AI for Climate Resilience in Rural Areas

Register to the challenge and submit your solution. Prepare a pitch deck outlining your innovative AI-driven solution to address a specific development challenge in one of the target areas. 

We invite all formally registered AI technology-based companies that possess a minimum viable product (MVP) or a product available on the market or ready to be rolled out in the market, with experience and willingness to develop solutions in partnership with the organizing organizations to lift up the lives of rural communities. Female-led companies and gender diverse teams are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Entries should be submitted on or before Sunday, October 22, 2023 with a deadline set at 23:59 [GMT +8]. The following content should be provided:

1. Participation Form: Please provide answers to the questions on the form.
2. “Pitch deck”:  Presentation with (i) idea and value proposition; (ii) details on the underpinning technology and data inputs, (iii) explanation of the solution; (iv) details on how to maintain the product in the long run; (v) who are the key partners involved in this project; (vi) why should ADB partner and invest in pilot testing this solution. Teams may also provide a slide on their specific coaching needs if they are selected to proceed to the next phase. Please provide the presentation in PDF format.
3. The Team: Please provide details about your core  team: name, designation, experience and their current role and contributions to your team. Please provide the document in PDF format.
4. Prototype or wireframe of the proposed solution (optional but preferred), which may be submitted as an URL to the solution, video, or PDF format.

At the end of this step, up to 10 teams will be longlisted between October 24 to November 7, 2023. The results of the longlisting will be published Thursday, November 8, 2023 via the platform messaging system and email.

Coaching: 

Up to 10 longlisted applicants will receive coaching and technical support from domain experts to refine their solutions and develop prototypes. The challenge organizers will do their best to match all of  the longlisted submissions with potential real-life use cases.

During Stage 1, the applicants will be offered:

1. Mandatory M4D Onboarding Bootcamp: One week bootcamp between November 20 - 24, 2023  to enhance the understanding of responsible AI practices and ethical considerations, as well as, improving the participants business model and deliverables.
2. Self-assessment with fAIr LAC S3 tool: Developed by IDB Lab, this self-assessment tool is designed to allow the mitigation of ethical risks associated with the use/application of new technologies.
3. One-on-one coaching: Teams will also be coupled with an expert from one of the sponsoring organizations on the platform with whom they can message and set up a coaching call of maximum 45mins (further calls may be organized based on the coaches' availability).
   

M4D ONBOARDING BOOTCAMP SCHEDULE (November 20 - 24, 2023)

Up to 5 finalists will present their solutions prototypes at a dedicated virtual Pitching Event, where they will have the opportunity to showcase their solutions to a broader audience, including potential investors. 

Following an assessment process, the winning solutions will be selected based on their potential for impact, scalability, and alignment with the challenge objectives (see the full list of pre-set selection criteria below under ‘Selection Criteria’).

Up to three (3) selected solutions will receive seed funding up to USD 50,000 (each) and get a chance to be assessed to be included in the financing pipeline of sponsoring organizations to support the possible implementation and scaling up of their AI-driven solution. The challenge organizers will provide ongoing support, including technical guidance, partnerships, and access to relevant networks to maximize the solution's impact. 

Funding of the selected teams will follow the rules, regulations and processes of the funding and supporting entity and/or entities, as applicable.