Dear UNLEASH talents and supporters,
When the idea of UNLEASH came up and slowly started to materialize back in 2016, there were several moments along the way where I must admit that I had serious doubts as to whether we could really carry the project through. But we did. We succeeded in gathering 1,000 young talents in Denmark to help create a better world by developing innovative solutions to the SDGs – something that had never previously happened anywhere else in world.
This year’s UNLEASH in Singapore demonstrates that we have not only managed to pull off two amazing and impactful events, but in fact, we have created a movement of now 2,000 young talents from all over the world who have developed 370 solutions to the SDGs.
We are starting to see the impact of the solutions developed during the first UNLEASH Lab. Companies are being established and exciting partnerships are being built. We have seen how one idea has turned into eight health care centers in rural Uganda, how waste material is being upcycled into useful objects, how new jobs for those in need have been created and this is only the beginning.
So, how did we get here? Hard work, rethinking and an unwavering faith in the idea combined with a sincere desire to create a more sustainable world anchored in the SDGs. Thus, UNLEASH is clear proof of how far you can get when you believe in your ideas. Never forget that. As individuals, you will always experience setbacks at some point, but I have seen the dedication of every single UNLEASH talent and facilitator, and I am convinced that you have what it takes to create real change in the world.
You are all part of the UNLEASH story. And the story has just begun. Soon, we will enter year three of UNLEASH, and l very much look forward to revealing the location of the next UNLEASH Lab shortly. I can assure you one thing: It will be outstanding and take UNLEASH to the next level.
I wish you all a very happy New Year and I look forward to seeing the many ways in which you all continue to contribute to the SDGs.
Kind regards,
Flemming Besenbacher
Chairman of UNLEASH
In Singapore, UNLEASH had a chat with Torbjørn Sindballe, Audit & Assurance Talent Leader at Deloitte about the synergies between Deloitte’s work and UNLEASH. Deloitte has been involved in UNLEASH since the beginning and have been the Innovation Lead in both Denmark and Singapore, sending facilitators and talents to come up with new solutions.
November 19 marks The World Toilet Day which aims to create awareness of the access to quality sanitation in many parts of the world. The day was started by the founder of The World Toilet Organization, Jack Sim, who UNLEASH met in Singapore for a talk on how he came up with this idea and […]
Palak Aggarwal, co-founder of The Batti Ghar Foundation’s designs Solar Cane Palak co-founded The Batti Ghar Foundation, with her mentor, in early 2016 which work towards innovating and incubating sustainable technologies for livelihoods. With limited human and financial resources, she and her team at Batti Ghar have been able to innovate 4 technological solutions and […]
GOViral launches pilot in Philippines Based on the advice of several stakeholders at UNLEASH 2018 UNLEASH team GOViral has identified a local Barangay (community) where it wants to pilot its solution. The solution focusses on HBV in the Philippines, and it has received full support from the municipal mayor, the local health workers, and health […]
Gold winner: Vantage 720 Vantage 720 won for their solution to create awareness of climate change. Vantage 720 involves the creation of climate change lessons that will be localized with Indigenous knowledge and presented in a VR format, with calls to action and a designed curriculum to fit the cultural context of Grade 10-12 students […]
Gold winner: Bridg.it Bridg.it won for a solution with an app that matches cross-industries with excess materials. The solution is a platform that creates cross-industry behavioral nudges towards connection in a supply web. The solution includes: (1) Innovation Predictor; (2) User Interface to help us recognize our natural state of social curiosity; and (3) Machine learning that […]
Gold winner: SaniHive SaniHive won for the solution which would provide better access to sanitation for people living in slums. Urban slum communities in Khayelitsha, South Africa need sustainable sanitation that meet the needs of high population density. The current temporary portable toilets are largely inaccessible due to space constraints leading to situations where 20,000 […]
Gold winner: @letschatyoungvoices @letschatyoungcoives won for their solution to provide sex education and awareness to decrease school dropouts due to teen pregnancy. The solution is addressing school dropouts aged 13 to 19, due to teen pregnancy in the Dominican Republic. 20% of the girls aged 15-19 years, drop out of schools due to teen pregnancy. The ‘Let’s Chat’ […]
