The Diverting Waste by Encouraging Reuse and Recycling (DAWERR) activity, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by ECODIT LLC, is organizing in collaboration with Berytech a four-phase program—the DAWERR Clearinghouse —to challenge innovative startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to develop an e-commerce digital platform for source-separated recyclables. The program will support SMEs to develop a marketplace to connect the sellers and buyers of recyclables to increase access to and improve the quality of sorted material and to promote transparency in the sector by clearly defining the prices of recyclables across solid waste value chains.
The first phase of the DAWERR Clearinghouse is a four-day co-creation bootcamp that focuses on fostering teamwork, networking, providing coaching sessions with local experts, and creating opportunities for knowledge exchange to help applicants explore the market and develop a valid business model for the e-commerce platform. Participants will receive technical and practical guidance and will develop their revenue models, devise their commercialization strategies, and present their proposed solutions to a jury. The top three winners of the bootcamp will have access to an incubation program delivered by Berytech, where they will receive business and technical assistance to validate their business ideas and receive in-kind grants of up to $3,000 to further develop their marketplace solutions.
Following the incubation phase, one company will be selected to continue the incubation phase for an additional six months and will receive two grants of up to $40,000 in total over two years, as well as the business and technical support needed to finalize their minimum viable product.
Apply Today
Applications for the DAWERR Clearinghouse are due before midnight (11:59 p.m.) on October 31, 2021. Note that applicants must be a SME or established startup working in the solid waste management sector. SMEs or startups with multidisciplinary teams, preferably including software developers, and businesses with an existing digital prototype/product may receive favorable consideration.
The DAWERR Clearinghouse is open for Lebanese teams residing in Lebanon only.
Learn more about the DAWERR Clearinghouse on this link.
About DAWERR Activity
DAWERR is a five-year activity funded by USAID that aims to improve the social, environmental, and economic well-being of Lebanese citizens by establishing sustainable solid waste recovery and diversion programs in collaboration with municipalities throughout rural areas in Lebanon.
DAWERR is implemented by ECODIT in partnership with Berytech, Compost Baladi, ECODIT Liban and ELARD.
