2020 Investor Forum

CATALYZING INNOVATION
THROUGH INVESTMENTS IN
SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY
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INVESTOR FORUM AND INNOVATION SHOWCASE
                                                                         October 21, 22, 23 Schmidt Marine, The Embarcadero, San Francisco 
online
(starting time to be announced)

 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. 

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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 supporting innovations to 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.

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October 21

Welcome

Andreas Forster, Director,  ISC3 Innovation Hub

 

Keynote Address: The Transformative Power of Innovation

(Speaker to be announced)

 

“Untapped Innovation Opportunities – Sustainable Development Goals and the Catalytic Role of Sustainable Chemistry”

The SDGs represent massive purchase order for a whole 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?

(Panelists to be announced)

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Five startups present innovations

(lineup to be announced)

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October 22 

"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.

Moderator: Daniella Russo, CEO, Think Beyond Innovation Accelerator

(Panelists to be announced)

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Five startups present innovations

(lineup to be announced)

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October 23 

"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

(Panelists to be announced)

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Five startups present innovations

(lineup to be announced)

 

Announcements

Winners of the 2019 ISC3 Challenge for Sustainable Living

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Innovation Showcase

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Finalists of the 2019 ISC3 Challenge for Sustainable Living

and

Regional Innovation Projects

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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.

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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).