Submissions open for Airtech Challenge 2025

Deadline: 31 July 2025

Airtech Challenge is the initiative of Daikin and incMTY that invites entrepreneurs from across Latin America to submit their startups at the pre-seed, seed, Series A, or Series B stages, related to the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) industry and its supply chain.

Airtech Challenge is committed to discovering innovative and disruptive startups that aim to revolutionize the HVAC industry and transform the status quo of air through their value proposition.

For its 2025 edition, it has partnered with AHR Expo México, the most important air conditioning and refrigeration exhibition in Latin America, which brings together over 10,000 industry professionals and attracts more than 14,500 attendees from over 40 countries, to be the Official Host of the Airtech Challenge 2025 Final Pitch.

Call Verticals

Fintech applied to HVAC
- This vertical explores how digital financial solutions can be integrated into the HVAC sector to optimize business models, enable broader access to technology, and encourage the adoption of sustainable solutions through mechanisms such as financing, subscriptions, or pay-per-use models.
- Technologies like embedded payments, green financing, blockchain for smart contracts, and alternative credit scoring are gaining momentum in Latin America, with Brazil leading the regional fintech movement. For the HVAC industry, this represents a way to democratize access to climate control solutions through “as-a-service” models, smart leasing, or inclusive financing schemes. For Daikin, this vertical opens opportunities to scale its value proposition to new market segments and strengthen its relationship with end users through innovative financial models.
  - Trends
    - Financial inclusion in underserved markets
    - Adoption of embedded payments and credit scoring
    - Sustainable financing for energy-efficient solutions
    - Facilitates pay-per-use and subscription models
  - Strategic Areas
    - Encourages adoption of energy-efficient equipment
    - Reduces barriers to entry for residential and SME clients
    - Embedded lending or credit scoring platforms for HVAC customers
    - Green financing startups offering B2B/B2C credit
    - Digital leasing platforms for equipment financing
    - Fintechs offering utility-based payment integration
    - Insurtechs bundling equipment protection or warranty solutions
Intelligent service/CX/UX
- This vertical focuses on enhancing user experience and smart service delivery through digital technologies. It seeks solutions that improve interaction with HVAC products before, during, and after the sale — from better customer service to predictive and remote maintenance.
- Conversational AI, behavioral analytics, personalized mobile apps, and omnichannel platforms are transforming customer experience across Latin America, particularly in Brazil and Mexico. In HVAC, these technologies enable more intuitive user interaction, stronger customer loyalty, and more efficient after-sales service. For Daikin, this is a chance to differentiate through user-centric experiences, optimize service networks, and build stronger long-term customer relationships.
  - Trends
    - Hyper-personalization and AI-driven interactions
    - Predictive maintenance and proactive service
    - Frictionless digital onboarding and post-sale support
  - Strategic areas
    - Enhances customer satisfaction and brand loyalty
    - Optimizes technician dispatch and service networks
    - Reduces downtime and maintenance costs
    - AI-driven virtual assistants or chatbot platforms
    - Predictive maintenance tools with IoT integration
    - CX/UX design platforms for user-facing HVAC apps
    - Augmented reality tools for remote troubleshooting
    - Field service management apps for technician coordination

Prize Information

1st place
- Business Trip to Japan + Daikin connection
- Strengthen the relationship with the TIC, in collaboration with open innovation labs, through continued engagement with the winning startup of the Airtech Challenge.
- AHR Expo participation & spotlight RRSS & Community events (DIMO)
- $20k in POC
2nd place
- Daikin Strategic Connections
- Promote collaboration dynamics between Daikin and high-potential startups, taking into account their stage of maturity and the material conditions required for effective implementation.
- AHR Expo participation & spotlight RRSS & Community events (DIMO)
- $10k in POC
3rd place
- Daikin Strategic Connections
- Promote collaboration dynamics between Daikin and high-potential startups, taking into account their stage of maturity and the material conditions required for effective implementation.
- AHR Expo participation & spotlight RRSS & Community events (DIMO)
- $5k in POC

Eligibility Criteria

Projects in the pre-seed, seed, Series A, or Series B stages.
Startups with proposals and impact in the HVAC industry.
Original ideas not adaptations of technologies from other regions.
Initiatives based in a Latin American country and operating their solution within the region:
- Mexico and Central America:
  - Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador.
- Brazil
- South America:
  - Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador.