Inspirational pitches by Amsterdam startups give hope for clean cities

June 24, 2019

How would you like to light up your home with plants that can also charge your phone, using clean energy stored in an iconic unused water tower? Or produce energy from your own house by covering it with beautiful solar visuals? Or go out to enjoy a lazy Sunday in town, by using an app to call for a portable full battery for your electric boat? Or take your bike to a café and pay for your soy latte with a currency battery, charged by your cycling efforts?

Is this how our city will look like in the future? No! These are real and tangible solutions from startups in Amsterdam. They are all winners from the What Design Can Do Clean Energy Challenge that called on designers and startups to come up with design ideas for solving cities’ energy issues. Twenty winning startups from four different cities (São Paulo, Nairobi, Mexico City and Amsterdam) have just finished an intense accelerator workshop to turn their clean energy ideas into reality.

Last week, the Dutch winners pitched their ideas to investors at Amsterdam’s #wemakethecity festival, an initiative to help make cities clean, liveable and climate-friendly. The five energising pitches of Living Light (Ermi van Oers) , Iconic Energy Storage (Rosanne Bouw), Voltogo (Job Veltman), Solar Visuals (Thijs Sepers) and Block E (Karlijn Welsma) each had 180 seconds to pitch. They shared the stage with Kate Raworth (author of Doughnut Economics) and inspired the audience in CIRCL in Amsterdam with their innovations.

Although this was the final phase of the What Design Can Do programme, the winners’ journey is only just beginning. We hope that after this, investors and local governments will take their promising solutions a step further, so we can all enjoy clean and liveable cities very soon.

IKEA Foundation and What Design Can Do
The IKEA Foundation supported the What Design Can Do Clean Energy Challenge to help families cope with the effects of climate change. The challenge called on designers and creative entrepreneurs to submit innovative solutions to combat the impacts of climate change.
Read about all 20 winners

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What Design Can Do
http://www.whatdesigncando.com/

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  • Behind every climate solution are people making it happen. It was a privilege to visit @Cooperpac, based in the south of the city of São Paulo, and meet founder Valquíria Cândido da Silva, and the cooperative members whose work is helping give waste a second life. Thank you for welcoming our IKEA Foundation Ambassadors and sharing your inspiring story. Cooperpac is a powerful reminder that climate action can create opportunities for people while protecting the planet. This visit was made possible through our partner Global Methane Hub and its support for @InstitutoPólis, whose work helps strengthen community-led solutions like Cooperpac across Brazil. Swipe to learn more ➡️
  • 📢 We just helped launch The Shift at @ldnclimateweek — a campaign to make climate progress visible. Too often, the organisations driving climate solutions don’t have the same access to influential media as those with the greatest resources. 🌍 The Shift is our way of helping change that, supporting our partners to bring their evidence, stories and solutions to new audiences, and shift the climate conversation towards progress already happening. The campaign features an incredible group of partners working across some of the world’s most pressing climate challenges, including Climate Analytics, Global Methane Hub, InfluenceMap, NewClimate Institute, @fossilfueltreaty, UMI Fund and Youth Climate Justice Fund. Explore the stories, meet the organisations behind them, and share with your network. Together, we can help more people see the climate solutions already making a difference: 🔗 link in bio! #LCAW2026 #TheShift
  • 🪰 What if a tiny insect could help tackle food waste, support farmers, and reduce emissions? The black soldier fly is doing exactly that. ♻️ Across Kenya, partners like @_icipe are scaling insect-based innovations that transform organic waste into valuable resources such as animal feed and organic fertiliser — supporting healthier ecosystems, stronger livelihoods and more resilient food systems. 🍅 And in Indonesia, @magifarm.id, supported through partners like @viriyaenb, is using the same nature-based approach to rethink food waste management, turning waste into value for businesses and households. This is what people-centred climate action looks like in practice: solutions that work for people, planet and business. 💬 Had you heard of black soldier flies before? What other unexpected climate solutions have caught your attention? Let us know in the comments.
