New York, November 18, 2021 – Dodo, an all-in-one platform that helps companies to rapidly measure their emissions and access green, affordable finance, has won the inaugural Climate Fintech Cards & Payments Challenge (C&P Challenge). The challenge is an initiative the global nonprofit New Energy Nexus launched to catalyze innovation across the financial sector to address climate change, with support from Barclays US Consumer Bank; Rise, created by Barclays; Mastercard; Doconomy; and Patch.

Dodo was launched by Jack Kennedy and his co-founder Csaba Szabo to enable SMEs to reduce their emissions. Dodo wins US$100,000 and the opportunity to advance their proof-of-concept projects with established financial stakeholders. 

“We’re incredibly happy to win the Cards and Payments challenge and have loved working with all the sponsors and startups on the programme. Climate Fintech has the power to rapidly transform how entire industries can operate more sustainably. The partnerships that we’ve developed throughout the programme will enable us to launch Dodo to millions of SMEs across the UK,” said Jack Kennedy, Dodo’s Co-Founder and CEO. 

In second place in the Challenge is Carbon Neutral Club, a membership platform that helps offsets personal carbon footprint, while in third place, two startups took the prize: Green-Got, a platform facilitating sustainable personal banking; and ecountabl, an app that allows shoppers to find purpose-led brands that align with their values.

This challenge saw cross-collaboration between multinational financial institutions, fintech leaders and startups that offer digital financial climate solutions. The C&P Challenge brought together innovators using the latest technologies and partnership models that can help inform the way we spend, the things we buy, and how payments are handled – making everyday consumption more sustainable.

“Open innovation is not easy, but during this Challenge, we’ve been thrilled by the collaboration between the startups and partners. All participants went the extra mile to examine compatibility in business model, technology, and partnership – with the common goal of empowering the green consumer,” said Aaron McCreary, Climate Fintech Lead at New Energy Nexus.

“To tackle the climate crisis, we need collective action and new ways of collaborating across the private sector, which is why we’re thrilled to support initiatives such as the Climate Fintech Cards & Payments Challenge. At Mastercard, we have a strong track record of nurturing fintech innovation and are energized by how the startup community is working to solve environmental challenges. We believe the entrepreneurs in this inaugural cohort have significant potential to make a positive impact on the industry and the planet,” said Sue Kelsey, EVP Global Product, Sustainability & Financial Inclusion at Mastercard.

“During this inaugural Climate Fintech Cards and Payments Challenge we’ve seen an incredible cohort of climate-focused entrepreneurs. As we transition to a low-carbon economy, I’m excited to see the positive, long-term impact that these fintech companies will have on our planet, in partnership with the financial services industry, through our shared ambition of improving the sustainability of customer and client journeys,” said Brian Luciani, Head of Rise New York.

“Whilst the Challenge has primarily been a magnet to bring together the next generation of climate fintech leading companies, it has also served as a creative space for the Challenge sponsors to explore collaborations. Doconomy and Patch have found a highly complementary set of product offerings that help financial institutions, brands, and their customers measure, educate, and engage their daily consumption behavior to its environmental impact,” said Tee Pruitt, Head of Business: Financial Services, Doconomy.

The Challenge welcomed an applicant pool of diverse climate fintech solutions from across digital payments, digital wallets, credit assessment, rewards, benefits, insurance, and processing infrastructure. More than 70 applicants applied from 23 countries around the world, resulting in 11 finalists from Brazil, Canada, Austria, India, The United Kingdom, and the United States.

The winner of the Cards & Payments Challenge will also be fast tracked to the selection phase of Mastercard Start Path, the company’s award-winning global startup engagement program. Through this program and across the entire Mastercard Developers portfolio, the company provides an express lane for fintech companies of all sizes to build, launch and grow. Mastercard is continuously adding programs and services to power new ways to pay, infuse trust across the payments ecosystem, and support a more inclusive, sustainable digital economy. 

This initiative comes on the heels of two recently published Climate Fintech Reports, one published by New Energy Nexus and the other published by Rise – both of which help to further define the space and highlight key success stories. These reports illustrate a vast ecosystem, in part to uncover as many digital financial solutions facilitating decarbonization investment, clean energy finance, and sustainable consumer habits as possible.

