Build Better Innovation Challenge
Apply for an opportunity to deploy funded pilots, pitch for equity investment or carbon credit program purchases, and collaborate with Microsoft, Capgemini and/or Bouygues. This challenge seeks to accelerate the decarbonization of building materials through innovators who are ready to deploy.
Applications close on October 16, 2024.
What are Microsoft, Capgemini, and Bouygues looking for?
Innovative Material Solutions that Accelerate Decarbonization of the Built Environment
This year’s Build Better Innovation Challenge is seeking material solutions that can accelerate the decarbonization of the built environment. In addition to solutions that significantly reduce embodied carbon in building materials, the Challenge seeks solutions that remove carbon from the atmosphere through building material-specific carbon capture and utilization technologies, such as carbon sequestration into concrete.
Challenge Scope
Building Material Solutions
Microsoft, Capgemini, and Bouygues are looking for innovative low-carbon building material solutions, such as low-carbon concrete, steel, copper, aluminum, and bio-based structural materials.
Adjacent Technologies for Sequestering CO2 into Materials
Microsoft, Capgemini, and Bouygues are also interested in adjacent technologies for the built environment such as carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) solutions that sequester CO2 into concrete or other building materials and offer verified carbon credits.
What You Could Win
___ Pitch for an opportunity to deploy funded pilots
Pitch for the opportunity to deploy funded pilots with relevant teams at Microsoft and Bouygues.
___ Pitch for equity investment & carbon credit purchases
Opportunity to pitch for equity investment from Microsoft, Capgemini and Bouygues corporate venture funds. Microsoft, Capgemini and Bouygues may also decide to pursue purchases under their carbon removal and carbon credit programs.
___ Collaboration opportunities to help scale
By winning this Challenge, your company will have access to technical support and collaboration as well as customer access, when appropriate, to help scale your solution.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must meet the following requirements and additional criteria as noted in the Official Rules:
- Have at least two full-time employees.
- Fully comply with all local laws and regulations in the jurisdiction(s) where you operate.
- Have technology that is relevant to the identified subject areas.
- Have a technology with a minimum TRL 4, critical function or proof of concept; multiple operating prototypes preferred.
- Have technology that is scalable. Microsoft, Capgemini and Bouygues will only fund technologies that have the potential to significantly decarbonize materials in the built environment.
- Have technology that has the potential to make a global impact. Microsoft, Capgemini and Bouygues strongly prefer projects that apply to all markets, geographies, supply types, etc.
- If the solution is a CCUS technology relevant to subject areas identified, applicants must demonstrate the potential to offer verified carbon credits.
- Demonstrate ability to raise follow-on funding in near term.
- Agree and comply with official rules and other policies associated with this challenge.
FAQ
Do Challenge Parties typically lead rounds of investments?
Our Challenge Parties do not typically lead rounds of investment. Parties are interested in co-investments, and the size of investments will vary depending on the opportunity.
Can you advise on the TRL sweet spot for this challenge?
TRL 4 is the minimum requirement for this challenge. Higher TRLs, around TRL 7, are preferred for faster project deployment, but strong TRL 4 solutions are strongly encouraged to apply.
For ‘Building Material Solutions’, does this include adjacent technologies? For example, technology that helps contractors make smart choices about low-carbon concrete mixes?
Yes, Challenge Parties are interested in adjacent technologies that can help identify low-carbon concrete mixes, and they are encouraged to apply.
Are solutions with AI components eligible to apply?
Yes, Microsoft, Capgemini, and Bouygues are looking forward to applications from technologies that embrace AI to accelerate materials decarbonization and discovery.
Can applicants expect to engage with 1 or more of Challenge Parties if they are selected as a winner? Can there be a combination of one or more winning avenues?
Yes, it is a possibility for winners to engage with one or more Challenge Parties. The parties are eager to collaborate on solutions that meet shared goals and/or pursue solutions that meet individual goals. They offer co-investment, offtake, pilot deployments, and access to technology, scale, and customers, maximizing value for winners.
Meet the Judges
Brian Sifton
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Jim Hanna
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Sean James
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Cyrill Garcia
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Lucia Sinapi
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Stuart Leckie
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Christophe Lienard
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Eddie Woods
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Marie Luce Godinot
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Challenge Timeline
September 11th, 2024, 9 a.m. ET
September 11th, 2024, 9 a.m. ET
Application Opens
October 1st, 2024, 11 a.m. ET
October 3rd, 2024, 11 a.m. ET
October 16, 2024, 11:59 p.m. ET
October 16, 2024, 11:59 p.m. ET
Application Closes
November 18, 2024
November 18, 2024
Pitch Sessions (Virtual) / Winners Announced
The Fine Print
- More details can be found in the Official Rules.
Questions
Please contact buildbetterchallenge24@elementalimpact.com.
About Microsoft
Microsoft is a technology company whose mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. We strive to create local opportunity, growth, and impact in every country around the world. We are creating the platforms and tools, powered by artificial intelligence (“AI”), that deliver better, faster, and more effective solutions to support small and large business competitiveness, improve educational and health outcomes, grow public-sector efficiency, and empower human ingenuity. From infrastructure and data, to business applications and collaboration, we provide unique, differentiated value to customers.
About Capgemini
Capgemini is a global business and technology transformation partner, helping organizations to accelerate their dual transition to a digital and sustainable world, while creating tangible impact for enterprises and society. It is a responsible and diverse group of 340,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong over 55-year heritage, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to unlock the value of technology to address the entire breadth of their business needs. It delivers end-to-end services and solutions leveraging strengths from strategy and design to engineering, all fueled by its market leading capabilities in AI, cloud and data, combined with its deep industry expertise and partner ecosystem. The Group reported 2023 global revenues of €22.5 billion
Get the future you want | capgemini.com
About Bouygues
Bouygues is a diversified services group operating in over 80 countries with 201,500 employees all working to make life better every day. Its business activities in construction (Bouygues Construction, Bouygues Immobilier, Colas); energies & services (Equans); media (TF1) and telecoms (Bouygues Telecom) are able to drive growth since they all satisfy constantly changing and essential needs. The Group reported 2023 global revenues of €56 billion.
Making progress become reality | bouygues.com
Apply today
Applications can be submitted until October 16, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. ET.