SustainTech Competition Pitch Day 2025
At Tecno International, our mission has always been to support innovation that moves the world toward a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient future. For the third consecutive year, we had the privilege of organising in collaboration with UCL School of Management the SustainTech Pitching Competition: a unique initiative where early-stage founders turn bold ideas into investable solutions addressing today’s most urgent environmental and social challenges.
This year’s event exceeded all expectations. With record numbers of applicants and a growing ecosystem of university-affiliated and external stakeholders, the competition reaffirmed the momentum behind climate tech and sustainability-driven entrepreneurship.
Our Head of Strategy and UK Director, Allegra Fortunato, opened the event and served on the competition jury, bringing both a global consulting perspective and a deep understanding of what drives long-term sustainable value in early-stage ventures. We also welcomed several keynote speakers, including Bella Tonkonogy, Senior Director of Programmes at the Climate Policy Initiative, who distilled best-practice lessons from high-impact sustainability entrepreneurs, and Professor Onesun Steve Yoo, Co-Founder and Director of the UCL Centre for Sustainable Business, who outlined the Centre’s activities and showcased examples of applied research delivered in collaboration with industry partners.
As in previous years, we co-organised the event alongside Pierre-Jean (PJ) Hanard, Entrepreneurship Lead at UCL School of Management and founder of the competition, whose continued support has been instrumental.
Tecno International had the honour of awarding three winners with three benefits: a dedicated one-year mentorship programme offering strategic guidance, a £1,000 cash prize, and access to our global advisory network.
We are proud to continue partnering with UCL not only on this competition but across a number of joint initiatives that champion sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship year after year. Together, we aim to bridge academia and industry, helping bold ideas transition into meaningful impact.
2025 Winners: Bridging Innovation with Impact
The three start-ups selected this year each demonstrated a powerful alignment between technology, purpose, and scalability—qualities we at Tecno International believe are fundamental for long-term impact.
The Hot Air Company – Best Idea Award
Winner of this year’s Best Idea award, The Hot Air Company has developed an elegant solution to a growing problem: the massive waste of thermal energy in data centres. By recovering excess heat and repurposing it for thermal-intensive processes like alternative protein manufacturing, the startup is pioneering a new form of industrial symbiosis.
Their solution not only reduces emissions and operating costs for data centres but also provides biotech customers with a cleaner, more affordable alternative to gas boilers. As the startup put it:
“We’re beyond excited to benefit from one year of mentorship from Tecno International. Their emphasis on the need to foster industrial circularity and partnerships for real environmental impact is exactly what our startup aims to achieve by bridging two sectors. Accessing Tecno’s expertise in sustainability alongside their wider advisory board will be of tremendous help as we conduct market validation and seek our first customers for a pilot.”
Solora – Audience Favourite Award
Accessibility is often left out of the sustainability conversation—but Solora is working to change that. This year’s Audience Favourite award went to Solora, whose RideOnTime app empowers visually impaired riders to access real-time transit updates by translating LED displays into readable and audible formats. By removing a critical barrier to public transport access, Solora is building a future where smart cities are not only sustainable but truly inclusive.
We are thrilled to welcome Solora into our mentorship programme and help accelerate the development of their platform. As they shared:
“Working with Tecno International has been a meaningful step forward, and we’re excited to see what we can accomplish together.”
EcoNomad Solutions – Best Pitch Award
EcoNomad Solutions, winner of the Best Pitch award, is addressing sustainability at the intersection of agriculture, energy, and decentralised infrastructure. Their modular, easy-to-use animal waste-to-energy system is designed for small livestock farms, offering an accessible route to energy self-sufficiency and improved environmental performance.
Their focus on smallholders—often overlooked in large-scale agritech solutions—resonated strongly with Tecno International’s commitment to supporting just and inclusive transitions. Through our mentorship, we aim to help EcoNomad refine their product-market fit and explore partnership opportunities in key European and African markets.
Mentoring the Next Generation of Climate Leaders
The 2025 edition of the SustainTech Pitching Competition reinforced what we at Tecno International already know to be true: entrepreneurship is a powerful force for climate action, but it requires strategic support to scale.
Our mentorship programme provides early-stage start-ups with the frameworks, tools, and connections to transition from prototype to real-world impact. From assessing environmental outcomes to identifying sustainable business models and stakeholder engagement strategies, our role is to guide innovators as they grow with purpose.
Looking Ahead
As we continue to work with this year’s winners over the next twelve months, we are excited to see their ideas evolve, and equally committed to helping them translate vision into viable, scalable solutions.
To the wider SustainTech community, we offer our congratulations and thanks. Competitions like these remind us of the power of interdisciplinary collaboration, the value of inclusive innovation, and the urgency of collective action.
The future of sustainability is being built today: by scientists, engineers, founders, and thinkers. At Tecno International, we are proud to be part of that journey.