(19 Feb 2021)
Startups from around the world have been recognized
for their contributions to sustainable and responsible
tourism in the UNWTO SDGs Global Startup Competition.
The competition, which was supported by the United
Nations Innovation Network, attracted some 10,000 initial
proposals.
From those, the jury chose 25 winners from 18
countries, highlighting the array of tourism talent in every
global region and its widespread ability to contribute to the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Shortlisted finalists were judged according to
criteria which included the potential of the startups to
contribute to a specific goal, their ability to be scaled-up, and
the maturity of both the product and the team behind it.
The 25 winning startups, selected by a jury made
up of leaders from across the tourism sector, offer
solutions for advancing the SDGs.
The Americas led the way in
submitting winning proposals, with nine of the competition winners
coming from the region. Europe provided eight winners, Asia and
the Pacific six, and Africa and the Middle East one winner each.
“The winners show the power of new ideas for
transforming our sector,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab
Pololikashvili. “By embracing
innovation, we can realise this potential and build a better
future for people and planet through tourism. I congratulate them
all and look forward to seeing these startups grow and deliver
positive change.”
The winners and the SDG that the startup will help
advance are:
SDG1 – No poverty
Etnica (Guatemala)
SDG2 – Zero hunger
Ifarm Agritech (Kenya)
SDG3 – Good
health and well-being
BlueDot (Canada)
SDG4 – Quality
education
Immersion India (India)
SDG5 – Gender equality
Sisterwave (Brazil)
SDG6 – Clean water and sanitation
ECOLOO Greentech Malaysia SDN BHD (Malaysia)
Zero Mass Water
(United States of America)
SDG7 – Affordable and clean
energy
BeFC (France)
Enexor BioEnergy (United States of
America)
Swimsol (Austria)
SDG8 – Good jobs and economic
growth
Clio Muse Tours PC (Greece)
Community Homestay
Network (Nepal)
SDG9 – Industry, innovation and
infrastructure
DefinedCrowd (United States of America)
FREED
GROUP (aka TravelFlan) (Hong Kong)
SDG10 – Reduced
inequalities
Travaxy – accessible travel (Israel)
SDG11
– Sustainable cities and communities
Metrica6 (Spain)
Tobadaa (Egypt)
SDG12 – Sustainable consumption and
production
Lumitics (Singapore)
SDG13 – Climate action
ClimateTrade (Spain)
Opus 12, Inc. (United States of America)
Safety Line (France)
SDG14 – Life below water
Seven
Clean Seas (Singapore)
SDG16 – Peace, justice and string
institutions
Impulse Travel (Colombia)
SDG17 –
Partnerships for the goals
Nibi (Colombia)
Siliconbali
(Portugal)
The winning startups will now be given expert
support and backing to develop further, including through guided
mentorship programmes from Amadeus, Google, IE University and
FarCo, and tailored mentorship sessions from Mastercard and
ClarkeModet.
The winners will also be invited to take part in a
pitching event within the framework of
Spain’s International Tourism Fair (FITUR) and again at the Tourism Tech Adventures Forum
in Qatar.
Furthermore, the winners will benefit from access
to all UNWTO’s collaborators for the competition, opening the door
for potential game-changing pilots and networking opportunities
with Amazon Web Services, Globant, BBVA, the Inter-American
Development Bank (IDB) and IDB Lab, Telefonica, Plug and Play, the
Advanced Leadership Foundation, Impact Hub, mentorDay and the
destination partners for the competition.
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