  • This is cool — literally! 🧊 Denis Karema, CEO of @sokofreshkenya and a strong advocate for expanding access to solar-powered cooling in Kenya, showed us how these solutions make a real difference in farmers’ everyday lives. By keeping food cold, less goes to waste — a key climate solution as temperatures continue to rise across many regions. We had the opportunity to document how SokoFresh’s cold rooms are used in Kenya as part of our upcoming IKEA Foundation Week campaign, which will focus on food systems. This work is supported by the IKEA Foundation and our partner @claspappliances, who are helping bring renewable energy to smallholder farmers in East Africa and India. SokoFresh is also supported by our partners #PREO and @enviu, as part of a strong nexus solution across renewable energy and agriculture work. A huge thank you to Denis for sharing his inspiring work, and to our fantastic production team in Nairobi for bringing this story to life. 📅 More to come during #IKEAFoundationWeek, Autumn 2026. #ikeafoundation
Behind every climate solution are people making it happen. It was a privilege to visit @Cooperpac, based in the south of the city of São Paulo, and meet founder Valquíria Cândido da Silva, and the cooperative members whose work is helping give waste a second life. Thank you for welcoming our IKEA Foundation Ambassadors and sharing your inspiring story. Cooperpac is a powerful reminder that climate action can create opportunities for people while protecting the planet. This visit was made possible through our partner Global Methane Hub and its support for @InstitutoPólis, whose work helps strengthen community-led solutions like Cooperpac across Brazil. Swipe to learn more ➡️
Behind every climate solution are people making it happen. It was a privilege to visit @Cooperpac, based in the south of the city of São Paulo, and meet founder Valquíria Cândido da Silva, and the cooperative members whose work is helping give waste a second life. Thank you for welcoming our IKEA Foundation Ambassadors and sharing your inspiring story. Cooperpac is a powerful reminder that climate action can create opportunities for people while protecting the planet. This visit was made possible through our partner Global Methane Hub and its support for @InstitutoPólis, whose work helps strengthen community-led solutions like Cooperpac across Brazil. Swipe to learn more ➡️
Behind every climate solution are people making it happen. It was a privilege to visit @Cooperpac, based in the south of the city of São Paulo, and meet founder Valquíria Cândido da Silva, and the cooperative members whose work is helping give waste a second life. Thank you for welcoming our IKEA Foundation Ambassadors and sharing your inspiring story. Cooperpac is a powerful reminder that climate action can create opportunities for people while protecting the planet. This visit was made possible through our partner Global Methane Hub and its support for @InstitutoPólis, whose work helps strengthen community-led solutions like Cooperpac across Brazil. Swipe to learn more ➡️
Behind every climate solution are people making it happen. It was a privilege to visit @Cooperpac, based in the south of the city of São Paulo, and meet founder Valquíria Cândido da Silva, and the cooperative members whose work is helping give waste a second life. Thank you for welcoming our IKEA Foundation Ambassadors and sharing your inspiring story. Cooperpac is a powerful reminder that climate action can create opportunities for people while protecting the planet. This visit was made possible through our partner Global Methane Hub and its support for @InstitutoPólis, whose work helps strengthen community-led solutions like Cooperpac across Brazil. Swipe to learn more ➡️
Behind every climate solution are people making it happen. It was a privilege to visit @Cooperpac, based in the south of the city of São Paulo, and meet founder Valquíria Cândido da Silva, and the cooperative members whose work is helping give waste a second life. Thank you for welcoming our IKEA Foundation Ambassadors and sharing your inspiring story. Cooperpac is a powerful reminder that climate action can create opportunities for people while protecting the planet. This visit was made possible through our partner Global Methane Hub and its support for @InstitutoPólis, whose work helps strengthen community-led solutions like Cooperpac across Brazil. Swipe to learn more ➡️
Behind every climate solution are people making it happen. It was a privilege to visit @Cooperpac, based in the south of the city of São Paulo, and meet founder Valquíria Cândido da Silva, and the cooperative members whose work is helping give waste a second life. Thank you for welcoming our IKEA Foundation Ambassadors and sharing your inspiring story. Cooperpac is a powerful reminder that climate action can create opportunities for people while protecting the planet. This visit was made possible through our partner Global Methane Hub and its support for @InstitutoPólis, whose work helps strengthen community-led solutions like Cooperpac across Brazil. Swipe to learn more ➡️
Behind every climate solution are people making it happen. It was a privilege to visit @Cooperpac, based in the south of the city of São Paulo, and meet founder Valquíria Cândido da Silva, and the cooperative members whose work is helping give waste a second life. Thank you for welcoming our IKEA Foundation Ambassadors and sharing your inspiring story. Cooperpac is a powerful reminder that climate action can create opportunities for people while protecting the planet. This visit was made possible through our partner Global Methane Hub and its support for @InstitutoPólis, whose work helps strengthen community-led solutions like Cooperpac across Brazil. Swipe to learn more ➡️
