…World Economic Forum’s UpLink initiative highlights the impact of pioneering early-stage innovators driving tangible sustainability progress and creating over 30,000 jobs.
…Outcomes include avoiding CO₂ emissions equivalent to over 30,000 cars and protecting terrestrial and aquatic areas equivalent to one-fifth the size of the Amazon rainforest.
…Alongside environmental and societal benefits, UpLink’s latest impact report also shows how pioneering innovators are boosting economic growth and increasing their revenues
WED MARCH 19 2025-theGBJournal| A report released today by UpLink, the World Economic Forum initiative supporting early-stage, impact-focused start-ups, indicates that innovators within its community have avoided 142,400 tonnes of CO₂ emissions through clean electricity, sustainable agriculture, manufacturing and other practices – equivalent to the annual emissions of 30,220 cars – while also boosting incomes and creating 30,699 jobs.
These figures are among the key insights from UpLink’s Annual Impact Report 2025, which compiles impact data submitted by purpose-driven, for-profit ventures, known as Top Innovators who, despite breakthrough solutions, often lack the partnerships, investment and access to global markets they need to scale.
These pioneering solutions were chosen through UpLink’s innovation challenges – run in collaboration with World Economic Forum initiatives and partner companies and organizations – to receive targeted support, funding opportunities and other resources to scale their impact on the environment, society and the economy.
“As progress towards the 2030 Global Goals continues to lag, the urgency of taking decisive action grows and UpLink together with its partners are accelerating the impact of more than 500 early-stage start-ups in areas including climate action, clean water, urban transformation, the circular economy and energy,” said John Dutton, Head of UpLink and Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum.
“We are committed to rigorously monitoring and measuring this impact, emphasizing our role in advancing the business growth of Top Innovators as well as the broader social and environmental outcomes driven by their solutions.”
The report, which aggregates impact data from 2023 and 2024, highlights Top Innovators’ achievements in protecting and restoring nature and conserving vital resources, including safeguarding 140 million hectares of terrestrial and aquatic areas – equivalent to around one-fifth of the Amazon rainforest.
They have also treated 2.5 billion litres of wastewater, including hazardous wastewater, which is enough to meet the annual water needs of approximately 25,000 households in a developing country.
Additionally, they have tracked and traced 28 million tonnes of waste, comparable to two years’ worth of waste generated by New York City.
Canada-based start-up EnviCore, for example, is helping to introduce sustainable practices to the hard-to-abate mining industry.
Its approach involves repurposing waste materials from mining operations, promoting a circular economy and reducing CO₂ emissions by over 90% compared to conventional methods.
In Brazil, Umgrauemeio uses super high-resolution cameras and satellites to monitor forests for wildfire risks. Its AI algorithms can detect smoke within seconds, sending alerts to fire crews and tracking vehicles to enhance safety during firefighting operations. In 2024, the company managed 6.7 million hectares of natural reserves, forests and restoration areas.
Among its community of water-focused innovators, Indra Water, an Indian-based start-up that recycles wastewater using electricity, reported that it had treated 243% more wastewater in 2024 than it did in 2022, scaling up from 350 million litres to 1.2 billion litres per year.
“Our collaboration with UpLink exemplifies a true partnership and serves as a model for how organizations can convene climate start-ups to work seamlessly with municipalities and private companies,” said Tiya Gordon, Co-Founder of it’s electric, a Top Innovator which is installing affordable kerbside charging points for electric vehicles in US cities.
“Together, we’re enabling a collective effort to tackle ambitious climate goals with a hyper-local focus, fostering an ecosystem that could very well help save our planet.”
Alongside environmental benefits, the report also indicates how early-stage innovation is boosting economic growth through job creation and income generation. As a collective, the Top Innovators have reported 30,699 jobs created in 2023 and 2024.
Meanwhile, almost 500,000 smallholder farmers and fishers have seen their annual incomes increase and 18,000 waste collectors have gained access to formal markets, empowering them economically and reducing landfill waste.
The report also shows a significant increase in vital flows of funding to early-stage innovators who are focused on solving some of the world’s most urgent challenges. In 2024 alone, Top Innovators raised $633 million in investment capital, an increase of approximately $196 million compared to 2023. And, in 2024, 47% of the innovators who reported their data saw more than 40% increase in their customer count.
The UpLink Annual Impact Report 2025 showcases how bringing together early-stage innovators, industry leaders, investors and experts can shape a sustainable, equitable and thriving global economy, and lead to lasting shifts in industries that will play a critical role in driving progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
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