Building Capacity of Innovation Ecosystems Actors to Accelerate Climate Technology Solutions
Climate KIC, IDB Lab, and the Clean Technology Fund have partnered to advance climate innovation in Latin American and the Caribbean. We are supporting innovation agencies, incubators, accelerators, ecosystem builders, venture capital investors, co-working spaces, and hubs to enhance their entrepreneurship offering for local climate start-ups across Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, and Peru. Implemented from June 2023 to May 2025, the initiative sets a pathway towards inclusive, sustainable growth, resonating with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Phase 2 is in progress! Currently accelerating 100 climate tech start-ups.
The programme at a glance
Recap of phase 1: Capacity building for accelerators
From 115 applications across 16 countries, 26 Entrepreneurship Support Organisations (ESOs) from 11 countries were selected for their potential to drive climate action. This phase’s primary aim is to empower local entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems to tackle the climate crisis and facilitate the acceleration and commercial deployment of innovative mitigation technologies. Read more about our work in LAC, view the complete list of selected ESOs and their locations, and learn from the insights of the completion of phase 1.
The road towards accelerating 100 climate-tech startups in LAC
Building their capacity to accelerate
International support network
Building community
ClimAccelerator Pitches
Phase 2: Acceleration of local climate innovations
Several ESOs will be funded to roll out Climate KIC’s ClimAccelerator programme, aimed at enhancing early-stage start-ups for significant climate impact. This initiative will support 100 start-ups through various stages of development and offer guidance on climate impact assessments, connections to a broad network of mentors, experts, and investors, and assistance in areas such as communication strategies, community engagement, programme design, execution, and gender mainstreaming.
Would you like to learn more about the programme or explore ways to get involved? Send us an email at climaccelerator@climate-kic.org.
Our funding partners
IDB Lab is the innovation laboratory of the IDB Group, the leading source of development financing and expertise for improving lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. The purpose of IDB Lab is to drive innovation for inclusion in the region, mobilizing financing, knowledge, and connections to test early-stage private sector solutions with the potential to transform the lives of vulnerable populations affected by economic, social, and environmental conditions. Since 1993, IDB Lab has approved more than US$ 2 billion in projects deployed across 26 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. www.idblab.org
The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) is one of the largest multilateral climate funds in the world. It was established in 2008 to mobilize finance for low-carbon, climate-resilient development at scale in developing countries. 14 contributor countries have pledged over $11 billion to the funds. To date, committed CIF capital is mobilizing more than $62 billion in additional financing, particularly from the private sector, in over 70 countries. CIF’s large-scale, low-cost, long-term financing lowers the risk and cost of climate financing. It tests new business models, builds track records in unproven markets, and boosts investor confidence to unlock additional sources of finance. Recognizing the urgency of CIF’s mission, the G7 confirmed its commitment to provide up to $2 billion in additional resources for CIF in 2021. Headquartered at the World Bank building in Washington DC, CIF works with six multilateral development banks. https://www.cif.org