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Behind every climate solution are people making it happen. It was a privilege to visit @Cooperpac, based in the south of the city of São Paulo, and meet founder Valquíria Cândido da Silva, and the cooperative members whose work is helping give waste a second life. Thank you for welcoming our IKEA Foundation Ambassadors and sharing your inspiring story. Cooperpac is a powerful reminder that climate action can create opportunities for people while protecting the planet. This visit was made possible through our partner Global Methane Hub and its support for @InstitutoPólis, whose work helps strengthen community-led solutions like Cooperpac across Brazil. Swipe to learn more ➡️
4 weeks ago
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📢 We just helped launch The Shift at @ldnclimateweek — a campaign to make climate progress visible. Too often, the organisations driving climate solutions don’t have the same access to influential media as those with the greatest resources. 🌍 The Shift is our way of helping change that, supporting our partners to bring their evidence, stories and solutions to new audiences, and shift the climate conversation towards progress already happening. The campaign features an incredible group of partners working across some of the world’s most pressing climate challenges, including Climate Analytics, Global Methane Hub, InfluenceMap, NewClimate Institute, @fossilfueltreaty, UMI Fund and Youth Climate Justice Fund. Explore the stories, meet the organisations behind them, and share with your network. Together, we can help more people see the climate solutions already making a difference: 🔗 link in bio! #LCAW2026 #TheShift
📢 We just helped launch The Shift at @ldnclimateweek — a campaign to make climate progress visible. Too often, the organisations driving climate solutions don’t have the same access to influential media as those with the greatest resources. 🌍 The Shift is our way of helping change that, supporting our partners to bring their evidence, stories and solutions to new audiences, and shift the climate conversation towards progress already happening. The campaign features an incredible group of partners working across some of the world’s most pressing climate challenges, including Climate Analytics, Global Methane Hub, InfluenceMap, NewClimate Institute, @fossilfueltreaty, UMI Fund and Youth Climate Justice Fund. Explore the stories, meet the organisations behind them, and share with your network. Together, we can help more people see the climate solutions already making a difference: 🔗 link in bio! #LCAW2026 #TheShift
📢 We just helped launch The Shift at @ldnclimateweek — a campaign to make climate progress visible. Too often, the organisations driving climate solutions don’t have the same access to influential media as those with the greatest resources. 🌍 The Shift is our way of helping change that, supporting our partners to bring their evidence, stories and solutions to new audiences, and shift the climate conversation towards progress already happening. The campaign features an incredible group of partners working across some of the world’s most pressing climate challenges, including Climate Analytics, Global Methane Hub, InfluenceMap, NewClimate Institute, @fossilfueltreaty, UMI Fund and Youth Climate Justice Fund. Explore the stories, meet the organisations behind them, and share with your network. Together, we can help more people see the climate solutions already making a difference: 🔗 link in bio! #LCAW2026 #TheShift
📢 We just helped launch The Shift at @ldnclimateweek — a campaign to make climate progress visible. Too often, the organisations driving climate solutions don’t have the same access to influential media as those with the greatest resources. 🌍 The Shift is our way of helping change that, supporting our partners to bring their evidence, stories and solutions to new audiences, and shift the climate conversation towards progress already happening. The campaign features an incredible group of partners working across some of the world’s most pressing climate challenges, including Climate Analytics, Global Methane Hub, InfluenceMap, NewClimate Institute, @fossilfueltreaty, UMI Fund and Youth Climate Justice Fund. Explore the stories, meet the organisations behind them, and share with your network. Together, we can help more people see the climate solutions already making a difference: 🔗 link in bio! #LCAW2026 #TheShift
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📢 We just helped launch The Shift at @ldnclimateweek — a campaign to make climate progress visible. Too often, the organisations driving climate solutions don’t have the same access to influential media as those with the greatest resources. 🌍 The Shift is our way of helping change that, supporting our partners to bring their evidence, stories and solutions to new audiences, and shift the climate conversation towards progress already happening. The campaign features an incredible group of partners working across some of the world’s most pressing climate challenges, including Climate Analytics, Global Methane Hub, InfluenceMap, NewClimate Institute, @fossilfueltreaty, UMI Fund and Youth Climate Justice Fund. Explore the stories, meet the organisations behind them, and share with your network. Together, we can help more people see the climate solutions already making a difference: 🔗 link in bio! #LCAW2026 #TheShift
2 months ago
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🪰 What if a tiny insect could help tackle food waste, support farmers, and reduce emissions? The black soldier fly is doing exactly that. ♻️ Across Kenya, partners like @_icipe are scaling insect-based innovations that transform organic waste into valuable resources such as animal feed and organic fertiliser — supporting healthier ecosystems, stronger livelihoods and more resilient food systems. 🍅 And in Indonesia, @magifarm.id, supported through partners like @viriyaenb, is using the same nature-based approach to rethink food waste management, turning waste into value for businesses and households. This is what people-centred climate action looks like in practice: solutions that work for people, planet and business. 💬 Had you heard of black soldier flies before? What other unexpected climate solutions have caught your attention? Let us know in the comments.
