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Ten Aquapreneurs Get 1.75 mn Swiss Francs to Tackle Freshwater Crisis

The World Economic Forum has announced that 10 water-focussed entrepreneurs will share 1.75 million Swiss francs in vital funding from India's HCL Group to tackle global freshwater crisis.

WD News: The World Economic Forum has announced that 10 water-focussed entrepreneurs will share 1.75 million Swiss francs in vital funding from India’s HCL Group to tackle global freshwater crisis. Securing the world’s global freshwater ecosystems, under increasing threat from climate change, population growth and consumer demand, has become more critical than ever, the WEF has said.

To tackle this escalating crisis, UpLink, the open innovation platform of the World Economic Forum, in partnership with global conglomerate HCL Group, announced 10 water-focused entrepreneurs who will share CHF1.75 million ($1.9 million) from HCL Group to scale their innovations.

After announcing the names at a session at the WEF Annual Meeting 2023, HCL Tech chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra said the plan is to select ten such Aquapreneurs every year over a five-year period, to make it a 50-member community.

Access to water plays a critical role in food production, education, job creation, health and well-being and the preservation of the natural world and is vital to achieving the UN’s 2030 sustainability agenda. However, global demand for water will exceed sustainable supply by 40 percent by 2030, with huge implications for the global economy and society.

The 10 start-ups are the winners of the Global Freshwater Innovation Challenge, the first of five challenges under HCL and UpLink Aquapreneur Innovation Initiative.

Through a USD 15 million investment over five years, HCL Group is supporting UpLink and the Forum’s Global Water Initiative to launch a series of innovation challenges and create an innovation ecosystem for the global.

Source & image courtesy: PTI/Economic Times

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