If you failed to notice Google's lovely new artwork this morning, today is Earth Day. The purpose of the day in recent years has been to reflect on our energy consumption and to raise awareness on how to better preserve our planet, and startups can play a significant role in that preservation. Seedcamp, arguably the largest and most influential incubator in Europe, is teaming up with IBM and other organizations to host SmartCamp, a series of networking events across the globe designed to uncover the hottest early-stage companies with an environmental focus.
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Throughout the remainder of 2010, SmartCamp events will be held in Paris, Tel Aviv, San Francisco, Boston, Stockholm, London and Dublin. 5 companies from each city will be chosen to attend the event to network with 25 global entrepreneurs and investors, and one will eventually be invited to SmartCamp Week in Dublin where a winner will be crowned the "World's Smartest Startup."
We don't normally talk about environmental technology too much here on ReadWriteStart because a lot of it focuses around biotechnology and other applied sciences, but the SmartCamp events will be a little different. According to Seedcamp's Stephanie Zari, the companies they are looking to include intersect with a lot of Web and software startup trends.
"SmartCamp is focused on start-ups who are active in areas like energy, water management, transportation, health care, etc. Anywhere software and technology can be used to make our systems more intelligent," writes Zari on the Seedcamp blog. "Think about how technology can reduce energy waste, improve traffic flows reduce water leaks, or improve public safety in your city. These are just some examples, however these solutions based on software, sensors and cloud computing can apply to many areas."
There are plenty of other categories related to web technology that can provide a service to help make a smarter planet. SmartCamp says they will consider enterprise software apps, Internet and SaaS companies, Cloud and IT infrastructure, and many other sectors. Of course, they are also looking for traditional "green" innovations, including the areas of health care, energy efficiency, carbon and water management, transportation and several others.
According to IBM, 80% of last year's participants either secured or were offered funding for their company, and along with the networking included in the events, the event is a ripe opportunity for startups that want to help save the planet. To apply for the program, startups can go to the application on Seedcamp's site. The Boston and San Francisco-based events will be held June 3rd and September 8th, respectively.
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