Open Call: ClimaTech Connect Program

Focus Areas

• ClimaTech Connect aims to support digital innovations – i.e., new digital leveraged global solutions requiring consistent human and financial resources to achieve commercialization. As for the maturity level, the programme targets early-stage start-ups.
• ClimaTech Connect supports the development of digital solutions that drive systemic change for climate transition. The programme helps entrepreneurs, startups, and organizations enhance their capacity in key areas, ensuring that digital innovations contribute effectively to climate impact. The programme enhances digital solutions for climate transition, helping entrepreneurs define their Theory of Change, further develop and enhance climate-positive technologies, and implement impact measurement frameworks.
• The programme supports the integration of AI, data analytics, and circular economy principles to maximize environmental benefits while ensuring solutions are inclusive and equitable. It emphasizes DEI integration across the value chain, fostering diverse leadership and accessibility in climate tech. Through evidence-based impact assessment and systemic thinking, ClimaTech Connect equips businesses to scale their innovations effectively for measurable climate action.
• ClimaTech Connect supports gender balanced startups and, therefore, female-led ventures are encouraged to participate in the call.

Program Structure

• Selected teams participate in an entrepreneurial education programme that is designed to empower business founders and digital start-up teams/ventures about creating, developing, and managing a new digital business venture in climate sector, providing a safe space to explore and learn essential entrepreneurial skills and a wider view of the stakeholders in the Climate innovation ecosystem. The initiative fosters the development of digital start-up through structured incubation, mentoring, and investment opportunities, with a strong focus on creating digital tech ventures with tangible climate impact and sustainable business growth.
• ClimaTech Connect will supports participants to:
  • Develop essential skills like problem identification, ideation and validation; team selection; technology adoption; business planning and go-to-market strategies.
  • Equip the entrepreneurs with fundamental hands-on knowledge and skills, focusing on key moments along the entrepreneurial journey in the digital domain.
  • Help selected teams to focus on market regarding their offering, shifting from a product to a market perspective.
  • De-risk digital start-ups teams/ventures via product and market validation, pushing participants to test market hypotheses with real potential customers.
  • Create opportunities for peer-to-peer learning among selected teams encouraging a strong community spirit that will last far beyond the end of the programme.
  • Enable participants to maximize their product-market fit by exposing them to real market actors in their target sectors.
  • Prepare the participants for a (pre)seed stage investment from Business Angels or Venture Capital firms.
  • Prepare the selected teams to propose solutions for corporate value chains, through an Open Innovation framework.

Funding Information

• Gate 3: A Demo Day for the 10 selected teams in Gate 2, that seek funds to develop their innovative climate solutions. The best four teams will receive grants (two of € 25,000 and two of € 15,000) after undergoing a due diligence process. The funds of this grant must be spent by end of 2025 exclusively for product development and solution refinement.

Costs Covered

• The organizers of the Demo Day will cover the travel and accommodation costs of the teams selected to the Demo Day (max 3 persons per team) against evidence and according to the organizers’ travel policies for third party representatives. The teams are expected to arrange their own travel and accommodation. Travel is only reimbursed from home to the Demo Day location and back home. The Demo Day is expected to take place in Valencia, Spain, on the 3rd week of September 2025.

Eligibility Criteria

• The start-ups applying to this programme must fulfil the following requirements:
  • Climate Tech or Digital start-up founded or led by a graduate (or graduates) from EIT programmes (minimum 1 graduate in the core team).
  • Applying start-ups must be legal entities, not natural persons, registered for a minimum of 1 year and must be at pre-seed stage.
  • Start-ups have been established in one of the 27 EU or Horizon Europe Associated countries with preference for start-ups established in a EIT Regional Innovation Scheme country.
  • Language: English level fit for the programme, verifiable in the interview
  • All participants in the programme must be founders or C-Suite executives in the start-up and must be listed on the online application form.
  • Each start-up can only submit one application.

For more information, visit Climate KIC.