The Climate Impact Innovations Challenge (CIIC) 2026 has announced nine companies that are advancing to the next stage of the competition.
Positioned as the largest climate innovations tech competition in Indonesia, CIIC 2026 comes with a total prize pool of nearly $850k ( Rp15 billion) that will support pilot deployments and the development of innovative climate solutions in the country.
The 2026 CIIC is the fourth edition of this competition, created as a joint project between venture capital firm East Ventures, Singapore-based philanthropic organization Temasek Foundation, and global tech company Tencent.
This year’s competition is divided into three tracks: Energy Transition, Food & Nature Solutions, and Circular Economy.
In each of the tracks, CIIC has selected three innovative companies that are advancing to the next stage of the program.
The 2026 Climate Impact Innovations Challenge finalists
One of the finalists in the Circular Economy category is Planet Carbon, an Indonesia-based company using agricultural waste biomass to produce biochar.
The biochar product is then applied to soils in the region, where it is stated to improve crop yields by 23% while reducing fertilizer use and improving smallholder incomes, as well as delivering carbon dioxide removal (CDR) results.
The other two finalists in the Circular Economy track are textile-to-textile polyester recycling specialist Macrocycle Technologies (USA), and Naysor, a company from South Korea that converts palm oil waste into cleaner fuel.
In the Energy Transition track, the companies moving forward are CRecTech, Phase Two Chemicals, and Sun Ice Energy.
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Singapore-native CRecTech converts palm oil biogas into bio-methanol, lowering costs in half and cutting emissions by up to 93%, while Chinese company Phase Two Chemicals uses on-site hydrogen peroxide to reduce pulp and paper bleaching costs and emissions.
Sun Ice Energy, on the other hand, delivers solar-powered cold storage that reduces diesel use by up to 90%, unlocking up to 24 hours of off-grid cooling.
Lastly, in the Food & Nature Solutions track, the finalists are Swiss company Blueyou, and Indonesian firms Pandawa Agri Indonesia and Yagasu.
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Both Blueyou and Yagasu have come up with mangrove-centered innovations, while Pandawa Agri is focused on reducing pesticide use in agriculture.
More details on each finalist can be found here.
