Two Kenyan startups d.light and Keep It Cool have emerged among 15 finalists competing for £1 million each in the 2024 Earthshot Prize. d.light, a major provider of solar home systems, while Keep It Cool is a solar-powered refrigeration solutions company.
The Earthshot Prize, is a global climate and environmental stewardship program. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa, on Wednesday, November 6, 2024.
d.light recently secured funding from African Frontier Capital to purchase USD$176 million of receivables in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
The other African company in the list is GAYO, a Ghana-based youth-led waste management group. The three African finalists join 12 others from six continents, including first-time finalists from France, Ghana, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, and Nepal.
This year’s finalists were selected from nearly 2,500 nominees and were chosen based on assessments done by selection partners and Expert Advisory Panel, a global group of more than 100 subject-matter experts with deep backgrounds in conservation, science, technology, business, finance, academia, and policy.
The Prize is focused on discovering, spotlighting, and helping scale innovative solutions that the world needs if it is to collectively achieve critical environmental goals. Solutions selected align with the five ‘Earthshots’ – simple, ambitious, and aspirational goals defining the world that can build future generations: The five goals are: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean Our Air; Revive Our Oceans; Build a Waste-Free World; and Fix Our Climate. In total, five winners will walk away with £1 million in each of these categories.
The five winners of this year’s prize will be selected by Prince William and his fellow members of the prestigious Earthshot Prize Council, a diverse group of individuals dedicated to championing urgent and innovative action to protect the climate and our natural environment.
“Representing every corner of the globe, these finalists are leading the way in solving some of the most urgent environmental challenges. Their groundbreaking work is inspiring hope and action as we work to create a sustainable future for generations to come,” said Prince William, Founder and President of The Earthshot Prize.
In addition to the prize money, each finalist will receive dedicated mentorship, resources and technical support to help accelerate the growth of their solution during the Earthshot Prize Fellowship Programme. This support includes access to the Prize’s robust network of influential businesses, investors and climate experts, including The Earthshot Prize’s Global Alliance of Partners, comprised of some of the world’s largest businesses, donors, investors and environmental organizations committed to climate action.
The Multichoice Group is one of the Global Alliance Members that bring together organizations that support The Earthshot Prize, implement ambitious changes within their businesses, and accelerate the advancement of the solutions of Prize Finalists and Winners.
Since its formation in 2020, the Prize has unlocked more than £75 million in direct and in-kind support for finalists. The 2024 finalists bring the number of global solutions honored as Prize Finalists to 60, a major milestone in the Prize’s efforts to uncover and elevate the most promising climate solutions worldwide.