NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

GCV completed Phase I of CV2 with the publication of its Water and Ag Innovation Assessment, developed with Rockefeller 100 Resilient Cities and Wharton. Now, GoodCompany Ventures will kick off Phase II: a global sourcing campaign to identify ten emerging innovations that best respond to the needs identified in our research, in areas such as Water Quality Monitoring, Agriculture Runoff and Stormwater Management.

Each of the ten selected companies will receive a non-equity $25,000 GoodCompany Ventures Impact Grant to fund their participation in GoodCompany Ventures’ rigorous three-month accelerator program.  To identify the most groundbreaking adaptive innovations for agriculture and water system resilience, GoodCompany Ventures has mobilized multiple platforms to drive a global talent search:

• GCV has created a proprietary Pipeline Partner Network, comprised of over 80 organizations with a social reach >5mm followers to distribute our call for applications. Pipeline Partners
• GCV is sponsoring an OpenIDEO Global Challenge, designed to crowd-source energy and creativity on these issues from tens of thousands of participants, to be launched next month. OpenIDEO Challenges
• GCV has partnered with USAID to host online interaction with Climate Ventures 2.0’s own investment, industry and policy experts on its Global Innovation Exchange, a community of over 20,000 innovators and experts. USAID Global Innovation Exchange
• GCV will manage its application and review process on F6S, a network designed to match accelerators and investors with over 1.5mm members.  F6S Network

Candidates for the GCV Impact Grants can APPLY HERE: https://www.f6s.com/applyclimateventures2.0

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through March 15th.

For more information about the Climate Ventures 2.0 program, visit http://climateventures2.globalinnovationexchange.org

Climate Ventures 2.0 — The Climate Data Initiative was founded in March of 2014 as a call to action by the Obama Administration. It leverages the Federal Government’s vast and open data resources to stimulate the kinds of innovation and entrepreneurship that can empower America’s communities and businesses to take action against climate change and prepare for the future.

Climate Ventures 2.0 (CV2) is uniquely positioned to draw on the resources committed to this global White House program to spur public/private responses to climate threats. To date, the CDI has attracted commitments from leaders across all affected sectors:

• Technology:  Google, Amazon, Microsoft, IBM, Intel, HP, EMC, ESRI

• Consumer: Walmart, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle, Monsanto, Mars, Kellogg
• NGO: United Nations, World Bank, Rockefeller, USAID, Red Cross, WWF
• Academic: MIT, Columbia, Chicago, Wharton

White House Fact Sheet

Climate Data Initiative

Here is what entrepreneurs can expect:

• A  non-equity $25,000 GoodCompany Ventures Impact Grant per selected team
• The most rigorous business and financial development programming, averaging $10mm in investment per cohort
• One-on-one mentoring from policy experts, Fortune 500 industry advisors and investors.
• Connection to global network of advisors, investors and peers through USAID’s Global Innovation Exchange
• Free 24/7 office support for cohort, within Benjamin’s Desk, Philadelphia’s largest entrepreneur co-working network.
• Access to $75,000 in pilot funding for regional implementations, with opportunities for global replication within the Rockefeller 100 Resilient Cities Network
• Opportunity to pitch for investment at private investor demo-days in NYC, DC and SFO

ABOUT WILLIAM PENN FOUNDATION — The William Penn Foundation, founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the greater Philadelphia region through efforts that increase educational opportunities for children from low-income families, insure sustainable environment, foster creativity that enhances civic life, and advance philanthropy in the Philadelphia region. In partnership with others, the foundation works to advance opportunity, insure sustainability, and enable effective solutions. Since inception, the foundation has made nearly 10,000 grants totally over $1.6 billion

http://www.williampennfoundation.org

ABOUT GOODCOMPANY VENTURES  GoodCompany Ventures provides entrepreneurs the resources to adapt new technologies to unmet social needs, including partnerships and proprietary programs to: reframe persistent social problems as market opportunities; design solutions that optimize projected impact; develop business models to take their innovations to scale; foster pilot opportunities to demonstrate market demand; and attract investment capital to fuel their impact. To date, our graduates have raised over $60mm in private capital to generate a projected $5bn in social impact.

GCV is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Our work is made possible with support from leadership organizations including Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Knight Foundation, Halloran Philanthropies and the William Penn Foundation,

http://goodcompanyventures.org

White House Quote:

“Through his Climate Data Initiative, President Obama is calling for all hands on deck to unleash data and technology in ways that will make businesses and communities more resilient to climate change,” said John P. Holdren, President Obama’s Science Advisor. “The commitments being announced today answer that call by empowering the U.S. and global agricultural sectors with the tools and information needed to keep food systems strong and secure in a changing climate.”

GoodCompany Ventures Quote:

“GoodCompany Ventures was remarkably effective in its early days as one of the first social impact accelerators,” said Garrett Melby, Managing Director of GoodCompany Ventures. “We were thrilled to have the quality of program recognized by the White House when they asked us to develop this program, and we want to recognize and thank the William Penn Foundation for their generous, innovative and groundbreaking support that allows us to launch this global program.”