Microsoft and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) collaborated to present ten impactful sustainability and climate tech startups at COP28, showcasing their innovative solutions for addressing urgent challenges arising from climate change. Originating from the UAE, USA, UK, Greece, Spain, India, Finland, and South Korea, these startups constitute the 4th Cohort of the GrowthX Accelerator program, initiated in 2021 through the ongoing partnership between ADIO and Microsoft. The program focuses on empowering growth-stage B2B startups, primarily ranging from Seed to Series A stages.
Massimo Falcioni, Chief Competitiveness Officer at ADIO, emphasized the UAE government’s forward-thinking vision and the imperative for collaborative efforts to address climate change challenges. Through the GrowthX Accelerator program, ADIO aims to support the UAE’s climate action goals, highlighting Abu Dhabi’s startup ecosystem’s exceptional creativity. Falcioni commended the startups for exemplifying the growing impact of entrepreneurs in addressing global challenges.
The selected startups, including Tomorrow IO, Mitiga Solutions, SEaB Power, Agritrack, Satavia, Nearthlab, Takachar, Cleantech Hub Grounds, Tespak, and Sustainable Planet, were chosen from a pool of over 300 applicants. They share a commitment to sustainability and climate missions. As part of the GrowthX Accelerator: COP28 Edition, these startups received mentorship and resources from industry experts, experienced entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors over an eight-week period to help scale their businesses and implement climate-positive ideas.
Naim Yazbeck, General Manager at Microsoft UAE, praised the startups’ inspiring work and congratulated them on completing the GrowthX Accelerator program. He highlighted the startups’ dedication to addressing pressing climate change challenges globally and expressed pride in Microsoft’s collaboration with ADIO to create a robust ecosystem offering enhanced access to resources, networking, and mentorship.
The 10 startups in the 4th Cohort showcased innovative solutions across aviation, climate data, waste management, agriculture, aquaculture, as well as solutions addressing extreme pollution and limited energy supply in underserved Global South communities. The program concluded with an in-person Demo Day on December 6, 2023, at the DP World Pavilion in Expo City at COP28. Each startup had the opportunity to pitch their solutions to a distinguished audience, including government officials, investors, business leaders, and representatives from Microsoft and ADIO.
Agritrack and SEaB Energy were additionally featured at the COP28 Startup Village, where they had dedicated kiosk space to showcase their sustainability and climate solutions. The success of the GrowthX Accelerator program underscores Microsoft and ADIO’s unwavering commitment to nurturing the UAE’s startup ecosystem and empowering the next generation of innovators to address real challenges facing organizations and communities. This commitment aligns seamlessly with the visionary leadership of the UAE, aimed at elevating the country’s position as one of the world’s most dynamic and promising startup hubs.
