WHY YOUNG INNOVATORS

Young people are both digitally and physically connected, constituting the most urbanized generation we have ever experienced. Out of the 1.2 billion young people alive today, 717 million are located in Asia Pacific, making youth the key to unleashing the region’s next economic miracle.

 

They will also be the most impacted by the challenges – from inequalities to climate change - that the UN Sustainable Development Goals seek to address. As such, initiatives that bring different sectors together to collaborate through innovation, entrepreneurship, and the harnessing of young people’s leadership offer huge potentials for exponential development to achieve the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

MAIN EVENT PROGRAM OVERVIEW

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LOUNGE

33RD FLOOR LOUNGE

POLICY INTERFACE 1

12:45 PM

POLICY INTERFACE 2

1:30 PM

FINAL PITCHING

2:45 PM

AWARDS & CLOSING CEREMONY

1:30 PM

VIP CHAMBER

24TH FLOOR ROOM 105

START-UP KOREA POLICY REPORT

2:40 PM - 3:30 PM

*SMART CITY SOLUTIONS PITCH

3:30 PM - 4:45 PM

*BY INVITATION ONLY

COMPETITION ROOM 2

33RD FLOOR ROOM 104

SMART CITY SOLUTIONS SHOWCASE / 

NETWORKING ZONE

12:30 PM - 4:45 PM

LOUNGE

33RD FLOOR LOUNGE

Policy Interface 

The policy interface will feature two interactive Davos-style panel discussions with 3 - 4 experts each. 

Policy Interface 1

Strengthening the Innovation Ecosystem for Entrepreneurship and the SDGs 

12:45 PM

Panel 1: Strengthening the Innovation Ecosystem for Entrepreneurship and the SDGs

Discussants will explore how to better coordinate different actors in the start-up ecosystem and promote the value of social innovation linked to the SDGs among young innovators, investors and policymakers.

Policy Interface 2

Impact Measurement and Monitoring of

Start-ups for the SDGs

1:30 PM

Panel 2: Impact Measurement and Monitoring of Start-ups for the SDGs

Discussants will explore how different stakeholders – ranging from governments to Start-ups themselves – can contribute to more effective social impact measurement for the SDGs to enable start-ups to get their actions translated into visible outcomes. 

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THE

MISSION

GLOBAL GOALS
Accelerate the achievement of the SDGs through bringing together innovators with policy makers.
SMART SUSTAINABLE 
CITIES
Find innovative solutions to growing urban challenges.
YOUTH FOR CHANGE
Growing the innovation ecosystem for youth-led start-ups to create positive social impacts.

THE COMPETITION

“URBAN INNOVATION CHALLENGE: CITYPRENEURS” consists of two main components: a startup competition that works in close collaboration with city governments to solve urban problems as defined and measured by the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), and an inclusive policy interface that brings together academia, the public and private sectors, civil society and international organizations to partake in policy discussions and set up an alliance of youth empowerment enablers.

​

In 2018, Citypreneurs will take place in Seoul for the second time, tackling the major urban issues with the Seoul metropolitan region.

#Citypreneurs #UN # SDGs #2030Agenda #startup # innovation

#SmartSustainableCities #youth #LeaveNoOneBehind

WHAT IS 

CITYPRENEURS?

Citypreneurs serves as a platform for young entrepreneurs to

​​

PITCH your innovation to investors, public officials, private sector leaders, and peers to receive feedback and find potential backers.

BE PART OF a strong international community with multi-stakeholder dialogues and networking opportunities.

BUILD up skills and align your business model with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (hyperlink to SDGs section).

01 APPLY AS:

Have a groundbreaking idea for a sustainable business?

SEED TRACK

Looking to scale up with the support of proven investors?

GROWTH TRACK

02

TACKLE AN

URBAN ISSUE

Teams will choose one of the following themes

to propose a viable business model to solve urban problems

01

CHOOSE  A TRACK

02

TRACK AN URBAN ISSUE

03

CHOOSE YOUR AREA OF IMPACT

APPLY TO

CITYPRENEURS NOW

03

CHOOSE YOUR AREA OF IMPACT

Select the most relevant area(s) of impact from the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and take part in the global movement to achieve them by Year 2030.

"QUOTE FROM PREVIOUS PARTICIPANT AND/OR HOST, SPONSOR, ETC."

- PREVIOUS PERSON 

TITLE, AFFILIATION

MENTORSHIP & 

INCUBATOR

PROGRAM

Selected teams will have the opportunity to take part in our Citypreneurs Startup Development Program. Created and executed with Young Sustainable Impact, a Norwegian NGO specializing in incubation startups for UN SDGs, the program spans a month during which teams are assigned to a mentor and go through a specially curated business curriculum to refine their business strategy and align their mission within the framework of the SDGs.

THE REWARD

FOR THE TOP 30

  • Right to use official CITYPRENEURS branding

  • Quality mentoring sessions with public sector officials, private investors, and accelerators

  • Participation in Start-up Workshops and Clinics

  • Pitching and networking opportunities between participants

  • Travel subsidies to teams coming from outside of Seoul

  • AI, IoT, Blockchain tech sponsorship opportunity

FOR THE WINNERS

  • Total Award of 24 million KRW for Seed Track winners

  • Investment Reserve Fund available for Growth Track winners

  • Awards from UN High Officials

  • Private Demo Day with Business Growth Partners

  • Invitation to International Forums and Events

  • Publication in domestic/international investment magazines and reports

  • Collaborations to secure public contracts with Seoul Metropolitan Government

  • Free office space provided in Seoul

LOOK BACK

AT THE 2018 WINNERS

Place holder text

LOOK BACK

AT THE 2017 WINNERS

The first “Urban Innovation Challenge: Citypreneurs” was successfully launched in 2017 as a collaborative effort between the United Nations Economic & Social Commission for Asia & the Pacific (ESCAP), the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Digital Foundation to solve three critical urban problems identified through citizen surveys conducted by Seoul Metropolitan city: health technology, education technology, transportation & environment. Winning teams proposed solutions in cognitive-therapeutic education (DoBrain), Alzheimer’s disease prevention (Eidware), and urban wind power generation (Liberty). The finalists received opportunities for mentorships, participation support to conferences and meetings, and a pitch slot in a final ‘Demo Day’ with partner investors.