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Eight youth-led start-ups with a focus on sustainability from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and South America will take centre stage as finalists of the United Nations-led Youth Ecopreneur Awards, taking place on the sidelines of the largest United Nations gathering of the year.
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The International Trade Centre (ITC) and the G20 Global Land Initiative of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification selected the finalists from 850 young entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, with an emphasis on developing countries. The finalists work on land restoration and green business solutions. They will pitch their businesses to a panel of judges to compete for a cash prize and a suite of business support services.
The Youth Ecopreneur Awards will be held on 21 September at 7:00 pm in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations Summit of the Future and New York Climate Week. This event will bring together global leaders, investors and youth innovators.
To attend the pitch contest and awards ceremony in person or online, express your interest here.
Meeting the finalists
Land Restoration category:
- Fernando De Lucca, Ceres Seeding (Brazil) – Using drones to plant native seeds in degraded areas.
- Maryanne Gichanga, AgriTech Analytics Limited (Kenya) – Using AI-powered tools for smallholder farmers to combat soil degradation and increase yields.
- Andres Bisono Leon, SOS Carbon (Dominican Republic) – Converting invasive seaweed into sustainable fertilizers.
- Wei Li Ng, Global Cerah Sdn Bhd (Malaysia) – Transforming agricultural waste into alternative proteins and fertilizers.
- Tonthoza Uganja, Sustainable Farming Solutions (Malawi) – Empowering farmers with sustainable land management practices.
Green Business Solutions category:
- Phebe Ilesanmi, Trashcoin Limited (Nigeria) – Using a digital platform to turn recyclable waste into financial credit.
- Charles Oyamo, Rethread Africa (Kenya) – Creating biodegradable polyester from sugarcane waste.
- Marta Uetela, BioMec Prosthetics (Mozambique) – Producing 3D-printed prosthetics from ocean plastic waste.
Partnering to promote sustainability
The event, supported by the Government of Madagascar and the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth, will be hosted by ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton and the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Madagascar and former Youth Ecopreneur finalist, Max Andonirina Fontaine.
The two winners – one in each category – will each receive the Youth Ecopreneur Award and $10,000 in cash, as well as services and support to scale up from the World Intellectual Property Organization, Sidley Austin LLP, and Google Startups for Sustainable Development.
