To all start-ups with business concepts for the circular economy
Call for Applications for BATCH #2
About
The 2nd batch of the Circular Economy Accelerator is currently taking place in Wuppertal from November 2021 till early March 2022.
What we offer to you
- A truly international, diverse and innovative environment
- Direct and close contact to our >70 partnering industry companies and academic institutions
- Tailor-made expert workshops and training modules as well as individual mentoring and coaching for a focused development
- Peer-to-peer exchange and co-working between start-ups
- Financial support during the time of presence in Wuppertal
- Hybrid offers if needed – flexible adaptation to global COVID development
- Global alumni network in the post-accelerator phase
- Financial support of up to 20.000 € during the time of presence in Wuppertal
- Travel expenses will be reimbursed
What we expect from you
- Interest to actively engage with our partner institutions (Corporates, Scientific Partners, …) to develop your business model further
- Participation in peer to peer exchanges on-site at the Circular Economy Accelerator in Wuppertal – right in the middle of Circular Valley® (internationally well known cities of Cologne, Dusseldorf, Duisburg, Essen, Dortmund, Münster are all less then one hour away)
- Participation in our program offering (if you know certain contents already, you will not be required to participate, we might occasionally ask you, however, to share your perspectives with your peers)
- Coming to Circular Valley® in Germany's Rhein-Ruhr region either for the duration of the program from November 2021 to March 2022 or for specific timeframes (whatever suits your development stage better, please see alternative options below)
Timing
We will select 15 start-ups for BATCH #2 by October 25, 2021.
Subsequently, we will inform the winning teams in order to organize their stay in Wuppertal.
The accelerator program will
- start in November 2021 with the Kick-off Meeting taking place on November 22, 2021,
- close with the final DemoDay on March 03, 2022.
There are two ways to participate in the program:
1. Three on-site attendance blocks of two weeks each:
- November 15-26, 2021
- January 10-21, 2022
- February 21 - March 04, 2022
- November 15, 2021 - March 04, 2022
Funding your stay
- We will fund your stay with up to 20.000 € - this includes travel, accommodation, cost of living and expenses you may incur to further develop your business (e.g. cost for labs or building prototypes)
- Sounds too good to be true? Why we are offering this? We can offer this as Circular Valley® is funded by the North-Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Economy to leverage and further develop the unique strengths of the region in developing Circular Economy concepts, products and business models further. We are not requesting equity from you – only your active participation – to your benefit.
Focus themes of BATCH #2
1
All circular economy business concepts with a significant positive impact on climate and decarbonization
2
All circular economy innovations with focus on the following topics:
(a) Business models for saving resources (all kind of materials)
(b) Product design for multiple use
(c) Manufacturing processes and technologies for circular solutions
(d) Recycling of car batteries / e-mobility
(e) Recycling of metals
(f) Recycling of plastic
(h) Substitution of limited raw materials by bioeconomic solutions
(b) Product design for multiple use
(c) Manufacturing processes and technologies for circular solutions
(d) Recycling of car batteries / e-mobility
(e) Recycling of metals
(f) Recycling of plastic
- Industrial application
- Consumer goods (long-term use)
- Consumer goods (short-term use including packaging)
- Recycling technologies (increase in efficience, yield and quality)
(h) Substitution of limited raw materials by bioeconomic solutions