Finalists Announced in CNBC and Allianz ‘Green’ Competition
LONDON-(Business Wire)-September 24, 2009 - The three finalists of The Good Entrepreneur competition (www.goodentrepreneur.com) have been announced. Matthew Holloway, founder of eco-friendly air-conditioning company Artica; Craig White, who runs Modcell a carbon negative homes business, and Marco Cremona, whose Hoter Project, a water treatment system, have been named as the three finalists competing for a prize package valued at more than €250,000.
The competition, which was created by business and financial news channel CNBC and financial services provider Allianz, aims to identify the entrepreneur with the best eco-business concept that is sustainable, responsible and innovative. A four-part TV series, hosted by CNBC presenter Steve Sedgwick, will track the progress of these three entrepreneurs, as they receive advice and mentoring support from top business leaders, including Dennis Jonsson, CEO of Tetra Pak, Jeremy Leggett, CEO of Solarcentury, Shai Agassi, CEO of Better Place and Martin Kupp, Faculty Professional at the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT). The series premiers on CNBC across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South East Asia on 2 November, and the winner will be announced on 26 November in the series finale.
After receiving close to 200 entries from across Europe, a panel of judges including Nani Beccalli-Falco, President and CEO, GE International, Dr. Armin Sandhövel CEO, Allianz Climate Solutions, Reid Hoffman, CEO, LinkedIn.com, Sir David King, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment and Jean-Philippe Courtois, President, Microsoft International, selected the finalists and will decide the winner of the competition. The winner, who will be named “The Good Entrepreneur 2009”, will receive a prize package worth more than €250,000 that includes financial support, advertising on CNBC and business support from Allianz.
The Three finalists
Matthew Holloway, with his concept of eco-friendly air conditioning named Artica. Holloway claims that Artica requires only 10% of the energy that a conventional air conditioning system would require to run, resulting in 90% CO2 savings in energy usage alone. Artica also uses no coolants, meaning HFCs (powerful greenhouse gases used in air conditioning) are eliminated.
Craig White has proposed to build carbon negative homes, schools and offices to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings and their operational energy use. White believes that his company, Modcell, will make this possible by using renewable materials such as wood, straw and hemp, which have banked carbon through photosynthesis, creating homes that are domestic carbon banks. As he points out, the demand for housing across the globe is enormous.
Marco Cremona, with his concept of a water treatment system for hotels and large commercial buildings. Under the name The Hoter Project, Cremona aims to provide a solution that treats the water consumed in these buildings in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective manner. The system avoids pollution and also saves 80% of the water consumed by hotels and large corporations.
The finalists’ business pitches can be viewed on The Good Entrepreneur website, where the finalists will also blog and offer comment in the lead up to the TV series. Visitors will be able to directly engage with the competition and the finalists by rating and commenting on their business concepts. The Good Entrepreneur website also offers support and advice for ‘green’ social entrepreneurs, and helps them take great ‘green’ ideas and transform them into solid, responsible business plans. It engages leading business schools, business leaders and entrepreneurial organisations and provides a new on-line community and resource. Leading business names including Martha Lane Fox, co-founder of Lastminute.com, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, chairman of easyGroup, Sebastien Baerhold, CFO and co-Founder Amiando and Nandan Nilekani, co-Chairman and co-Founder Infosys, all offer support for entrants on the site. The site is continually updated with new content, including feature stories, blogs, interviews and videos, during the competition and beyond.
The Good Entrepreneur competition is a result of a strategic partnership between Allianz, one of the leading global financial services providers and CNBC, the leading pan-EMEA business and financial news channel. It aligns with Allianz sustainable development strategy and commitment to the pursuit of a sustainable world, through combining long-term economic value, environmental stewardship and social responsibility.
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