The Net Zero Challenge 2026 has concluded with $770,000 in catalytic grants and investment prizes for several climate startups to pilot their solutions in Vietnam.
In a statement on Thursday, Touchstone Partners, a co-organizer, said the challenge is in its fourth year and received more than 1,100 applications from 80 countries and territories. The 2026 event, co-hosted Touchstone Partners, Singapore’s Temasek Foundation, and the Vietnam International Financial Center in Ho Chi Minh City (VIFC-HCMC), is the most competitive edition since it foundation in 2023.
Nine finalists presented at the Grand Finale across three tracks, namely renewables and carbon removal; food systems and sustainable agriculture; and circular economy and waste management.
The organisers named three grand-prize winners. In renewables and carbon removal, Recoal of Switzerland turns wet biomass residues into hydrochar, which is stored permanently underground without any pre-drying.
In food systems, STRING BIO of India offers CleanRise, a biological input that helps rice farmers grow more with less fertilizer and can cut crop methane and nitrous oxide emissions by up to 50 percent.
In circular economy, Phuc Sang Minh Gas of Vietnam upgrades waste-derived biogas into BioCNG to replace fossil fuels in industrial heating.
Four investment prizes of $50,000 each were also awarded. TRINANO Technologies of India received a cash prize from Sembcorp Industries. Zenwood of Vietnam received an investment from LOTTE Ventures. Living Roots of Thailand received an investment from Monsoon Ventures. Phuc Sang Minh Gas received an investment from Touchstone Partners.
Strategic partner GS Engineering & Construction returns for a second year. Key investor partners include LOTTE Ventures, Monsoon Ventures and Sembcorp Industries. Breakthrough Energy, Schneider Electric Energy Access Asia, Gateway of Asia, Riverstage Thu Thiem, the Ho Chi Minh City Venture Capital Fund, and UrBox are catalyst partners taking part for the first time.