Innovation Ecosystems and Networks

Regenerative Agriculture Startup Ecosystem 🌍 The regenerative agriculture startup ecosystem is expanding rapidly, with solutions that go beyond sustainability to actively restore ecosystems, increase soil health, and build resilience into food systems. This emerging network offers a blueprint for how innovation can regenerate, not just sustain. Startups are tackling some of the most pressing environmental challenges—soil degradation, carbon emissions, water inefficiency—by rethinking inputs, practices, and incentives across the agricultural value chain. From microbial soil enhancers to AI-based field monitoring, the tools are becoming smarter and more accessible. The ecosystem is not limited to on-farm tools. Many startups provide verification, supply chain traceability, and marketplace platforms to connect regenerative growers with conscious buyers. These solutions reduce greenwashing risks while rewarding farmers for measurable ecosystem benefits. For businesses, this is more than a niche trend. It represents a shift in how agricultural value is created. Companies across food, retail, finance, and even tech are integrating regenerative sourcing into their strategies to reduce climate exposure and align with future-ready business models. The financial opportunity is growing. Regenerative agriculture is attracting investment as part of broader climate and nature-positive strategies. Startups in this space are key to unlocking new value pools through ecosystem services, resilience financing, and premium products. Social impact is also central. Many startups focus on empowering farmers with knowledge, fair pricing, and access to markets. These models help reverse rural decline and enable smallholders to become stewards of land regeneration. From climate change to biodiversity loss, regenerative agriculture offers a systems-level response rooted in science, collaboration, and long-term value creation. It connects nature restoration with economic viability. This ecosystem is a signal: regeneration is not just a practice—it's a platform for transformation. One that redefines how food systems, value chains, and capital markets interact with the living world. This startup landscape map was created by Top Tier Impact. #sustainability #sustainable #regeneration #regenerative #business

Mpesa just got an insurance license, and it's about to shake up the insurance industry like never before! Imagine a world where you can buy insurance as easily as you buy airtime. Here’s what’s coming: "Press 1 for Life Insurance" – Soon, insurance will be just a few clicks away on Mpesa. Car insurance, life insurance... Insurtech is here to make insurance purchasing as casual as sending Ksh 50 to your favorite cousin. Underwriting with AI – Thanks to algorithms, Mpesa might soon know more about your risk profile than you do. Instead of high-premium mystery quotes, expect insurance plans that understand your needs – from the cautious commuter to the "I swear I'll be safe" adrenaline junkie. The Rise of Flexible Plans – Get ready for insurance that can match your life’s rhythm. Mpesa could start offering policies that adjust based on whether you’re bungee jumping on weekends or just trying to navigate Nairobi traffic on a Monday. Embedded Insurance Everywhere – In the not-so-distant future, you might get life coverage when you buy a smartphone or health insurance with your gym membership. Your “Welcome to Mpesa” starter pack might just come with insurance, too. So buckle up; insurance in Kenya is about to become as easy as buying groceries. Just don’t be surprised if you start seeing push notifications from Mpesa reminding you to update your “adventure insurance” before your next weekend getaway! With M-Pesa obtaining an insurance license, banks and insurance companies in Kenya face a shift in the competitive landscape. Here are the implications: Increased Competition: M-Pesa can undercut traditional insurers with lower premiums and faster onboarding, particularly targeting low- to middle-income individuals and small businesses who are typically underserved by traditional insurers. Enhanced Customer Reach: M-Pesa's reach gives it a significant advantage, especially in remote and underserved areas where insurance penetration is low. Banks and traditional insurers may need to expand their digital outreach to stay competitive. New Product Innovations: With M-Pesa's tech capabilities, it could drive more innovative, user-friendly, and flexible insurance products—such as microinsurance, which may be bundled with other mobile-based financial services. This pushes traditional providers to innovate as well. Increased Financial Inclusion: For the financial sector, especially banks, M-Pesa’s entry could be beneficial in terms of financial inclusion, as more individuals who may not have previously accessed financial products like insurance are now introduced to it. This could create cross-selling opportunities if banks can partner effectively with M-Pesa. Pressure on Cost and Efficiency: M-Pesa’s digital platform allows for efficient, low-cost operations, which may put pressure on traditional providers to reduce their overheads and improve efficiency. Traditional banks and insurers to stay competitive?🤔

