Sustainability Bootcamp (SB)

We believe that entrepreneurship and innovation will be essential to solve the most important issues of the 21st century. Thus, Vali Berlin - The Entrepreneurship Hub at ESMT brings together technologists, business talents, investors, subject matter experts, and mentors to identify and analyze essential problems of our world, validate a market need, and develop innovative solutions.

March 6-21, 2025

Duration

Face-to-face and virtual

Format

Target group

We are looking for talents that strive to become entrepreneurs and tackle the largest problems of our time, contributing to one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the UN. We are especially looking forward to working with:

Technologist, especially in artificial intelligence (AI) and/or climate science
Entrepreneurial-driven generalist/business person
Industry experts

Value proposition

At the end of the program, you will

Connect with other tech and business talents and potential co-founders
Gain valuable insights into trends, technologies, and sustainability
Identify and validate significant problem opportunities, and
Network and meet potential investors, mentors, and subject matter experts

Highlights

Participation is free
Pitch your idea in front of an expert and investor jury
The winning team wins:
- Prize money
- A spot at Vali Berlin's Summer Entrepreneurship Program
- Attends INNOVA Europe as the National Representative for Germany at the Idea Stage

Phase 1 (on-site)

Ideate and meet

Sustainability opportunities will be presented by corporate partners, NGOs and other stakeholders. After receiving input from the subject matter, experts and entrepreneurs will match and create teams. The teams will be assigned to business coaches and industry experts. Both days include keynote speakers, coaching sessions and networking events.

Presentations: Trends, technologies, and problems presented by NGOs, corporates, startups, VCs, and other stakeholders
Panel discussion: Panel discussion between VCs, corporates, startups, and corporates on “Environmental challenges and the role of the startup ecosystem”
Team building: Find and work with like-minded tech and business talents
Networking: Connect with stakeholders of the ecosystem and other like-minded talents

Phase 2 (virtual)

Work phase

Between the first and third phase, teams will work independently to analyze and validate the opportunity and problem. Teams will receive mentorship and coaching by our partners and Vali Berlin.