The USAID Eastern And Southern Caribbean office speaks about the launch of what it calls the “Water for All Pitch Competition”, seeking entrepreneurs located in the ESC region to submit game-changing innovations that focus on the water sector.
The pitch competition aims to bring regional awareness and drive action to promote water sector resilience, in the face of climate change and other hazards affecting the region.
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The activity is designed to amplify the private sector’s role in water solutions by showcasing promising innovations and practices, as well as to strategically connect them to advanced support systems, which will ultimately support the scaling-up of their innovations for the benefit of all.
This, USAID says would enable testing of ideas to identify what works and catalyze follow-on investments for, and bring attention, to proven solutions for greater scale.
The competition is open to Grenada and entries are to be submitted in English through the website, www.waterislife2023.com
Eligible entrepreneurs must have an existing innovation or prototype and pitches must provide solutions for water resilience and sustainability, and ideas must be driven or amplified by technology.
The pitch competition is also open to eligible applicants in Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, St. Kitts/Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Up to five entrepreneur finalists will be shortlisted to participate in an in-person pitch in Barbados with a total of a 50,000 US-dollar cash prize.
The Grand Prize winner will win a 25,000 US-dollar investment in their pitch.
The first and second runners-up will win 15,000 and 5,000 US-dollar investments, respectively.
The other three finalists will receive non-financial support in the form of business development, market assessment, public relations and communications, technical expertise, and travel services, in order to accelerate and facilitate continuing development.
