Entrepreneurs Plastic Innovation Challenge (EPIC) is an innovation challenge aimed at identifying solutions to eliminate plastic waste in Nigeria by sourcing sustainable solutions with the purpose of identifying, developing and scaling potential circular innovations from entrepreneurs, wherever they may be.
According to the Worldwatch Institute, an estimated 299 million tons of plastics were produced in 2013, representing a 4 percent increase over 2012, and confirming an upward trend over the past years. By 2050, we’ll have produced 26 billion tons of plastic waste says a 2017 report on sciencemag.org.
EPIC hinges on cross-value chain collaboration, bringing together all stakeholders to develop and expedite the initiative to eliminate plastic waste. It focuses on solutions around collection, recycling, consumption and uses.
Entrepreneurs, innovators, designers, students, scientists, academics, and NGOs from anywhere are invited to apply. 10 ventures will be invited to an Innovation Bootcamp in Lagos, Nigeria. Three (3) ventures will be selected for an 8-week market traction program. After which, a robust investment and scale-up business case will be submitted for funding.
How EPIC works
EPIC works as a platform to crowdsource ideas and solutions from Nigeria and abroad in order to solve the plastic waste problem and validate these ideas and/or solutions into scalable ventures.
Step 1 – Application Submission
Application opens from 20 November to December 4 2018
Step 2 – Scale Up bootcamp
Ten (10) ideas/solutions will be shortlisted and invited to the Scale Up bootcamp
Step 3 – Market Traction and Support
Three (3) ideas/solutions will be selected for an 8 weeks pilot
Step 4 – Expansion Investment Pitching
Development, Submission and pitching of robust investment proposals for expansion funding (up to $10m) from a group of investors and institutions
This initiative is powered by Coca-Cola and curated by HYBR. Click here for more information
