Climate Impact Innovations Challenge 2026 awards Rp15 billion in catalytic funding to CRecTech, Blueyou, and MacroCycle Technologies to pilot their climate solutions in Indonesia

East Ventures, Temasek Foundation, and Tencent are pleased to announce the conclusion of the Climate Impact Innovations Challenge (CIIC) 2026, Indonesia's largest climate tech competition. As the fourth edition, CIIC 2026 was launched on 8 April 2026 and culminated in the Grand Finale on 6 October 2026, held as a thematic session of the prestigious Indonesia International Sustainability Forum (ISF) 2026.

The Grand Finale featured a panel discussion with Rahayu Saraswati Djojohadikusumo, Deputy Chairperson of Commission VII of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, and a keynote speech by Agus Rusly, S.Pi, M.Si., Director of Waste Reduction and Circular Economy Development, Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Indonesia.

Since its launch, CIIC has been committed to advancing innovation and accelerating the deployment of sustainable solutions in Indonesia. This year, the challenge focused on three tracks: Energy Transition, Food & Nature Solutions, and Circular Economy, reflecting key areas of global climate action.

This year's CIIC garnered overwhelming global interest, attracting more than 850 applications from around 60 countries. From this highly competitive pool, nine finalists were selected. These finalists then received mentorship from industry leaders to refine their projects and maximize their potential to create lasting, positive environmental impact.

"The Climate Impact Innovations Challenge reflects our belief that sustainability is not only about addressing today's climate challenges, but also about building the foundation for long-term, resilient growth. We are grateful to see CIIC grow into a platform that brings together bold ideas, committed innovators, and partners united by a shared ambition to turn climate innovation into meaningful, real-world impact. This journey would not be possible without the continued support and collaboration of our partners, and we are deeply grateful for their commitment. We congratulate this year's winners and finalists, and look forward to seeing their innovations create meaningful impact in Indonesia and beyond," said Avina Sugiarto, Partner at East Ventures.

The winners of the Climate Impact Innovations Challenge 2026 are:

• CRecTech, as the winner of the Energy Transition track, converts palm oil biogas into bio-methanol at 50% lower cost, cutting emissions by up to 93%.
• Blueyou, as the winner of the Food & Nature Solutions track, restores mangroves on degraded land alongside feed- and chemical-free blue food production, while increasing smallholder farmer incomes by up to 3x.
• MacroCycle Technologies, as the winner of the Circular Economy track, textile-to-textile polyester recycling technology with 80% lower energy usage, 80% lower CO₂ emissions, and 99% less water usage, all at price parity.

Each winner gets Rp5 billion in catalytic funding to pilot their solutions in Indonesia.

Beyond the Rp15 billion in grant funding, additional prize and investment commitments announced during the CIIC 2026 Grand Finale included:

• Tencent awarded US$1 million of carbon credit offtake to Yagasu.
• Sinar Mas Agribusiness & Food awarded US$50,000 in grant funding to CRecTech.
• Mana Impact awarded US$50,000 in investment to Blueyou.
• Vinerock Capital awarded US$50,000 in investment to CRecTech.

"Climate innovation matters most when it can make a difference on the ground. CIIC 2026 brings promising global climate solutions closer to the needs and opportunities in Indonesia, creating the conditions for meaningful climate impact. This year, Temasek Foundation is pleased to co-present the challenge with East Ventures and Tencent, and we look forward to seeing the winning innovations contribute to a more resilient and sustainable future," said Heng Li Lang, Head, Climate and Liveability at Temasek Foundation.

"Investing in nature is an investment in a more resilient and sustainable future for Indonesia. At Tencent, we are proud to support the Food & Nature Solutions track at the Climate Impact Innovations Challenge 2026. By helping innovators pilot their solutions in Indonesia, CIIC provides an important bridge between promising ideas and practical impact. We hope this support will help nature-based innovations demonstrate their value, grow into commercially sustainable solutions and deliver lasting benefits for people and the planet," said Xu Hao, Vice President for Sustainable Social Value, Tencent.

"We are honored to win the Energy Transition track at the Climate Impact Innovations Challenge 2026. At CRecTech, we turn stranded biogas from palm oil mill effluent into affordable green bio-methanol at source. With CIIC's catalytic funding, we will accelerate our pilot and commercial deployment in Indonesia with local partners, including Pertamina. This achievement reflects the hard work of our team and the support of our investors and partners, and we are grateful to East Ventures, Temasek Foundation, Tencent and the CIIC community for the opportunity as we work to scale Indonesian waste resources into sustainable fuels for domestic and global markets," said Lim Kang Hui, Co-Founder & CEO, CRecTech.

"MacroCycle is incredibly fortunate and happy to win the CIIC Circular Economy track! This prize will now allow us to officially launch our first Asia-based project to start tackling head-on the immense amount of textile waste present in the region, especially here in Indonesia. With over 80% of textile manufacturing taking place in Asia, MacroCycle has been looking at how to best enter this market, and with this opportunity, we can now expedite the projects we have with local Indonesian partners to prove that a circular economy is not only viable, but economically attractive in this country," said Stwart Pena Feliz, Co-Founder & CEO, MacroCycle Technologies.

Climate Impact Innovations Challenge 2026 is supported by several partners, including Strategic Partner: Triputra Agro Persada, Investor Partners: Sinar Mas Agribusiness & Food, Mana Impact, Vinerock Capital, and many others.

For further information, interested parties can visit the CIIC website at climateimpactinnovations.com.