About Rise, created by Barclays

Rise, created by Barclays, is a global community of the world’s top innovators working together to create the future of financial services. Our mission is to connect technology, talent and trends from across the Rise ecosystem to accelerate innovation and growth in the financial services industry. This is done by operating FinTech workspaces around the world and in a virtual community where cutting-edge startups and scale-ups can connect, create and scale their businesses, backed by Barclays’ global network of industry experts, mentors, investors and partners. For more information, visit rise.barclays. 

About Barclays

Barclays US Consumer Bank is a leading co-branded credit card issuer and financial services partner in the United States that creates highly customized programs to drive customer loyalty and engagement for some of the country’s most successful travel, entertainment, retail and affinity institutions. The bank offers co-branded credit cards, small business credit cards, installment loans, POS Finance, online savings accounts, and CDs. For more information, please visit www.BarclaysUS.com.  

Barclays is a British universal bank. We are diversified by business, by different types of customer and client, and geography. Our businesses include consumer banking and payments operations around the world, as well as a top-tier, full service, global corporate and investment bank, all of which are supported by our service company which provides technology, operations and functional services across the Group. For further information about Barclays, please visit www.Barclays.com.

About Mastercard

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all. For more information, visit www.mastercard.com.

About Doconomy

Doconomy, founded in Sweden in 2018, is a world-leading provider of applied impact solutions. Doconomy wants to future-proof life on planet earth by empowering individuals and corporations to take responsibility for their environmental footprint. Firmly believing that the climate crisis can only be solved as a collective, Doconomy is also a partner of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Mastercard, S&P Trucost, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

About Patch

Patch is an API-first carbon removal marketplace that enables companies to seamlessly purchase as little as a gram of carbon removal from individual projects. This micro-transaction access enables businesses of all sizes to work with carbon removal projects and neutralize emissions with the granularity required by embedded carbon removal use cases, such as carbon neutral shipping, travel, and climate positive financial services products.  As an API-first platform, Patch aims to create a future where every commerce transaction—every swipe of a credit card, retail delivery, and bitcoin purchase—can have its unavoidable emissions automatically neutralized.

Notes to editors

The Cards & Payments Challenge website: https://www.cnpchallenge.com/

Climate Fintech Report by New Energy Nexus can be downloaded here

Climate FinTech Insights Report by Rise, created by Barclays can be downloaded here

4 November – New Energy Nexus Uganda – an organisation supporting entrepreneurs to provide clean energy products in Uganda’s rural communities, where only 19% of the population have access to electricity – is a winner of the Ashden Award for energy access innovation.

Presented at COP26 at a ceremony attended by the President of Costa Rica Carlos Alvarado, the Award honours pioneering organisations lowering carbon emissions and building a fairer world. Winners receive grants, publicity and support to grow and replicate their innovation.

New Energy Nexus Uganda connects people in rural areas with clean energy, through financing, training, technology and investment. In rural Uganda, Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) provide many essential services – supporting better health, education, sanitation and work for local people. New Energy Nexus partners with these locally structured, small organisations to bring affordable renewable energy to the country’s remote (or last-mile) villages.

Aneri Pradhan, founder of ENVenture and Board Director of New Energy Nexus Uganda, said:

“This award is a testament to the entrepreneurs in rural Uganda who are powering their communities with clean energy. We have proven that clean energy distribution is scalable through local Community-Based Organisations, who not only increase access to clean energy in their localities, but create jobs too.

“We are thrilled that Ashden has recognised that empowering grassroots networks are key for increasing access to energy in under-resourced areas, and we hope our model for inclusive distribution will be replicated across the world.”

New Energy Nexus has incubated 123 small clean energy enterprises across Uganda. This has created 650 jobs, 70% of which are occupied by women. These organisations have sold more than 15,000 clean energy products, benefiting 100,000 people, and 77% of customers say their quality of life has improved as a result of their new product. Just over 120 investments have been made to the value of US$200,000 and US$2.9 million income has been saved annually as a result of transition to clean technologies.

Before working with New Energy Nexus, most community-based organisations relied on donations for income. New Energy Nexus provides entrepreneurship training and mentoring, and energy loans to buy clean energy products such as solar lanterns, briquettes, water filters and cookstoves. Organisations sell these at affordable prices to local people. Once organisations have established a successful business model, they unlock another level of credit access qualifying for further support and larger energy loans to buy more products and invest in marketing and sales teams.

Other innovation from New Energy Nexus Uganda includes an offline bookkeeping application for the energy merchants and street vendors. This tracks inventory and sales, works well with limited internet connection, and relies on pictures to ensure it is usable by people with low literacy levels.

