The event aimed to drive climate change brought together investor, founders and ecosystem enablers

Climate! Innovation! Collaboration! – all three impactful action areas independently but become even more powerful when brough together. Mahindra Group, recently collaborated with ANDE (Aspen Network for Development Entrepreneurs) South Asia and Technoserve to host the ‘Sustainability Stars: Green Startup Showcase’, an event focused on the theme of driving innovation in climate action and emphasising the power of collaboration.

Bringing together investors, founders, and ecosystem enablers, the event explored pathways to scale climate-first Small and Growing Businesses (SGBs). Through engaging discussions, corporates shared their sectoral focus and vendor acquisition strategies, while investors outlined their priorities and the kinds of enterprises they aim to support, reinforcing the importance of collective action in driving sustainable change

The event began with an insightful panel discussion on how corporations can take bolder steps to support emerging startups by tackling challenges in corporate-startup engagements, e.g., limited scaling opportunities post-pilot, and exploring solutions like offering a corporate customer base.

The discussion also highlighted the need for innovative solutions in the climate action space, e.g., supply chain traceability. Moderated by Mahindra Group’s Chief Sustainability Officer, the panel featured esteemed industry leaders, including Managing Director, Accenture Consulting & Innovation Centre; Vice President-Innovation, Reliance Industries Limited, and Director Sustainability Consulting, JLL India offering invaluable insights into fostering collaboration and scaling climate-focused solutions.

The second segment of the event featured >30 startups pitching their innovative solutions to various ecosystem enablers, including corporates and investors. Corporate pitches garnered interest from major industry giants with representation from Mahindra Auto & Farm sector, Mahindra Holidays, etc. Startups showcased innovative solutions to critical climate action themes, sparking lively ‘Shark Tank’-style discussions with corporates exploring partnerships and procurement opportunities giving startups the much-needed platform to scale & learn.

Some of the notable ones include a) Achuk – eco-friendly additive turning water into a high-performance fire extinguisher, b) Tri-nano technologies – nano coating for solar panels to improve energy output, panel life and minimize cleaning requirements, c) Growit – protective farming solutions for enabling sustainable agriculture, etc. Mahindra

group is already working with few partners to procure solutions. The wider portfolio of startups in the Greenr accelerator program is available here.

The event captured the essence of collaboration in driving innovation for climate action, emphasizing the collective responsibility of corporates, startups, and investors to leverage the power of coming together for meaningful impact. It highlighted the critical need for ecosystem support to help startups scale and thrive. Events like these serve as vital pulse checks to evaluate progress, foster collaboration, and chart the next steps in the collective journey toward impactful climate action.