Thabo Mngomezulu, a fellow hailing from South Africa, whose initiative converts waste into biogas to address the energy needs of rural communities, will present in Stuttgart at the beVisioneers: Mercedes-Benz Fellowship Global Summit.
The summit start from February 26th to 28th, consisting of a collective of 50 young eco-innovators, aged between 16 and 28, alongside environmental experts, business magnates, investors, scholars, and governmental representatives for the inaugural beVisioneers Global Summit.
This yearly gathering stems from the vision of beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship, a program tailored to nurture young eco-innovators by equipping them with training, mentorship, expert guidance, and resources essential for fostering their planet-positive initiatives. Notably, the fellowship extends its embrace to young individuals irrespective of their prior entrepreneurial endeavors or financial backgrounds.
Conceived and executed by The DO School Fellowships and generously underwritten by Mercedes-Benz donations, beVisioneers identifies fellows based on their capacity for leadership and the practicality of their project concepts, extending financial assistance to those otherwise unable to partake in the program.
The summit aims to cast a spotlight on these emerging ecopreneurs, highlighting their localized responses to the climate emergency while facilitating connections with leaders in sustainability, thereby nurturing a global network for environmental stewardship.
Furthermore, the summit affords fellows the opportunity to showcase their projects before an esteemed panel of jurors and the broader community, with up to 20 grants earmarked to propel their endeavors forward.
Among the distinguished presenters, Chaitanya Sakre, a fellow from India, will share insights into her development of porous asphalt capable of absorbing floodwaters induced by climate change and harnessing them for daily utility.
“We are thrilled to work directly with young people who are passionate about innovating pro-planet solutions to issues they observe in their communities and around the world,” says Mariah Levin, Executive Director of beVisioneers. “Our aim is to build the world’s largest community of eco-innovators, anchored in youth action.”
The growing beVisioneers community includes not just current and future fellows, but experts and allies on sustainability and environmental action. This community will be represented at the Summit by a mix of business leaders, investors, funders, academics, and government and iNGO officials. This includes Dr. Krithi Karanth, CEO and Chief Conservation Scientist at the Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bangalore.
“I’m delighted to participate in the beVisioneers Global Summit because elevating the innovations and achievements of young people around the world is critical to achieving sustainability and conservation goals” says Dr. Karanth.
Now in its pilot year, with 100 fellows from 10 countries, beVisioneers is building the world’s largest fellowship programme for young environmental innovators. The programme will take 500 fellows from 35 countries in summer of 2024, growing to 1000 fellows per year from all parts of the world in summer of 2025.
