2020 Investor Forum
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the goals of the Paris Climate Accord requires massive technological changes in multiple areas such as energy, mobility, construction, housing, agriculture and others. The chemical sector is a key contributor to these changes. Sustainable Chemistry is the key innovation driver in the areas of energy production, energy storage (new battery concepts), fuels from CO2 use, new building materials and insulation materials, new circular plastics industry (bio-benign materials, chemical recycling), reusable lightweight materials and environmentally friendly food production.
Current financial mechanisms do not properly reflect the needs of the emerging innovation pipeline for sustainable chemistry.
This forum explores the role of sustainable chemistry in innovations that achieve the SDGs, the role of frontier capital and blended financing mechanisms to secure the innovation pipeline, and the dynamics of the innovation eco-system.
October 21
Welcome Day 1
Andreas Förster, Director, ISC3 Innovation Hub
Panel Discussion
“Untapped Innovation Opportunities – Sustainable Development Goals and the Catalytic Role of Sustainable Chemistry”
The SDGs represent massive purchase order for a portfolio of innovations that can profoundly alter the landscape of traditional chemistry. How can the SDGs be achieved by supporting innovation in sustainable chemistry, and what direction must these innovations take?
Opening Remarks
Christine Wellington-Moore, United Nations Development Programme
Moderator: Alexis Bazzanella, co-director ISC3 Innovation Hub
with speakers:
Christine Wellington-Moore, Programme Advisor, UN Development Programme
Gian deBelder, Technical Director Packaging Sustainability, Procter & Gamble
Pierre Barthélémy, Executive Director of Research and Innovation, Cefic
Elsbeth Roelofs, Senior Program Manager Sustainable Chemical Business, MVO Nederlands
Startups present innovations
Greenjoules | Indresmat | LeafyLife | KBCols | Biosolvit
October 22
Welcome Day 2
Daniella Russo, CEO, Think Beyond™ Innovation Accelerator
Panel Discussion
"Supporting Innovation with Appropriate Financing - Emerging Investment Vehicles"
Exploring the role of conventional vs emerging financing vehicles; impact investment and access to high-risk capital for early stage innovation, funding scaling up and growth capital; what financial instruments exist or must be created. Exploring investments in sustainable chemistry frontier capital and blended capital to support hi-risk early stage innovations in bio-based chemicals and materials, bio-composites and circular technologies.
Opening Remarks
Ludwig Goris, PhD, Senior Investment Manager, Capricorn Partners
Moderator: Daniella Russo, CEO, Think Beyond Innovation Accelerator
with speakers:
Danya Hakeem, Director of Innovation, Agriculture & Circular Economy, Elemental Excelerator
Marc Leduc, PhD, Investment Manager, BASF Venture Capital
Martin Mulvihill, PhD, Founding General Partner, Safer Made Fund
Ludwig Goris, PhD, Senior Investment Manager, Capricorn Partners
Startups present innovations
Genecis | SKRS | AKYAS | Algoliner | ANUKA | Makabi Agritech | Primitives
October 23
Welcome Day 3
Alexis Bazzanella, Co-director ISC3 Innovation Hub
Panel Discussion
"Growing the Innovation Eco-system – identifying innovation, accelerating startups and supporting growth"
Exploring the dynamics of the innovation eco-system, and relationships with NGO, innovators, entrepreneurs, investors and policy-makers
Opening Remarks:
Alexis Bazzanella, Co-director ISC3 Innovation Hub
Moderator: Nils Decker, International Relations Manager, ISC3 Innovation Hub
with speakers:
AbdelRaman Fahmy, Sustainable Business Development Missionary and Chairman, youthinkgreen Egypt
Nitesh Mehta, Convenor of Industrial Green Chemistry World (IGCW), Founder/Director of Newreka Green Synth Technologies
Rócio Fonseca, Chief Innovation Officer at the Chilean Economic Development Agency
Hugo Delissen, Business Development Manager Startups at Brightlands Chemelot Campus
Startups present innovations
AC Biode | Andes Biotechnology | Banyan Nation
ISC3 Innovation Challenge Finalists and Awards
Zila Works | Ecovon | Reuse Design Laboratory | Ecoact Tansania | Glassolina
Andreas Förster graduated in Chemistry and received his Ph. D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Würzburg (D). Since joining the DECHEMA – Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology in 1997, he first worked as a consultant in the Research Management group of DECHEMA, then accepted the position of a group leader, and finally became head of the department of Research Management and Conferences. Since January 2010 he has been the Managing Director of ProcessNet, the German platform for chemical engineering. His main activities include the identification of new trends in chemistry and chemical engineering and innovation management. Since 2017, Andreas Förster has been the director of the ISC3 Innovation Hub, hosted by Dechema e.V.
Daniella Russo is the CEO and Co-founder of the Think Beyond Innovation Accelerator™, the leader of a global action to raise a wave of innovation directed at the UN Sustainable Development Goals for waste, water, agriculture, energy and climate change.
Think Beyond Plastic™ is a flagship program launched in 2008, to address the global plastic pollution crisis, with special impacts on ocean, agriculture, textile, construction and transportation. To secure a rich pipeline of innovation, it is building an innovation eco-system connecting industry, investors and innovators. Its Innovation Center has a global network of Regional User facilities for design, testing, characterization and prototyping.
Daniella Russo believes that intractable environmental challenges can be addressed by harnessing the forces of innovation and entrepreneurship, and the power of the markets to do good. She is a serial entrepreneur. She has started and ran numerous high-tech businesses, and her experience includes executive management from start-up phase through an IPO (such as Frame Technology, Infoseek and others), as well as Fortune-500 companies (Sun Microsystems, and Xerox Palo Alto Research Center).
Alexis Bazzanella is Co-Director of the ISC3 Innovation Hub and Head of Research & Project Coordination at DECHEMA. He has 20 years of experience in initiation, management and coordination of research and innovation projects in various fields of sustainable chemistry and chemical engineering. In his current position in ISC3 he and his team have built up the Global Start-up Service to support sustainable chemistry changemakers on a global level.
Before joining DECHEMA 20 years ago, he was joining a biotechnology start-up in an R&D function. He graduated in Chemistry and received his PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Technical University Darmstadt.
Alexis Bazzanella strongly believes that entrepreneurs play a key role in the transition of the chemical sector into a sustainable solution provider.