🪰 What if a tiny insect could help tackle food waste, support farmers, and reduce emissions? The black soldier fly is doing exactly that. ♻️ Across Kenya, partners like @_icipe are scaling insect-based innovations that transform organic waste into valuable resources such as animal feed and organic fertiliser — supporting healthier ecosystems, stronger livelihoods and more resilient food systems. 🍅 And in Indonesia, @magifarm.id, supported through partners like @viriyaenb, is using the same nature-based approach to rethink food waste management, turning waste into value for businesses and households. This is what people-centred climate action looks like in practice: solutions that work for people, planet and business. 💬 Had you heard of black soldier flies before? What other unexpected climate solutions have caught your attention? Let us know in the comments.
🪰 What if a tiny insect could help tackle food waste, support farmers, and reduce emissions? The black soldier fly is doing exactly that. ♻️ Across Kenya, partners like @_icipe are scaling insect-based innovations that transform organic waste into valuable resources such as animal feed and organic fertiliser — supporting healthier ecosystems, stronger livelihoods and more resilient food systems. 🍅 And in Indonesia, @magifarm.id, supported through partners like @viriyaenb, is using the same nature-based approach to rethink food waste management, turning waste into value for businesses and households. This is what people-centred climate action looks like in practice: solutions that work for people, planet and business. 💬 Had you heard of black soldier flies before? What other unexpected climate solutions have caught your attention? Let us know in the comments.
🪰 What if a tiny insect could help tackle food waste, support farmers, and reduce emissions? The black soldier fly is doing exactly that. ♻️ Across Kenya, partners like @_icipe are scaling insect-based innovations that transform organic waste into valuable resources such as animal feed and organic fertiliser — supporting healthier ecosystems, stronger livelihoods and more resilient food systems. 🍅 And in Indonesia, @magifarm.id, supported through partners like @viriyaenb, is using the same nature-based approach to rethink food waste management, turning waste into value for businesses and households. This is what people-centred climate action looks like in practice: solutions that work for people, planet and business. 💬 Had you heard of black soldier flies before? What other unexpected climate solutions have caught your attention? Let us know in the comments.
🪰 What if a tiny insect could help tackle food waste, support farmers, and reduce emissions? The black soldier fly is doing exactly that. ♻️ Across Kenya, partners like @_icipe are scaling insect-based innovations that transform organic waste into valuable resources such as animal feed and organic fertiliser — supporting healthier ecosystems, stronger livelihoods and more resilient food systems. 🍅 And in Indonesia, @magifarm.id, supported through partners like @viriyaenb, is using the same nature-based approach to rethink food waste management, turning waste into value for businesses and households. This is what people-centred climate action looks like in practice: solutions that work for people, planet and business. 💬 Had you heard of black soldier flies before? What other unexpected climate solutions have caught your attention? Let us know in the comments.
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🪰 What if a tiny insect could help tackle food waste, support farmers, and reduce emissions? The black soldier fly is doing exactly that. ♻️ Across Kenya, partners like @_icipe are scaling insect-based innovations that transform organic waste into valuable resources such as animal feed and organic fertiliser — supporting healthier ecosystems, stronger livelihoods and more resilient food systems. 🍅 And in Indonesia, @magifarm.id, supported through partners like @viriyaenb, is using the same nature-based approach to rethink food waste management, turning waste into value for businesses and households. This is what people-centred climate action looks like in practice: solutions that work for people, planet and business. 💬 Had you heard of black soldier flies before? What other unexpected climate solutions have caught your attention? Let us know in the comments.
