Mexico City, May 7, 2015. – GreenMomentum announced the opening of the sixth edition of Mexico’s leading contest for green companies. The 150 companies selected to participate in Cleantech Challenge Mexico 2015 were presented in an event held at the Interactive Economy Museum; FEMSA is a major sponsor of this initiative.
This event marks the beginning of the National Tournament where 150 Mexican companies – selected from 850 proposals representing 29 states and the Federal District – will compete for diverse prizes, including a guaranteed prize of MX$250,000 for first place. These entrepreneurs will also compete for the chance to access investment from Mexican private equity funds, which offer a co-investment capacity in excess of 30 million pesos. Other prizes include scholarships for post-graduate studies in administration and environment, residences in entrepreneurship acceleration centers in the USA, Europe, and Japan, and the chance to represent Mexico’s entrepreneurs at the Cleantech Global Showcase in Los Angeles.
FEMSA can trigger the development of entrepreneurs leveraging its leadership, experience, size, and inspiration capacities as a company that promotes growth. Considering these capacities, the company supports entrepreneurs in three main areas, validation of business models, mentoring, and linkage to key players for the success of their projects.
“2015 is, without a doubt, a year of great challenges for FEMSA because we have the commitment to strengthen the initiatives we have already implemented, looking to generate a greater positive impact on the environment. Our support of projects such as Cleantech Challenge, contributes to the addition of allies to the company’s challenge to generate financial and social value to our community,” said Jose Francisco Martinez, Head of Environmental Projects at FEMSA.
For the past years, Cleantech Challenge Mexico has established itself as an engine for economic development, boosting sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation. Since its conception, it has contributed to the creation of 4,100+ green jobs and 300+ new clean-tech firms.
Diverse organizations have acknowledged FEMSA’s efforts for including internal strategic actions that positively affect the environment; FEMSA’s inclusion in the Social Responsibility and Sustainability Index of Bolsa Mexicana de Valores and in Dow Jones Sustainability Index Emerging Markets, are some examples.
Generating the optimal economic, social, and environmental conditions for operating and growing in harmony with the communities where the company is present is still a business policy of FEMSA; therefore, every Business Unit must incorporate the Sustainability Strategy, which is based on the company’s Ethics and Values and focuses on three axles, Our People, Our Planet, and Our Community.
For more information, please visit: www.informesostenibilidad.femsa.com
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About FEMSA
FEMSA is a leading company that participates in the beverage industry with Coca-Cola FEMSA, the largest franchise bottler of Coca-Cola products in the world; and in the beer industry, through its ownership of the second largest equity stake in Heineken, one of the worlds leading brewers with operations in over 70 countries. FEMSA participates in the retail sector with FEMSA Comercio, which operates various small-format chain stores including OXXO, the largest and fastest growing in Latin America. Through FEMSA Negocios Estratégicos, it also offers logistical services, point of sales cooling solutions, and plastic solutions for FEMSA’s companies and external customers.
About Cleantech Challenge Mexico
Cleantech Challenge Mexico is the most important contest for green companies in the country. It offers a process of open acceleration for clean-tech companies and provides support for locating finance through private capital or goverment funding. It was established in 2009 in Mexico City and currently operates in Mexico and the USA.
About GreenMomentum Inc.
GreenMomentum is a market intelligence firm that specializes in the design and implementation of economic competivity programs through entrepreneurship and innovation of clean energy and clean technology. It was founded in 2008 in Silicon Valley, California and has offices and representation in the USA and Mexico.