A journey through the COP28 Start Up Village

Our ideal Sunday?

Oh, I don’t know - something like sun, sand and start-ups.

Which, as you can imagine, made our visit to COP28’s startup village over the weekend a real treat!

From pioneering innovative solutions to optimise perishable food value chains, to immersing students in the realities of climate change through VR education, the start-ups we encountered are addressing this global challenge from a variety of critical angles.

So, without further ado, let’s introduce you to the climate tech startups that caught FWDstart's attention at COP28!

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💻 CarbonSifr: The company facilitates large-scale decarbonisation by helping companies in e-commerce, grocery delivery, and mobility sectors to integrate climate action into their products.

• Founder-check: Muhammed Yildirim, Onur Elgun, and Mustafa Bosca started CarbonSifr in 2023.

📊 Oscar SDG: A tailored, automated sustainable procurement tool for the MENA region, considering local culture, business practices, and sensitivities.

• Founder-check: Abed Shawar started Oscar in 2022.

🌍 44.01: An Oman-based start-up eliminating CO2 permanently by turning it into rock through natural mineralisation.

Check out our previous deep-dive into 44.01 here →

• Founder-check: Talal Hasan founded 44.01 in 2020.

🌱 Avani Eco Middle East: A company specialising in eco-friendly, compostable packaging made from renewable resources like cassava and sugarcane, targeting sustainable solutions to plastic pollution.

⚙️ AgriTrack: A post-harvest automation platform that leverages technology and predictive microbiology to track quality from farm to fork.

• Founder-check: AgriTrack was founded by Vlasis Tsezos in 2020.

🌬️ Ohmium: A company designing and commissioning green hydrogen electrolysers for industry, power, and transportation decarbonisation.

• Founder-check: Ohmium was founded by Arne Ballantine and Kirsten Burpee in 2019.

♻️ The Surpluss: A B2B platform enabling businesses to share surplus resources i.e. waste or by-products, enhancing sustainability and competitiveness.

• Founder-check: Rana Hajirasouli started The Surpluss in 2021. 

🌊 Hydro Wind Energy: A UAE-based climate tech developing innovative renewable energy solutions to provide low-cost clean electricity, grid scale energy storage, and seawater desalination.

Check out our previous deep-dive into Hydro Wind Energy here →

• Founder-check: Founded by Lee King, Hayk Vasilyan, Maryam A Hassani and Aboozy Ghaly in 2018.

🤖 Infinite 8: A deeptech start-up specialising in AI, metaverse, web3, blockchain gaming, and AR/VR/MR products, serving a diverse range of sectors, including climate change education, in the MENA region.

• Founder-check: Hamid Fathalian started Infinite 8 in 2016.