One successful partnership is with RFCare, a community-based organisation empowering women and youngpeople in the Rwenzori Highlands region. Through New Energy Nexus’ incubation program, it received a loan of US$2,000 to support the sale of cookstoves that create less air pollution than traditional models, as well as fuel briquettes and non-electric water filters. The loan also helped train young people in cook stove installation and repair. So far, the enterprises have sold 1,800 stoves.

Biira Imelda RFCare cofounder (a New Energy Nexus Uganda partner), said:

“RFCare has been able to work with communities in hard-to-reach areas in Kasese district, due to the business loans accessed from New Energy Nexus Uganda. The elderly are proudly cooking with an improved cook stove.”

Violet Nyakuru, Executive Director at Nile Community Empowerment (a New Energy Nexus Uganda partner), said:

“Madiokoll, Rhino camp has no access to electricity and households rely on kerosene lamps for lighting. With solar lanterns, my clients can now save off kerosene and their children are able to read at night with ease. I believe this is just the beginning of an energy transition for my community.”

David Olodi, Director and Founder of Agri-Light Limited (a New Energy Nexus Uganda partner), said:

“Thanks to ENVenture’s growth fund, we expanded our clean energy business from selling clean energy products to just 5 groups to now operating in over five districts in the northern part of Uganda. 17 out of 30 people in each of our groups have either a pico system or a cookstove.”

Harriet Lamb, CEO of UK-based Ashden, said:

“The Ashden Awards have showcased bold, brilliant and ground-breaking initiatives at COP26. Our winners show what is possible in the shift to a fairer low carbon future and should inspire world leaders to take decisive action to slash carbon emissions. The message to leaders at COP26 is clear – if they get behind such practical and proven climate solutions a zero carbon world is within our reach.”

H.E. President of the Republic of Costa Rica Carlos Alvarado, said:

“All the nominees to the 2021 Ashden Awards have chosen to lead by example. In Costa Rica we share the conviction that sustainable development goes hand in hand with economic growth, as well as a deep commitment to decarbonisation and to promote nature-based solutions to the climate crisis and biodiversity loss challenges we face. For that, I do believe the great endeavour of our generation is to abolish fossil fuels.”

About the Ashden Awards

Climate solutions charity Ashden spotlights and supports climate and energy innovators in the UK and low-income countries delivering proven, ready-to-scale climate solutions. It works with businesses, non-profits and public sector organisations. The Ashden Awards were launched in 2001, and this year’s ceremony took place in the Green Zone at COP26. World leaders and international organisations are gathering in Glasgow from 1-13 November to agree a global plan for tackling the climate crisis.

The 2021 winners were chosen from over 800 applicants for their work creating resilience, green economies – including jobs and training – and fairer societies.

Photos are available here

New Energy Nexus and HolonIQ released the inaugural Southeast Asia Climate Tech 50, a list of the most promising Climate Tech startups and companies in the region. The list forms part of the ‘Global Climate Tech 1000’ and an open source taxonomy for climate technology to be launched next week at COP26.

New York, 26 October 2021 – Global Impact Intelligence Platform, HolonIQ, in partnership with New Energy Nexus, an international non-profit that supports diverse clean energy entrepreneurs, today released the inaugural ‘Southeast Asia Climate Tech 50’. 

The list identifies the most promising 50 Climate Tech startups from across Southeast Asia that are making a substantial contribution to climate change mitigation or adaptation through the application of new technology or scientific knowledge. 

The Southeast Asia Climate Tech 50 are selected from over 500 Climate Tech startups who applied or are covered by New Energy Nexus or HolonIQ’s Intelligence Platform, and work in sectors from energy and the environment to agri-food and mobility. They are a representative cohort of the top climate tech startups based in the region and have been scored on five key criteria: market, product, team (including diversity), capital and momentum.

“New Energy Nexus is excited to partner with Holon IQ in this inaugural launch of the SEA Climate Tech 50 list. We hope that by developing a database of companies working on solutions to the climate crisis, we can highlight the great work these entrepreneurs do. Other ecosystem supporters such as government programs, commercial partners and investors can leverage this for information needed to further support their growth and success. We will continually update and expand this list to reflect this growing sector in Southeast Asia,” said Stanley Ng, Program Director for Southeast Asia at New Energy Nexus.