Here's a hard truth from someone working with climate innovators daily: We don't need more climate startups. We need better collaboration and adoption. With 45,000+ climate startups globally, we're not lacking innovation. What we're missing is coordination. I see it repeatedly: - Multiple companies solving the same problem in isolation - Startups reinventing wheels that already exist - Missed opportunities for powerful partnerships The climate crisis isn't a startup competition - it's an all-hands-on-deck emergency that requires unprecedented collaboration. At Climate Hive, we're seeing how shared initiatives and combined resources can accelerate solutions dramatically. When startups and established companies join forces, we don't just move faster - we move smarter. The future of climate innovation isn't about going it alone. It's about finding your perfect complement in the ecosystem. Are you a climate innovator looking for collaborative opportunities? Let's connect. That's exactly why we built Climate Hive. 👇 #ClimateInnovation #Collaboration #ClimateAction #StartupGrowth

𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮? 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. 🔑🌏 Lasting climate impact in #Asia will only come when we put trust and resources in the hands of local leaders. Effective action must be holistic: rooted in indigenous wisdom, responsive to local realities, and attentive to the interconnected social, economic, and community dimensions of resilience. Locally-grown solutions reflect cultural context, societal priorities, and the complex interplay shaping how climate action works on the ground – details often missed by global or Western-centric approaches. That’s the key to 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 #climatesolutions – ensuring no one is left behind in the net-zero transition. Empowering communities most at risk and giving them a seat at the table builds resilience alongside equity and opportunity. 👉 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Home to the majority of the world’s population, rapidly growing economies, and communities on the frontlines of climate risk, it’s also where some of the most innovative, context-driven climate responses are emerging. However, 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝟭𝟳% 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆- 𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 in recent years. With geopolitical headwinds stalling climate ambition elsewhere, the opportunity to do more is huge. Now is the moment for bold regional leadership. For governments, businesses, and philanthropic organisations to align behind Asia’s locally-led climate agenda. By supporting local innovators, strengthening community networks, and unlocking catalytic finance, we can scale impact from the ground up. We can already see powerful examples taking place, from regenerative rice farming, to enterprises driving clean energy adoption in rural areas. These stories remind us that solutions 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱. The next phase depends on 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. If all of us work together, we can empower Asia’s changemakers and accelerate the shift to a more sustainable future. 🌏 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. The challenge is ensuring they have the trust, resources, and visibility to scale. 💬 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮? Comment below to collaborate with One Earth Summit OHG and join our mission to scale the region’s most promising climate solutions. 💡Follow Poman Lo for more insights. #NetZeroFundersTable #ClimateSolutions #LocalLeadership #InclusiveGrowth #SDG

I co-founded a women’s networking platform. And I’ll be the first to say it: most networking events don’t work. When The Globe and Mail asked me about this, I didn’t hesitate. I agreed. Because I know exactly how it feels. As a first-gen immigrant, I watched my parents send out résumés with decades of experience and still never get a call back - all because they didn’t have the right connections. Meanwhile, I watched friends land internships through an uncle who “used to golf with someone at the bank.” And when I walked into “networking nights,” it was obvious the rooms were never built for me. (Proven instantly true by the Patagonia-vest men who asked if I worked in marketing without looking at my name tag 🙃) And the data backs it up - we ran a study earlier this year with Environics Analytics, 83% of women say they want more spaces designed specifically for them. Here’s the real problem: Most women’s events are one-off, top-down, and at times even performative. They look great on a company calendar, but they rarely create the kind of trust or relationships that actually move a career forward. Men have had informal systems for decades - golf clubs, alumni ties, investor dinners - where trust builds over time and opportunities circulate. Women are still offered token IWD panels and the one-off mixer. Without consistency or follow-through, those moments don’t compound into anything bigger. That’s why Istiana and I built Monday Girl. We designed for access: a quarterly rotating roster of 100+ hard-to-reach senior execs and founders opening their calendars to our vetted members. We designed for consistency: over 2,000 events a year across our key cities so relationships actually grow. Today, that’s 5,000 paying members. 350,000 in our community. And The Globe and Mail covering how brands like Monday Girl, and founders like Kristine Beese at Untangle Money, are rewriting the rules of networking. But for me, it started with something much simpler: Access should not be a luxury. 👉 What would YOU change about the way networking works today? #WomenInBusiness #Leadership #Networking #CareerGrowth #FutureOfWork

𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗸𝗲-𝘂𝗽. From underserved communities and gig workers to niche risks like agriculture, mental health, and climate-related coverage, protection gaps continue to persist. Traditional models tied to brick-and-mortar operations and legacy systems often can’t reach these segments efficiently. That’s why Bank Negara Malaysia is now turning its focus to insurance and takaful. Bank Negara Malaysia Deputy Governor Adnan Zaylani calls it "a sector up for a bit of disruption." In this snippet, he shares the thinking behind the Digital Insurer and Takaful Operator (DITO) framework. It is a new licensing regime designed to lower costs, encourage innovation, and open the door for tech-led challengers. The framework is built on three key pillars: inclusion, competition, and efficiency. Applications are already rolling in. To get a sense of BNM's thinking behind the DITO policy and other digital finance policy initiatives, check out our full interview here: https://lnkd.in/gDUt-tgC

Women, Want to Network Like a CEO? Start by Rethinking the “Old Boys’ Club” Playbook Research from Kellogg shows that women gain the most in networking when they don’t just copy traditional male-dominated strategies. Instead, the best results come when women focus on strategic alliances with other women — but with a twist. This study is more than a “fix the women” story; it highlights systemic gaps in career networking that women can actively navigate and reshape. Here's the playbook for women that I recommend: 🔹 Go Beyond “Visibility”: Central networks matter for everyone, but women benefit most from building connections that share private insights essential for navigating biased structures. These insights, often from trusted women colleagues, can make all the difference in understanding workplace nuances, including the politics and protocols that are frequently unsaid. 🔹 Diversify Close Connections: Avoid echo chambers by connecting with well-networked women who bring unique perspectives from other workplaces, industries and sectors. This diversity amplifies exposure to insights outside of a narrow view, enabling women to approach career challenges with a broader, more strategic lens. 🔹 Invest in a Balanced Network: Successful businesswomen cultivate visibility and depth in their networks — relationships that provide access and specific, actionable guidance. Women can follow this approach by building wide-ranging connections and trusted relationships, offering invaluable, gender-specific career advice. 🔑 Leadership Call to Action 1. Support strategic networks that give women access to public and private information. 2. Host events that encourage diverse, meaningful, strategic mentorships and sponsorships. 3. Coach women to prioritise networking as a core career-building activity—strategically and persistently—because effective networks don’t just happen; they are cultivated with purpose. 4. Provide women with training on building and leveraging a strategic network, in person and online. Further Resources in first comment👇 #Networking #Mentorship #Diversity

🚗💥 The automotive industry is undergoing a historic disruption: electrification, environmental regulation, traceability, and pressure from the circular economy are pushing the limits of supply chains. 📉 But the biggest challenge isn’t technological it's the lack of trust and transparency between players who both compete and collaborate. How can companies share critical data without losing control or compromising intellectual property? 🔎 The Catena-X project proposes an ambitious solution: build the first open and collaborative data ecosystem for the entire European automotive supply chain. Its flagship use case: the Digital Product Passport (DPP) for batteries, vehicles, and components. This will allow everyone to know what’s inside each product, how it was made, repaired, reused, and recycled. Full transparency from mine to recycler. 🧩 But this vision requires a system built on strong guarantees: ✅ Data sovereignty Each supplier must decide what to share, with whom, and under what conditions. ✅ Integrity and immutability Data cannot be altered without traceability. ✅ Interoperability and decentralization The system must work across companies, countries, and platforms. ✅ Role-based access A recycler doesn’t need the same data as a manufacturer or end user. 💡 This is where technologies like blockchain and Zero Knowledge Proofs (ZK) can make a real difference: 🔐 Blockchain ensures traceability, consensus, and long-term availability even if one actor disappears. 🧠 ZK enables verification of data (e.g. whether a battery meets sustainability standards) without exposing confidential details, such as formulas, processes, or business relationships. 📱 The first use case is already live: the Battery Passport, linked to the vehicle, offering full traceability from lithium extraction to recycling. An open-source app lets stakeholders access this information securely. 🌍 This initiative is not just European. By requiring DPPs for imported goods too, Catena-X is setting a new global standard in sustainability, responsibility, and industrial data sharing. 🔗 Are we ready to redesign industry through digital trust? 👉 If you work in automotive, sustainability, cybersecurity, or industrial tech, now’s the time to rethink how we share and protect data across global ecosystems. #CatenaX #Blockchain #ZeroKnowledge #Automotive #CircularEconomy #DigitalProductPassport #DataSovereignty #ZKP #Sustainability #Web3Industrial Thanks to Alfredo Miguel Nathalie Thomas Nicoleta Bruno Hidenori

