KIST To Host Clean Technology Business Competition

The KIST Entrepreneurship Club in collaboration with KIST (Kigali Institute of Science and Technology) is hosting a Global Entrepreneurship Week featured event called “The CleanTech Open”.

The Cleantech Open is the world’s largest clean technology business competition. The mission of Cleantech Open is to find, fund and foster entrepreneurs with big ideas that address today’s most urgent energy, environmental and economic challenges.

From revolutionary ways to generate clean energy to better water filtration to ideas about how governmental policies around climate change can foster new businesses in one of the competition categories.

For entrepreneurs with a great green idea, this is a chance to share it with the world.

Anyone from Rwanda who want to enter this competition can use this link: http://www.cleantechopen.com/app.cgi/ideas_competition/countries/154/enter,the , the deadline is 25th October 2012.

One winner from Rwanda will submit a five-minute video to be shown during the Cleantech Open Global Forum in San Jose, California on the 8 and 9 November, 2012. The audience of 1,000 clean technology experts, investors, and enthusiasts, and press from around the world will vote on the best idea.

Since their founding in 2006 by Silicon Valley leaders, their organization has established itself as the leading force for accelerating clean technology entrepreneurs.

Of the nearly 600 companies we have worked with, 80% remain viable today and they have gone on to raise external capital exceeding $660 million.

Who can enter the competition?

Anyone looking to turn their clean technology idea into a thriving business can apply. Entrants can be sole proprietors, teams or early-stage companies.

All entries must be a startup with less than $1,000,000 from private third party funding (from equity investors such as angel investors and venture capital firms) at the time of entry.

All entries must be a startup with less than $5,000,000 from all other sources of funding (grants, family and friends, and your own pocket) at the time of paying the application fee; this limit is separate from the limit on private third party funding.