Key findings from the Southeast Asia Climate Tech 50:

• There is a strong focus on Agri andFood, the environment and renewables.
• Software or Digital based companies only represent 17% of the Southeast Asia Climate Tech 100 while 58% take a physical form and apply scientific knowledge or new forms of applied technology through ‘hardware’ or physical products including food.
• Over two-thirds of the companies were founded between 2010-2014

HolonIQ also announced an open source taxonomy for Climate Technology, built by augmenting experts, such as New Energy Nexus, from around the world with artificial intelligence, to identify key climate technology categories that will lead the fight against climate change leveraging technology and applied science. The “Global Climate Technology Landscape 1.0”, has been released ahead of the formal launch at COP26 next week at: www.globalclimatelandscape.org

About the Climate Tech 1000

• Selected from over 10,000 Climate Tech startups who applied or are covered by HolonIQ’s Intelligence Platform and partners around the world.
• The top 1000 global climate tech startups are built region by region to ensure the cohort is diverse, truly global and to shine a light on the inspiring innovation happening around the world.
• 10 regional lists in total including North America 200, Europe 200, Australia and New Zealand 100, East Asia 100, Nordic Baltic 100, India and South Asia 100, Africa 50, LATAM 50, MENA 50 and Southeast Asia 50. 

About the Open Source Taxonomy, ‘Global Climate Landscape 1.0’

• Open-source taxonomy for climate innovation, providing a common structure and language for identifying, tracking and making sense of the breadth and depth of innovation happening in climate technology globally. 
• More information is available at https://www.globalclimatelandscape.org/

About HolonIQ

HolonIQ is the world’s leading platform for impact market intelligence. We power decisions that matter across education, healthcare and sustainability.

Our customers are governments, institutions, firms and investors who are shaping and influencing policy, innovation, technology and investment across the impact economy. In this constantly shifting landscape, our customers know that good decisions can’t be made without contextualised data, disciplined analysis and a global perspective. We have developed open-source taxonomies and proprietary artificial intelligence to track these strategic developments around the world, as they happen.

The California 100 Commission

Danny Kennedy will be one of 26 commissioners bringing their expertise to California 100, a new statewide initiative focused on long-term planning and visioning for California future

12 October 2021 – New Energy Nexus CEO, Danny Kennedy, has been selected as a Commissioner for California 100, bringing his expertise in clean energy to this new statewide initiative focused on inspiring a vision and strategy for California’s next century.

Incubated at the University of California and Stanford University, California 100 is establishing a 26-member multigenerational commission with diverse backgrounds and expertise to advise on, and engage in, the initiative’s transformative streams of work and activities. Earlier this summer, California 100 announced research awards to 18 centers and institutes across the state to examine future scenarios with the potential to shape California’s leadership in the coming century.

“California has been a leader in energy and climate in many ways, and yet the benefits of the energy transition are not accruing to everyone. As we enter the next 100 years and foster the clean energy startups that will power this transition, I am committed to ensuring diverse entrepreneurs come first and communities get their fair share of the wealth created from these solutions,” said Danny Kennedy, who was born in Los Angeles and lives in Oakland.

“We are thrilled to draw on the expertise of these transformative leaders who are making a difference in their respective fields and already leaving a mark on California,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, executive director of California 100. “ We will draw on their unique perspectives to inform our work to create a vision and strategy for the next century that is inclusive, equitable and sustainable.”

In addition to research, California 100 will also sponsor original policy innovation projects across California working in partnership with local and statewide agencies. Commissioners will organize engagement sessions throughout California with key stakeholders across the state to test California 100’s research and policy innovation efforts to ensure that Californians are directly included in the initiative’s work. 

The California 100 Commission can be found here.

The Commission brings expertise within the thirteen issue areas of focus for California 100:

• Advanced Technology
• Arts, Culture, Entertainment
• Education
• Economic Mobility, Inequality and Workforce
• Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources
• Federalism and Foreign Policy
• Fiscal Reform
• Governance, Media and Civil Society
• Health and Wellness
• Housing and Community Development
• Immigrant Integration
• Public Safety and Criminal Justice
• Transportation and Urban Planning

Commissioners will serve a two-year term and meet regularly throughout the life of the initiative. They will hold listening sessions across the state to engage key stakeholders in the Spring and Summer of 2022. 

The goal of California 100 is to lift up and support transformative ideas, people and projects that accelerate progress with a focus on inspiring a vision and strategy for California’s next century that is innovative, sustainable, and equitable. In addition to sponsoring original work, the California 100 Platform will promote the best of what is happening in California. Through these various projects and activities, California 100 seeks to move California towards an aspirational vision—changing policies and practices, attitudes and mindsets, for a more vibrant future.