaper than bottled water. Based in South Africa.
African Clean Energy – smokeless cooking stove and off-grid solar energy for lighting and phone charging, can use twigs, cow dung, coconut shells, corn cob centers as cooking fuel. Based in the Netherlands and Lesotho.
Livre – transforms wheelchairs into electric tricycles for 12 million potential disabled consumers in North and South America. Based in Brazil.
Now Money Gulf – remittance marketplace over mobile phones where consumers can compare rates and send money back home directly from its app. Based in Dubai.
SOWAT – “System Open Water Advanced Technology” stops particles, pollen, parasites, bacteria, viruses, while preserving minerals in water. Based in Romania.
Sea Harmony – vertical reef mussel-farming technology, made from sustainable products and aiming to restore marine life back to the “Dead” zones in Eastern Europe. Based in Bulgaria.
Words with Heart – recycled, vegetable-based ink paper as an alternative source to the traditional paper industry, the world’s 4th largest industrial user of energy and a significant cause of greenhouse gases. Uses part of its profits to educate girls and women in the developing world. Based in Australia.
Green City Solutions – “CityTree” product combines a vertically-installed moss-like platform with Internet-of-Things (IoT) to filter fine dust, nitrogen oxides and CO2 from the air, producing the same air-cleaning effect as 275 urban trees, but requires 99% less space. Based in Shanghai, China.
Laddroller – eco-friendly and affordable standing exoskeleton/wheelchair, light and solid unit with small turning radius and minimal maintenance needs. Based in Greece.
NowTechnologies – develops augmented, modular wheelchair controller technologies and other innovative assistive devices to improve mobility, communication and independence of disabled, wheelchair-bound consumers. Based in Hungary.
Siam Organic – develops Jasberry rice, a GMO-free variety of sustainably-farmed, high-oxidant whole grain rice, potential to impact Thailand’s 17 million rice farmers who have the highest costs and lowest yields of all countries in Southeast Asia. Based in Thailand.
First Respond – aiming to create a network of citizen-based first-aid responders with an integrated SOS system, so that more people in an emergency can be saved. Based in China.
Intendu – a video-game platform specifically designed for brain training and rehabilitation following traumatic brain injury, strokes, diseases or aging. Founder was inspired by her father who suffered a brain injury. Based in Israel.
Olio – a free app that connects neighbors with each other and with local shops so that surplus food can be shared, not thrown away. Up to 50% of all food produced globally is never eaten and wasted. Based in the UK.
Factelier – aiming to create world-class fashion brands made in Japan, while building a sustainable and profitable link between local artisans and consumers around the world. Based in Japan.
Smarthead – user-friendly online tool that enables companies and individuals to create and promote their socially-responsible activities. Based in Slovakia.
FOLO Farms – Feed Our Loved Ones collects food waste per day from hotels and restaurants, and turns it all into nutrient-rich compost, and restore soils ,organically grow healthy organic vegetables for a community of about 100 families. Based in Malaysia.
Chivas Ventures Statement:
“We were blown away by the calibre of entries for this year’s Chivas Venture competition. The businesses are a great example of the ingenuity and passion of entrepreneurs across the world who are committed to creating a better world for generations to come. The founders of Chivas Regal were entrepreneurs who gave back to their community, and by discovering and supporting startups who too give back to the wider global community, the Chivas Venture is continuing their legacy.
At Chivas we firmly believe that generosity and success go hand-in-hand – and when you share your success with others, business becomes truly rewarding,” says Richard Black, Chivas Regal Global Brand Director.
Sources: BizNis Africa, Chivas Ventures