2 months ago
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This is cool — literally! 🧊 Denis Karema, CEO of @sokofreshkenya and a strong advocate for expanding access to solar-powered cooling in Kenya, showed us how these solutions make a real difference in farmers’ everyday lives. By keeping food cold, less goes to waste — a key climate solution as temperatures continue to rise across many regions. We had the opportunity to document how SokoFresh’s cold rooms are used in Kenya as part of our upcoming IKEA Foundation Week campaign, which will focus on food systems. This work is supported by the IKEA Foundation and our partner @claspappliances, who are helping bring renewable energy to smallholder farmers in East Africa and India. SokoFresh is also supported by our partners #PREO and @enviu, as part of a strong nexus solution across renewable energy and agriculture work. A huge thank you to Denis for sharing his inspiring work, and to our fantastic production team in Nairobi for bringing this story to life. 📅 More to come during #IKEAFoundationWeek, Autumn 2026. #ikeafoundation
This is cool — literally! 🧊 Denis Karema, CEO of @sokofreshkenya and a strong advocate for expanding access to solar-powered cooling in Kenya, showed us how these solutions make a real difference in farmers’ everyday lives. By keeping food cold, less goes to waste — a key climate solution as temperatures continue to rise across many regions. We had the opportunity to document how SokoFresh’s cold rooms are used in Kenya as part of our upcoming IKEA Foundation Week campaign, which will focus on food systems. This work is supported by the IKEA Foundation and our partner @claspappliances, who are helping bring renewable energy to smallholder farmers in East Africa and India. SokoFresh is also supported by our partners #PREO and @enviu, as part of a strong nexus solution across renewable energy and agriculture work. A huge thank you to Denis for sharing his inspiring work, and to our fantastic production team in Nairobi for bringing this story to life. 📅 More to come during #IKEAFoundationWeek, Autumn 2026. #ikeafoundation
This is cool — literally! 🧊 Denis Karema, CEO of @sokofreshkenya and a strong advocate for expanding access to solar-powered cooling in Kenya, showed us how these solutions make a real difference in farmers’ everyday lives. By keeping food cold, less goes to waste — a key climate solution as temperatures continue to rise across many regions. We had the opportunity to document how SokoFresh’s cold rooms are used in Kenya as part of our upcoming IKEA Foundation Week campaign, which will focus on food systems. This work is supported by the IKEA Foundation and our partner @claspappliances, who are helping bring renewable energy to smallholder farmers in East Africa and India. SokoFresh is also supported by our partners #PREO and @enviu, as part of a strong nexus solution across renewable energy and agriculture work. A huge thank you to Denis for sharing his inspiring work, and to our fantastic production team in Nairobi for bringing this story to life. 📅 More to come during #IKEAFoundationWeek, Autumn 2026. #ikeafoundation
This is cool — literally! 🧊 Denis Karema, CEO of @sokofreshkenya and a strong advocate for expanding access to solar-powered cooling in Kenya, showed us how these solutions make a real difference in farmers’ everyday lives. By keeping food cold, less goes to waste — a key climate solution as temperatures continue to rise across many regions. We had the opportunity to document how SokoFresh’s cold rooms are used in Kenya as part of our upcoming IKEA Foundation Week campaign, which will focus on food systems. This work is supported by the IKEA Foundation and our partner @claspappliances, who are helping bring renewable energy to smallholder farmers in East Africa and India. SokoFresh is also supported by our partners #PREO and @enviu, as part of a strong nexus solution across renewable energy and agriculture work. A huge thank you to Denis for sharing his inspiring work, and to our fantastic production team in Nairobi for bringing this story to life. 📅 More to come during #IKEAFoundationWeek, Autumn 2026. #ikeafoundation
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This is cool — literally! 🧊 Denis Karema, CEO of @sokofreshkenya and a strong advocate for expanding access to solar-powered cooling in Kenya, showed us how these solutions make a real difference in farmers’ everyday lives. By keeping food cold, less goes to waste — a key climate solution as temperatures continue to rise across many regions. We had the opportunity to document how SokoFresh’s cold rooms are used in Kenya as part of our upcoming IKEA Foundation Week campaign, which will focus on food systems. This work is supported by the IKEA Foundation and our partner @claspappliances, who are helping bring renewable energy to smallholder farmers in East Africa and India. SokoFresh is also supported by our partners #PREO and @enviu, as part of a strong nexus solution across renewable energy and agriculture work. A huge thank you to Denis for sharing his inspiring work, and to our fantastic production team in Nairobi for bringing this story to life. 📅 More to come during #IKEAFoundationWeek, Autumn 2026. #ikeafoundation
2 months ago
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