Case Study: Telesto ClimaLabs Climate Tech market overview
Telesto developed an accelerator program “ClimaLabs” that sought to improve climate tech startups’ readiness for global investment, informed by market research and best practices.
Challenge
As businesses and governments worldwide are increasingly committing to climate action and funding climate tech solutions, there is a need to finance and scale local climate startups to meet the 1.5°C pathway. However, the main roadblock to climate financing continues to be a lack of investment-ready projects with a proven risk-to-return profile, especially in the Global South.
To address this gap in the market and climate finance, Telesto developed a program for startups that includes:
- A comprehensive market overview of growing and proven climate tech innovators in 7 key sectors globally
- Analysis of business models and partners of each climate tech startup to provide a snapshot of their business and scalability
- Mentorship and industry expert network to ensure long-term success of participating startups .
To support this initiative, Telesto developed an accelerator program “ClimaLabs” that sought to improve climate tech startups’ readiness for global investment, informed by market research and best practices.
Our approach
We developed two modules to provide startups with the up-to-date market size, trends, and forecasts, and a network to introduce founders to other existing climate tech startups and their business models:
1. Market Sizing & Global Trends
- Conducted an in-depth analysis of the global and regional climate finance market, by sector and region
- Summarized actionable takeaways for where climate tech startups should focus on
2. Market Overview
- Benchmarked key players driving climate tech innovation, assessing their service offerings, differentiators, and scalability using 9 business indicators
- Developed a “Business Model Canvas” aimed at providing a snapshot of each climate tech startup, including key partners, activities, differentiators, cost and revenue structure, and channels
3. Mentorship and Support
- Connected startups with alumni for ongoing mentorship to maintain continuity of the program and encourage further participation
- Provided tailored support in the form of interactive workshops and engagement with global and regional stakeholders
Results & Impact
✔ Successful funding of program alumni – Telesto’s accelerator program and mentoring saw three climate tech startups in Ghana find success with regional and global funding.
✔ Recognition at the regional and global stage – Program participants were featured in various regional and global seminars, competitions, and conferences which elevated their footprint and forged meaningful connections in the global climate tech industry
✔ Scalable framework for advancing climate action – Telesto’s framework can be applied to any other developing country at scale, where participants can situate themselves in a fast-growing industry and apply our unique insights to grow their presence
Conclusion
Telesto’s ClimaLabs program showcases how strategic market research, competitive intelligence, and scalability factors can elevate startups to the global stage and drive climate action. By leveraging research insights and global industry experts, we created a framework for any climate startup to gain a competitive edge and address the biggest challenges in today’s market.
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