Young Innovators Unite Across Borders to Combat Climate Change at Climate Hack 2024
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At the Climate Hack 2024 event, young innovators from all over Asia came together to address climate change in an impressive demonstration of global cooperation. Three cross-border teams were crowned victors on February 22, 2025, during the event’s Pitch Day, which was organized by the Singapore International Foundation (SIF). These teams, which included 13 young people from Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and the Philippines, demonstrated creative tech-driven solutions to urgent environmental issues.
SIF’s Climate Hack program was started in 2021 to give people in Asia the digital skills they need to create and expedite climate change solutions. More than 300 young people from 27 different nations participated in the 2024 edition. Leading industry professionals trained the participants in topics like problem-solving, digital competency, entrepreneurial thinking, and successful presenting and marketing techniques.
This year’s program’s emphasis on cross-border cooperation was one of its noteworthy highlights. The fact that members of nine of the ten shortlisted teams came from various nations emphasizes how crucial teamwork is in tackling the world’s climate problems.
The solutions put up by the three winning teams—E-Connect, SustainIQ, and Sustainloop—were notable for their originality, viability, and potential influence.
E-Connect: Members of this team came from the Philippines, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia. to guarantee scalability and efficacy in addressing climate challenges, their method concentrated on forming strategic cross-sector alliances.
SustainIQ: With participation from Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and the Philippines, SustainIQ created a platform that provides tailored user experiences to meet specific environmental concerns, hence increasing community accessibility to sustainable practices.
Sustainloop: With members from the Philippines, Malaysia, and India, Sustainloop offered reasonable substitutes for current solutions to lower costs and increase the accessibility of sustainable options.
“When I first connected with my teammates from Malaysia and the Philippines, we discovered that we shared the same dream of creating meaningful impact in the climate space despite coming from different countries,” said Ms. Manvitha Yalamanchili of Sustainloop, reflecting on the experience. We were able to learn from a variety of industries thanks to the varied experiences of our team, and I am overjoyed to have discovered motivating mentors in my teammates.”
Along with the major honors, the People’s Choice Award went to the Ecovolve team, which included individuals from Singapore, Indonesia, and Cambodia. Social media votes before Pitch Day and in-person crowd feedback during the event were used to select this honor.
In March 2025, all four approved teams are scheduled to go to Singapore. The Singapore Green Plan 2030, a broad national movement aimed at encouraging sustainable development, will be the subject of their visit.
Prominent experts such as Ms. Carla Gomez Briones, Climate and Sustainability Specialist at the United Nations Development Program Global Centre for Technology, Innovation, and Sustainable Development in Singapore, were on the Pitch Day judging panel. “The teams’ creativity and depth of thinking have been incredibly inspiring,” she said. These young activists have demonstrated an amazing capacity for impactful and purposeful innovation. In addition to addressing pressing climate challenges, their ideas demonstrate the value of cross-border cooperation in building a sustainable future.
Additionally, participants conveyed their appreciation for the knowledge and abilities they acquired from the training. According to Ms. Sheena Joy Palcis of E-Connect, “Climate Hack has given me new perspectives on how to implement my climate-resilient ideas. Our team’s solution is still relevant in the face of a quickly changing global landscape thanks to the input and resources I received from our mentors and trainers.
Kickstarter, Temporary Local, and Action for Change in Southeast Asia (ActSEA) were among the important partners that helped organize Climate Hack 2024. Volunteer mentors and trainers from companies including Cognisant, DataKind Singapore, and TheOneHourProject, as well as individual experts who shared their knowledge, also assisted.
Climate Hack has trained around 1,000 young people from 24 Asian nations since its founding in 2021. The program’s continued dedication to encouraging creativity and cooperation in the battle against climate change is demonstrated by the 130 digital prototypes and solutions that participants have created collectively to address climate-related issues.
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