Applications Open: 100+ Accelerator Program for Climate Action

Subchallenges

• Renewable & Alternative Energy Solutions
• Green Logistics
• Energy Consumption and Monitoring
• Carbon Reduction, Capture & Removal
• Digitalization and Automation of Energy Consumption

Top Priorities

• Renewable & Alternative Energy Solutions:
  • Natural gas replacement with biogas and/or hydrogen for heat and power generation.
  • Novel heat exchange technologies to improve thermal process efficiency and/or recovery of waste heat for reuse.
  • Transportation materials and equipment made from renewable energy sources, rather than petroleum-based or environmentally harmful materials.
• Green Logistics:
  • Automated measurement of carbon usage across ocean, land, and rail transport.
  • Renewable energy technologies for trucking, rail, ocean, and air — including biofuel, electric, wind, solar, and water-powered options that are scalable and accessible.
  • Alternative fuels and carbon reduction solutions for middle mile, last mile, and material handling equipment like forklift trucks.
  • Smart logistics optimization for T1/T2 logistics and distribution — including mixed fleets, combined palletized/bulk shipments, reverse logistics, and backloads to ensure 100% full trucks and reduced time on the road.
• Energy Consumption and Monitoring:
  • Steam and compressed air leak detection tools with analytics.
  • High-efficiency, novel air compressor technologies.
• Carbon Reduction, Capture & Removal:
  • technologies for removing carbon from the atmosphere.
  • Permanent carbon capture solutions, including blue carbon in areas with low marine flora.
• Digitalization and Automation of Energy Consumption:
  • HVAC optimization technologies for improved operational efficiency.
  • Predictive and self-learning technologies (e.g., digital twins) for real-time optimization of energy use.
  • Tools for designing renewable heat and power supply solutions tailored to food and beverage production.

Areas of Interest

• Renewable & Alternative Energy Solutions:
  • Innovative on-site renewable energy solutions for manufacturing and logistics — including thermal and electric systems with cogeneration, energy storage, and clean alternatives to diesel generators (e.g., biodiesel).
  • Small-scale waste-to-energy solutions for individual sites specifically food waste.
  • Decarbonization of thermal loads in can manufacturing, including ovens.
  • Use of 100% renewable electricity in high-impact processes:
    • Electrolysis for alumina.
    • Aluminum can sheet production
    • Can manufacturing
  • Bio-fuel trading support solutions.
  • Low-carbon freezer and refrigerator solutions for retail applications.
  • Innovative cooler and dry ventilation circulation solutions for malt silos.
• Green Logistics:
  • Infrastructure footprint solutions that support sustainable logistics operations.
  • Fuel efficiency improvements for existing vehicles, including fuel sensors, driving analytics, and lightweighting technologies.
  • Energy reduction in warehouses through lightweight solar panels, energy monitoring systems, warehouse densification, and more.
  • Safety monitoring systems, such as real-time tracking during high-risk logistics activities.
  • Optimized truck loads.
  • Electric heavy-duty truck charging station solutions.
  • Electric heavy-duty truck and battery financing lease solutions.
  • Warehouse automation inventory solution using image recognition technology.
  • Fully automated cargo loading solution.
  • Retail replenishment prediction solution, forecasting 4 weeks or more in advance.
  • Automated repackaging equipment or solutions.
• Energy Consumption and Monitoring:
  • High-efficiency lighting for drink and food equipment.
  • Smart energy storage technologies – special interest in solutions for drink and food equipment.
  • Smart fluid monitoring technology with convenient installation and multi-medium adaptability, including non-invasive instrumentation, non-visual environment monitoring, and remote sensing monitoring of underground pipelines.
  • Intelligent solutions for virtual power plants, microgrids, and electricity trading.
  • Optimization of filtration in dairy industry.
  • Optimization of fermentation.
  • Process optimization for plant-based ingredients and finished products.
• Carbon Reduction, Capture & Removal:
  • Innovations in offline marketing with a focus on green transformation, enhancing user experience while reducing energy and resource consumption (e.g., simplified or modular designs to cut water, electricity, and material use).
• Digitalization and Automation of Energy Consumption:
  • Energy spot market optimization tools that adjust consumption based on market signals and operational priorities.
  • Holistic models for comparing local energy efficiency and carbon emissions, down to the process level, enabling more accurate benchmarking and improvement tracking.

Benefits

• The 100+ Accelerator will provide support, guidance and access to potential funding through:
  • Pilot customer opportunities with the six corporate partners:
    • AB InBev, The Coca-Cola Company, Colgate-Palmolive, Danone, Mondelez International, and Unilever (including the potential to scale company-wide)
  • Active mentorship, training, and programming in product development, go-to-market, operations, sales, and more
  • Top mentor network of scientists, academics, domain experts, venture capitalists, corporate sustainability leaders, etc.
  • Potential funding from Partner Companies and their networks

Eligibility Criteria

• Open to all. Challenges were developed with input from subject matter experts from their partner companies around the world to make sure they are focused on local issues that need to be addressed. They are seeking startups from around the world to answer the challenges and are eager to identify technologies and best practices that can be shared across their businesses and beyond.

For more information, visit Anheuser-Busch InBev.