Gold winner: JOYA JOYA won gold for their solution, which would give mobility and safety to children with lower limb disabilities. In favelas of Rio de Janeiro, children with lower limb disabilities have difficulties accessing healthcare services. The rough terrain of the favela limits the child’s movement, preventing parents from bringing them for medical treatment. […]
Gold winner: Net-To Net-To won the Gold Award in their track for their solution to reduce post-harvest losses. Farmers in rural Nigeria face drastic post-harvest losses due to pests and environmental factors. By shortening drying-time, reducing contact with contaminants and bruising during post-harvest handling, the solution solves these issues. Net-To is a hammock-like sleeve designed […]
Gold winner: ElecTrack ElecTrack won gold for their solution to track electricity from generation to consumption. Current Energy Certification of Origin system does not provide transparency to customer where and how their electricity is being produced. Thus, the investment in renewable energy may not have the intended impact on the final generation mix. ElecTrack changes this […]
Gold winner: Asha Asha won the gold prize for their solution, which will identify and catalyze franchise opportunities for youth. Asha creates a matchmaking service that can capture our users’ skill set such as his/her previous job experiences, soft skills and career aspirations, and match them with micro-franchising and employment opportunities. They prioritize micro-franchising as the […]
At the UNLEASH Closing Ceremony the five winners of the special awards pitched and received their awards. Award for Gender Equality: Spice Girlz Executive Summary: A growing middle-income population of young women in Indian cities experience limited opportunities for physical activity, placing them at increased risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including diabetes, heart disease and […]
The World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) was founded by Novo Nordisk A/S in 2002 as an independent and non-profit foundation. Now 16 years later, the WDF is still one of the few funding mechanisms dedicated to preventing and treating diabetes in developing countries. It is the WDF’s mission to empower governments, civil society and other non-state […]
UNLEASH is a global innovation lab, convening 1,000 carefully selected millennial thought leaders from more than 100 countries, who will collaborate on ideas and solutions to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Singapore is the official host of UNLEASH 2018. In 2017, the inaugural UNLEASH was held in August in Denmark, convening 1,000 […]
With a global footprint in more than 20 countries, Keppel is a multi-business company that delivers robust solutions for sustainable urbanisation to meet the growing need for energy, infrastructure, clean environments, high quality homes and offices, and connectivity. The Keppel Group of Companies includes Keppel Offshore & Marine, Keppel Land, Keppel Infrastructure, Keppel Telecommunications & […]
Deloitte is collaborating with UNLEASH for the second year, to bring together the brightest young minds from different sectors and backgrounds to determine and develop new solutions for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As lead innovation partner for UNLEASH, Deloitte facilitates innovation labs where Deloitte professionals apply their business capabilities and innovation experience to guide […]
Sembcorp Industries is a leading utilities, marine and urban development group, present across five continents. As an integrated energy player, Sembcorp is poised to benefit from the global energy transition. It provides solutions across the energy and utilities value chain, with a focus on the Gas & Power, Renewables & Environment, and Merchant & Retail […]
2018 is DBS’ 50th anniversary. The story of DBS is intertwined with Singapore’s, and their achievements mirror hers. In their early years as the Development Bank of Singapore, their mandate was to finance a newly-independent Singapore’s industrialisation. DBS has therefore always been a different kind of bank, with a mission that was bigger than themselves. […]
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announces Singapore as host of UNLEASH Innovation Lab in 2018 During his visit to Singapore, Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen handed over UNLEASH to Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. UNLEASH is a global innovation lab, bringing together 1,000 carefully selected young talents from across the world, to collaborate […]
During Dragons’ Den the winners of the seven UNLEASH themes were found. Find more information about the winners here: Education & ICT Energy Health Food Sustainable Consumption & Production Urban Sustainability Water