💸 Funding & Grants Series  Climate Incubators & Accelerators Supporting Indian Startups Every time I connect with founders through Bharat Climate Startups, I’m reminded of the one thing that makes or breaks an early-stage climate solution: ecosystem support. From regenerative agriculture to green mobility and plastic alternatives — startups need more than ideas. They need partners, labs, grants, and believers. This post features 5 climate-focused incubators and accelerators in India that offer grants, pilot funding, or non-dilutive support to help climate founders grow.👇 🔹  SINE (Society for Innovation & Entrepreneurship -SINE IIT Bombay and Entrepreneurship) – IIT Bombay 💰 Provides non-dilutive grants and robust incubation support for technology-driven startups, including those in cleantech and climate tech. 📌 SINE’s focus on commercialization and innovation helps transform early ideas into impactful ventures. 🔹 NSRCEL – IIM Bangalore 💰 Supports social and technology startups with incubator programs that include grants, mentorship, and ecosystem access—ideal for climate innovators. 📌 NSRCEL’s extensive network and tailored support have helped many founders accelerate their impact. 🔹 T-Hub –Hyderabad  💰 An accelerator that runs specialized cohorts—including sustainability and climate tech tracks—with grants, pilot funding, and hands-on support. 📌 T-Hub’s dynamic environment connects startups to investors, mentors, and corporate partners. 🔹 Climate Collective – Climate Launchpad & Climate Ready Programs 💰 Grants, pre-seed support & founder mentorship 📌 Focused on cleantech, carbon markets, climate fintech, nature-based solutions 🌱 Supported by European Union, Asian Development Bank, and global partners 📩 Working on a climate solution and exploring incubator or accelerator programs? Drop me a message—I’d love to connect and share insights from my travels across India. Here's to building a vibrant support ecosystem for climate innovators! 💚 #ClimateAction #ImpactFunding #BharatClimateStartups

FOAK (first of a kind) climate projects are all the rage right now - and it makes sense why. They're desperately needed. I've spent the last few months digging into this big opportunity for climate startups, the challenges that come with it, and the organizations who are working to fill the gaps. Here are the spark notes on what I’ve learned so far: Climate startups are facing a bottleneck. Many have built prototypes and shown proof of concept, mostly on the back of VC dollars, but taking the necessary next step of piloting and deploying their tech at a commercial scale is more akin to a massive leap. Challenges include… Funding - VC dollars are no longer enough. Building capital intensive infrastructure requires risk tolerant project finance, non-dilutive funding, and often philanthropy, all working in tandem. Expertise - Startup founders are innovators, not developers or financiers. Nor should they try to become those things. Rather, they can succeed by pulling in support from experts in these areas. Partnerships - This is the biggest one, in my opinion. Commercial-scale tech deployment by growth stage startups is a hugely multifaceted process. In addition to the startup team, the financial stakeholders, and the development experts, you also need buy-in from market incumbents (public or private) who can champion the technology within the market and serve as initial customers, as well as community-based organizations where projects will be built. And you need all of these stakeholders aligned and collaborating smoothly. Talk about herding cats! I will be focusing my efforts in 2024 on building more collaboration and better partnerships within this space, so that we can drive climate impact and get these amazing technologies to market. Here is a list of some companies I’ve come across who are already doing amazing work in this space: Elemental Excelerator is playing a big role as a convener with leadership from folks like Dawn Lippert, Saritha Peruri, and Danya Hakeem. Many orgs are focused on funding scale up projects, like Breakthrough Energy’s Catalyst group, Prime Coalition, Trent Yang’s Galway Sustainable Capital, Inc, Generate, FullCycle, Keyframe, and Wavelength Infra (Caroline McGeough). Third Sphere is making it easier for startups to understand the process and access capital (Shaun Abrahamson, Shilpi Kumar, Stonly Blue) Others are running programs to help connect growth stage startups with market incumbents for pilot projects, like Newlab (Shaina Horowitz, Carlos E. Trevino, Liz Keen), Uptake Alliance (Chris Richardson), Black & Veatch’s Ignite Program, Accenture (Jonathan Weitz), and Deep Science Ventures’s FOAXIAL Accelerator (Ahmad Butt). Sightline Climate (CTVC) wrote an awesome article recently about two successful FOAKs with LanzaTech and H2 Green Steel. I can’t list them all and even if I could, I’m sure there are so many who I’ve missed. So I’ll ask you: who are the orgs leading the way on FOAK climate projects?