SINGAPORE — Three cross-border teams emerged as winners at the Singapore International Foundation’s (SIF) Climate Hack 2024 Pitch Day on 22 February 2025, marking the finale of the five-month programme which began in September 2024.

First launched in 2021, Climate Hack aims to equip individuals in Asia with digital skills to develop and accelerate tech-driven solutions for climate change.

The winning teams were represented by 13 youths from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and the Philippines. The winning ideas included strategic cross-sector partnerships to ensure scalability, personalised user experiences to address unique needs, and more cost-effective alternatives to existing solutions.

More than 300 youths from 27 countries participated in the programme to develop climate solutions. They received training from leading industry experts in digital proficiencies, problem-solving skills, entrepreneurial thinking and best practices in presenting and marketing their ideas. Nine of the ten shortlisted teams comprised youths from different countries, reflecting the criticality of collaboration in addressing climate challenges.

At Pitch Day, ten shortlisted teams presented their tech-driven solutions to a panel of judges. They addressed environmental challenges in areas such as natural resource management, land use, transport, waste management and ecological economics.

Three winning teams were chosen based on their creativity, persuasiveness, teamwork, and the impact and feasibility of their solution. They are: E-Connect (Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and the Philippines); SustainIQ (Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and the Philippines); and Sustainloop (India, Malaysia, and the Philippines).

Since 2021, Climate Hack has trained close to 1,000 youths from 24 countries across Asia. Collectively, the programme’s participants have developed 130 digital prototypes and solutions to address climate-related challenges. — VNS