“How was the Biodiversity Accelerator+ kick-off event in Singapore?”
“It was intense, inspiring, and instrumental in building a successful biodiversity-positive startup,” I replied.
I travelled to the Singapore between October 11th to 17th to participate in the Biodiversity Accelerator+ kick-off program. I returned to Hong Kong and shared my experiences from the program with my colleagues, partners, customers, and friends. Here are five key takeaways.
- The Organizer – Silverstrand Capital
Biodiversity Accelerator+ (BA+) is a three-month startup accelerator program. It differs from common startup accelerator programs with a focus on nature-positive startups.
“Mankind needs to work with nature, not against it. The business case for protecting and enhancing biodiversity is stronger than ever. Our program is designed to upskill founders so they can meet the challenges ahead,” said Kelvin Chiu, principal of Silverstrand Capital.
To achieve Kelvin’s goal of upskilling founders to meet the upcoming challenges, there are three unique aspects of BA+:
- It focuses on nature-positive non-profit companies, most of which are nature-tech startups providing Measurement, Reporting & Verification (MRV) Ecosystem Services, Nature Risk Analysis & Management Software, Nature Technologies, and Habitat-Loss Avoidance & Prevention;
- It structures the training around impact measurement, impact investment, and biodiversity-related topics.
- It requires all startup founders to spend six days in Singapore to attend the in-person kick-off program.
To make the accelerator program and the startups successful, we need a strong program team! They paid attention to everyone’s progress and feelings and helped participants engage in the busy program. Thank Kelvin Chiu, Patti Chu, Joy Teo, Elaine Khoo, Julianto Johanes, Rachel Lim, and Nishant Chorpa for their wonderful work!
“These are your assignments this week. How do you feel?” asked Patti Chu and Joy Teo.
- The Coaches and Mentors
The program invites many coaches and mentors to upskill the startup founders in various dimensions. They are domain experts. They studied the background and business of each startup in the cohort, asked the founders challenging questions, and provided inspiring suggestions. Amazing. Salute!
“Will you consider incorporating more red and black into your brand personality?” said Hui Ting Lee of Lime Agency.
“Sounds cool! Colors of the Shohoku High School Basketball Team,” I said to myself.
“I read your deck. Would you please share with us the logic behind your pricing strategy?” asked Chetan Prakash and Advait Halve of Simon-Kucher.
“I am thinking of wearing a shirt for the networking dinner. What do you think, Steve?” I asked.
“I suggest your cat t-shirt,” said Steve O’Connor.
The cohort met about twenty coaches/mentors during the kick-off week, with more to come in the virtual lectures! Want to know who these amazing coaches and mentors are? Please read the “Welcome to Week 1” article written by Rachel Lim.
- The Cohort
We need a committed cohort to work together with the organizer and the coaches/mentors to make the program and startups successful. And we do!
Here are the 8 emerging startups and their founders/CXOs, headquartered in different cities and countries, in the Biodiversity Accelerator+ Cohort 3:
- Accounting for Nature, Australia: Adrian Ward, Scott Agnew
- EQO, US: John Higley
- Dunya Analytics, US: Megan Pillsbury
- Inverto Earth, Switzerland: Cameron Dowd
- 3T, Singapore: Ian Shimizu
- Ocean Ledger, UK: Paige Roepers
- Robotics Cats, Hong Kong: Andre Cheung
- Veridi Technologies, Netherlands: Ziad Matar
I am grateful to work with them. They are smart, energetic, and ambitious startup founder! They are also very friendly and humorous. We made the intense BA+ program more interesting, fun, and productive.
I wonder if Silverstrand can measure the founders’ sense of humor during the interview process. That would be cool!
- The Investors
There was a networking dinner on Thursday, August 16th, 2024. Guests included impact investors, ESG-focused organizations, and startup communities. They came to support Silverstrand Capital, meet and help the BA+ cohort, and develop a vibrant nature-tech ecosystem. There was a strong energy at the event, with joy and laughter filling the venue.
- The Venue
Silverstrand Capital hosted the kick-off program at Hotel Fort Canning. Great facilities, a great location next to Fort Canning Park, and a friendly and helpful crew made it an excellent choice. We spent most of our daytime in The Glass House, which had natural sunlight and beautiful trees (and sometimes birds) outside. It helped people connect with nature.
“Find a tree and connect to it and your inner self,” suggested Santosh Kumar of Soul Probe.
We didn’t have a lot of me-time in Singapore, but we did enjoy good quality me-time and tree-time during the kick-off program.
Overall, it is a fantastic venue to help people share and learn nature-positive knowledge and ideas.
If you’re a nature-tech founder and want to listen to others, upskill yourself, expand your network and business in Asia, and join and grow a vibrant biodiversity-positive ecosystem, I will recommend Biodiversity Accelerator+ to you.
Want to learn more about RoboticsCats in Biodiversity Accelerator+? Please contact us at info@roboticscats.com
