Partnering with Katerva in Search of Nature-Inspired Startups

For release on November 25, 2019 — For almost a decade, the Biomimicry Institute has been working to inspire solutions to critical sustainability challenges and promote the kind of disruptive, sustainable innovations that the Katerva Awards identifies and accelerates. Now, Katerva, home of the Katerva Awards, and the Biomimicry Institute are partnering to reach a broader audience and jointly identify leapfrog solutions and startups that embody radical sustainability and support a healthy planet.

“Ever since reading the book Natural Capitalism by Lovins et al in 1999, I have been hugely inspired by, and passionate about, biomimicry,” declared Dr Bettina von Stamm, Director of Awards Program at Katerva. “There is no tool more powerful than biomimicry when seeking disruptive innovation that leads us towards sustainability, and a circular economy, which is why I am truly delighted about this collaboration.”

After passing through Katerva’s validation, scalability, policy and impact panels, solutions that best represent innovative strategies inspired by nature will be considered for this year’s new Biomimicry Award, and will also be invited to participate in one of two entrepreneurship programs offered by the Biomimicry Institute — the Biomimicry Launchpad or the Ray of Hope Prize® competition.

“Nature-inspired products are often more efficient, more effective, and ultimately cost less than others that do something similar,” said Beth Rattner, Executive Director of the Biomimicry Institute. “At a time when resources and energy need to be dramatically rethought, it makes perfect sense to partner with Katerva to bring our two communities together.”

Nominations for the Katerva Award are categorized into five categories: Cities & Mobility, Food & Water, Education & Human Resources, Energy & Environment, and Health & Wellbeing. Using an award and grand challenge format, the Katerva Award’s core function is to create a new platform for the way in which the international community connects global information, influence and investment with promising innovations from around the world. Prize winners are matched with best-in-class global advisors and resources to help them further scale their businesses.

For more information about the Katerva Award, visit katerva.net. To learn more about biomimicry and how to find inspiration from nature, visit biomimicry.org.

####

About the Biomimicry Institute

The Biomimicry Institute is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded in 2006 that empowers people to seek nature-inspired solutions for a healthy planet. To advance the solution process, the Institute offers AskNature.org, a free online tool that contains strategies found in nature and examples of ways they are used in design. It also hosts a Biomimicry Global Design Challenge and Youth Design Challenge to support project-based education, a Launchpad for entrepreneurship to bring designs to market, and connects innovators through the Global Biomimicry Network.

About Katerva

Katerva is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded in 2010 whose mission it is to identify, evaluate and accelerate sustainable disruptive innovation, using its global network and annual awards program to achieve its goals. The Katerva network brings together CEOs, heads of state, ministers and policymakers, experts and academics, international organizations, youth, technology innovators and representatives of civil society in an impartial space with the aim of driving positive change.