New SAP program supports APAC startups addressing sustainability challenges facing modern businesses, with 50% of cohort based in ANZ
SYDNEY – November 25, 2021 – SAP.iO Foundry Singapore, one of SAP SE’s (NYSE: SAP) global B2B startup accelerators, today launched its first sustainability program. It brings together a select group of disruptive startups building innovative technology solutions to global sustainability challenges and includes ANZ-based givvable, CarbonClick and WePower.
The equity-free program is designed to accelerate sustainability innovation in the APAC region, delivering new business models for SAP customers and organisations more broadly.
During the 13-week programme, the participating startups will have access to technical and go-to-market support that empowers them to integrate with SAP solutions. They will be paired with SAP mentors and given exposure to SAP technology and application programming interfaces (APIs), as well as collaboration opportunities with SAP customers.
Local startups changing the world
Startups were selected for relevance to SAP’s tripartite “Chasing Zero” sustainability journey. This includes working towards zero emissions – both for SAP and by empowering SAP customers to gain visibility of and reduce emissions across the entire supply chain; zero waste – entering a circular economy where we reuse, reshare, repair and recycle to reduce waste; and zero inequality – because a truly sustainable future is not possible when diversity is not the norm. The ANZ-based startups participating in the first sustainability cohort are:
- Australia’s givvable, founded by sustainability and social innovation expert Frances Atkins. This is the go-to platform for businesses to discover and track sustainability credentials, attributes and initiatives of suppliers.
- New Zealand’s CarbonClick, a carbon credits marketplace allowing customers to purchase audited carbon offsets, as well as measure and reduce their carbon footprint.
- The Australian arm of WePower, a platform connecting corporate energy buyers and retailers with green energy generators so all businesses, regardless of size, can purchase locally produced green energy at competitive rates with full transparency.
The other participating startups are Singapore-headquartered Unabiz, which drives data-driven business efficiency through sensors, manufacturing and cloud platform services for smart metering, smart facilities management, smart logistics and supply chain; India-based Ambee, which helps people to breathe clean air using AI and ML techniques to analyse air quality, soil, micro weather, pollen, and more; and Singapore-based Resync, a cloud energy management company which manages renewable assets, building energy and industrial energy.
Chasing Zero at SAP
SAP has been investing in sustainability for over a decade, setting its first carbon reduction targets in 2009 and achieving them three years early. It has been named the software industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for 15 consecutive years, and its membership in the Value Balancing Alliance and the SAP Integrated Report illustrates its commitment to integrating economic, environmental and social performance to drive business decisions.
SAP was also one of 44 companies to receive the Terra Carta Seal for Commitment to Sustainability at COP26 and aims to be carbon neutral in its own operations by the end of 2023.
“Sustainability is one of the most acute challenges of our times. At SAP we believe that technology innovation and industry partnerships are key to creating a sustainable future,” said Damien Bueno, President and Managing Director, SAP Australia and New Zealand.
“Partnering with some of the most innovative local sustainability startups will help us collectively tackle one of our planet’s biggest challenges head on. It’s great to see three success stories from Australia and New Zealand, Givvable, CarbonClick and WePower, driving sustainable transformation as part of this innovation program.”
You can find out more about the accelerator here as well as SAP.iO’s other accelerators here. Learn more about SAP’s sustainability commitments here.
