Great Blue Wall Challenge 2023 for Ocean-positive Startups & Social Enterprises

Application for the Great Blue Wall Challenge 2023 is currently available. This challenge seeks ocean-positive startups and social ventures that advance the resilience and viability of the Western Indian Ocean, support the Great Blue Wall Initiative, and help both people and the environment. Africa’s Great Blue Wall Initiative is a bold plan to conserve, protect, and restore 2 million hectares of ocean and coastal ecosystems by 2030 while enabling the growth of a regenerative blue economy for both people and the environment. It is led by Western Indian Ocean (WIO) countries and supported by IUCN and a coalition of partners. The WIO must be regenerated in order to provide 70 million people who rely on these environments with economic opportunities.

Benefits:

The 5-10 winners of the Great Blue Wall Challenge will be featured in both the Africa
Climate Action Summit and the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 28)
hosted by the United Arab Emirates.

Eligibility:

• Successful submissions have operations in coastal and marine areas of the ten original
  WIO countries of the Great Blue Wall: Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius,
  Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa and Tanzania.
• Successful submissions must be beyond the ideation or prototype phase, with a
  measurable track record toward impact and scale. Current UpLink Top Innovators are
  primarily selected once they’ve reached the pilot to growth/scale phase of their
  operations.
• Priority is given to for-profit start-up companies or social enterprises with a sustainable
  funding model. Not-for-profit organizations with a clearly defined, revenue generating
  project may also be considered.
• Innovations must demonstrate the potential and desire to scale and/or the potential for
  replicability, and have a vision for achieving long-term financial viability, impact, and
  sustainability.

Selection Criteria:

Submissions will be assessed against the following criteria:

• Nature-positive impact: Solutions should have a positive impact on seascape conservation
  and restoration, healthy ecosystems, biodiversity restoration and/or carbon sequestration.
• Socio-economic impact: Solutions should demonstrate how they create local job
  opportunities and/or improve local livelihoods. This includes the sharing of financial and
  non-financial benefits with and empowerment of women, youth, and indigenous peoples.
  Appropriate social license to operate must be demonstrated, particularly in situations
  where tenure or access rights are of concern.
• Innovation and potential for scale: The solution must be a tested and used approach –
  including combinations of innovative approaches with traditional knowledge and practices
  that can be scaled and replicated.
• Governance & operating model: Solutions should have a legal entity attached to the project
  or technology, have a diverse* leadership team with the right capacity and skill set to
  deliver on the project’s mission. The inclusion of local stakeholders in the decision-making
  process is paramount. Teams should have effective strategies for managing regulatory and
  administrative hurdles.
• Financially viable business model – Solutions need to demonstrate a sustainable business
  model and approach to revenue. They must show the extent to which the project has
  achieved financial viability and sustainable revenue streams or has a vision and plan for
  achieving it. A strong preference is given for those that offer investable opportunities for
  investors or philanthropic funders.
• Traction: Solutions should ideally have their first customers, or at a minimum letters of
  intent. The extent to which other organisations have been willing to demo, partner with, invest in or otherwise support this solution will be assessed.
• Measurement and standards verification: Solutions should demonstrate a clear impact
  monitoring and evaluation framework, particularly for any socio-ecological impact claims
  being made. The metrics and indicators should be tracked transparently, relevant robust
  standards are referenced and applied, and/or independent credentialing and third-party
  verification received.

Application:

You can save your submission in draft and get back to it later but be sure to submit before the
challenge deadline of April 23, 2023 (09:00am CEST).

Click here to apply