GOLD WINNER – Block Fakes Team 19: Akshay Navaladi, Adebisi Adenipekun and Desmond Nji Atanga Solution: 120,000 children die due to counterfeit antimalarial drugs in Africa each year. In Nigeria alone, over 70% of all drugs sold annually are counterfeit. Existing solutions to tackle this problem have proven to be expensive and inadequate. Hence, Block Fakes propose […]
GOLD WINNER – SmartWrapR Team 13: Lu Yu, Morgan Law, Emelie Lindahl, Ryoko Suzuki, John Oyewole and Kevin Lee Solution: Shrink wrap is one of the largest hidden pollutants in the world. In the United States, there are over 2 billion pallets which causes 1.0 billion pounds of petroleum waste and of which 95% is expected […]
GOLD WINNER – UNLEAK Team 16: Emmanuel Marfo, Jon Kornik, Meseret Dawit Teweldebrihan, Priyank Hirani, Yael Zvulunov, and Yajun Wang Solution: Leaks inside homes lose enough water to serve 600 million people each day. UNLEAK will fix this in water stressed cities by offering free leak detection and cheap repairs to all. Using a method to […]
GOLD WINNER – Demolition 4 Design Team 17: Clare McCracken, Gitte Gylling Hammershøj Olesen, Kunmi Odufuye, Nicholas Ransome, and Zoé Bezpalko Solution: The Demolition 4 Design (D4D) platform disrupts the ecosystem of the built environment by connecting previously disconnected professionals, increasing knowledge of sustainable solutions and enabling value creation by diverting landfill waste into new […]
GOLD WINNER – Doti Gold Team 15: Benjamin Moore, Anja Rabezanahary, Eric Nwoko, Courage Saba, and Blessing Mene Edward Odgers Solution: Doti Gold is a for-profit organization that transforms food waste to gold (animal feed and fertiliser) using the Black Soldier Flies. Doti Gold will produce more affordable inputs mainly proteins for fish and bio fertiliser for […]
GOLD WINNER – Earthmark Team 21: Spencer Jay Horne, T. Adil Chowdhury and Anders Brandt Bangsgaard Solution: Product manufacturers will not use sustainable practices until demanded by consumers, but consumers have no easy way to make the best choices. The Earthmark app allows consumers to easily identify the most sustainable choices within product categories, spurring green […]
GOLD WINNER – HOD – Hear-oes on Demand Team 18: Silvia Muturi, Ryan Scott, Rick Martin, Nela Sladojevic, Joannes Paulus Yimbesalu, and Madhvi Aggarwal Solution: There is over 1.5 million deaf people in Kenya. The gap between the availability of interpreters and deaf individuals is 1:7500. Institutions which are mandated by the government to provide […]
Although UNLEASH LAB 2017 is over, we are already looking to the future to help all the great solutions become a reality. Congratulations to all our talents for all their hard work. Here are the winners of the five special awards: 1. Most impact potential SmartWrapR Theme: Sustainable Production and Consumption Team 13: Lu Yu, […]
Salman Khan will be joining UNLEASH in Aarhus. Salman “Sal” Khan is the founder of Khan Academy, a nonprofit with a mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Khan Academy started as a passion project. Sal’s cousin was struggling with math. He tutored her remotely and posted educational videos on YouTube. So […]
The Danish Prime Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, will give a speech during the “UNLEASH Awards Show- Presented by BESTSELLER”. Lars Løkke Rasmussen has served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 2009 to 2011 and again since June 2015. He has been a member of the Danish Parliament since 1994 and Chairman of the Danish Liberal […]
We are happy to announce that actor, philanthropist, entrepreneur, investor and producer, Ashton Kutcher will be coming to UNLEASH on August 21. Ashton Kutcher has been named one of TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World,” as well as being honored by Vanity Fair ‘s New Establishment List, which identifies the top 50 […]
Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark will be coming to Aarhus to celebrate the SDG Talents. Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary is a passionate advocate for health, gender equality, and the empowerment of women and girls. She is committed to creating awareness, respect and acceptance of women and girls’ sexual and […]
On the final day of UNLEASH, we are happy to have Dee Poon speak on sustainable production and comsumption at Musikhuset, Aarhus. Dee Poon is the Managing Director of Brands and Distribution of Esquel Group, a global leading textile and apparel manufacturer with operations located worldwide. In 2014, Dee was selected as a Young […]
In just 12 days, UNLEASH will kick off in Denmark. We are so excited to welcome our 1,000 global top talents from more 129 countries. We have tech-entrepreneurs, leading academics, young professionals, and development program officers. All talents have proved a passion for positive change. We have gathered an incredibly diverse group of young and […]
