Ewha Startup RainbirdGEO Selected for the 2024 APAC Cleantech 25
- Date2024.05.14
- 8665
RainbirdGEO, Recognized as the Top Climate Tech Venture in Asia Pacific… the Only One Selected in Korea
Established Climate Risk Alert Systems in Nepal, Palau, Cambodia
CEO Richard Youngman of U.S. Cleantech Group and Professor Choi, CEO of RainbirdGEO
RainbirdGEO, a climate tech company founded by professors and students from Ewha Womans University, was selected for the 2024 “APAC Cleantech 25” by the U.S. Cleantech Group.
The APAC Cleantech 25, sponsored by ADB Ventures, is a prestigious award given to 25 companies annually that lead sustainable technological innovations through rigorous assessment by 29 industry experts. The APAC Cleantech 25, established in 2018, is awarded only to the most promising ventures in the climate tech market in the Asia-Pacific region, expected to have a significant impact over the next 5 to 10 years.
RainbirdGEO, the only Korean company selected this year, was founded in 2017 as the first startup by Ewha's College of Engineering faculty. The company has gained recognition for its technology in building and operating climate risk early warning systems in the Asia-Pacific region through meteorological satellite analysis. In particular, RainbirdGEO provides disaster prediction and prevention services directly to residents of target countries through its app, which contains disaster content created by Ewha’s Center for Climate/Environment Change Prediction Research (CCCPR).
Currently, RainbirdGEO is establishing early warning systems in regions prone to disasters such as Nepal, Palau, Cambodia, and Indonesia. In Nepal, the company, supported by KEITI (Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute), predicts real-time landslides and informs them through a mobile app. In five Pacific Island countries like Palau and Tuvalu, RainbirdGEO, with support from UNEP and GCF, constructs early warning systems and contributes to disaster prevention through mutual communication via mobile app. This initiative utilizes data from the Korean geostationary meteorological satellites launched in 2018 with a budget of 670 billion won, with a lifespan of 10 years.
Furthermore, with support from ADB, RainbirdGEO provides tailored weather forecasts for heatwave-vulnerable groups through mobile app, including Cambodian women, and plans to expand its services across the Asia-Pacific region after the pilot project ends in October next year. In the Bandung Indonesian region, with support from Save the Children, RainbirdGEO is building an early warning system as well. This system provides emergency information such as tropical rainstorms and wildfires to residents and disaster management officials through an app, enabling real-time citizen participation in disaster response. RainbirdGEO will expand its services nationwide in Indonesia within one to two years.
The APAC Cleantech 25 ceremony took place in Singapore on the 7th, with over 220 participants from 18 countries worldwide, including international organizations, governments, companies, NGOs, academia, and global investors.