William launches Dragons' Den style Earthshot scheme to mark 'critical decade'

11 March 2024 , 20:56

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Prince William speaking during the event this evening (Image: PA)

Prince William has warned we are in the “critical decade” if humanity is going to save our planet.

Speaking in London tonight as he kick-started his £50 million Earthshot “Launchpad” - a Dragons' Den style matchmaking platform to connect innovators attempting to solve the planet’s biggest environmental issues with investors - William said it is “urgent” to support and develop solutions now. He said: “When I first started thinking about how I might contribute to the collective global effort to protect our planet in 2018, I knew that I wanted to mobilise the enormous power of innovators, wherever they are in the world.

“But this is urgent. We are in the critical decade now. And that is why, to have real impact, we must focus on supporting and developing as many solutions as possible and scale them at speed,” William added.

The Prince of Wales attends an event celebrating the Earthshot Prize Launchpad in London (AP)

Kensington Palace described the launch as “a landmark moment for The Earthshot Prize as it steps up its support for innovators worldwide, working to bring their solutions to scale at an unprecedented pace.” William urged investors and philanthropists at the event to join the Earthshot mission, which is awarding £1million prizes to five inventors or team each year for the next decade to solve global environmental problems.

The development of Launchpad will help to catalyse further funding on an even bigger scale, supporting even more Earthshot innovators and building on the Prize’s ability to convene a community of investors and philanthropists who can provide the capital required to bring environmental solutions to scale. The event, hosted at Frameless was also attended by Earthshot Prize Winners and Finalists as well as investors and philanthropists to celebrate the Launchpad, after it was initially unveiled in Singapore in November.

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William speaks with attendees at the event (PA)

The heir was joined by former New Zealand PM Jacinta Ahern and Earthshot Prize Finalists includin, Low Carbon Materials (LCM), LanzaTech, Colorifix and ENSO. Over the next year, the Prize hopes to triple the number of solutions on the platform by including stand-out nominees from every sector and geography, in addition to Winners and Finalists.

Hannah Jones, CEO of The Earthshot Prize said: “Launchpad marks a significant step forward for The Earthshot Prize on its journey to scaling innovative solutions from around the globe and becoming a global platform for impact.” Thanks in part to their presence on Launchpad, Earthshot Prize Winner Notpla has already received an additional £3.9 million commitment towards their recent £10 million funding round.

William said we are now 'in the critical decade' (AP)

Pierre Paslier, Co-CEO of Notpla said: “The Launchpad platform is already demonstrating real impact by connecting us with like-minded investors. As the platform continues to grow, I’m confident it will be a gamechanger for other solutions in Earthshot’s robust and growing pipeline.”

Russell Myers