Santander X Global Challenge | Circular Economy Revolution

A global challenge that seeks the best startups and scaleups from 11 countries that help reduce waste, maximise resources and lead the transition to a more sustainable economy. 

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Register now

Banco Santander, Norrsken and the Oxentia Foundation launch the Santander X Global Challenge | Circular Economy Revolution, a global challenge that seeks innovative companies that will transform the world by reducing waste, optimising resources and leading the transition towards a circular economy.

 

Norrsken, an international benchmark in this field, seeks to build an ecosystem where entrepreneurs can find the capital, connections and knowledge they need to generate a positive impact on the world. 

11 countries

Argentina, Germany, Brazil, Chile, USA, Spain, Mexico, Portugal, Poland, UK and Uruguay.

2 categories

For companies with digital and innovative solutions that are leading the transition towards a circular economy.

6 winners

120,000 euros in cash, access to the global Santander X 100 community and other benefits.

In a context where environmental challenges are growing at a rapid pace, there are companies that are making a difference and setting the standard in sustainability.

We are looking for companies that are leading the change to a more efficient model that will transform the world, that are contributing to a sustainable and climate-resilient future, leading the transition to a circular economy.

All you have to do is register your company before 9 May. Remember, it's free and you don't need to be a customer of the bank to participate.

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Find out which companies we are looking for

We focused the challenge on four main categories:

Prizes

Cash prize

Prize money

€120,000 for the winners:

 

3 start-ups: €10,000 each

 

3 scale-ups: €30,000 each

Santander X Community

Santander X 100

The Santander X community offers the most outstanding start-ups and scale-ups networking and access to the resources they need to grow. 

Connection with Fintech Station

The winning start-ups and scale-ups will have access to Banco Santander's open innovation team to explore opportunities for collaboration.

OpenAI

Membership of Norrsken Barcelona

One-year membership at Norrksen Barcelona with access to its activities and co-working space (up to two co-founders).

 

 

Register now

Key dates

From
17
Mar
2025
To
09
May
2025
Registration open

Registration is open for start-ups and scale-ups.

23
May
2025
Announcement of the finalists

Announcement of the 20 finalists, 10 start-ups and 10 scale-ups.

 

 

From
05
Jun
2025
Pitch day

The 20 finalists will have the support of international mentors to prepare their pitch to the jury.

25
Jun
2025
Awards ceremony

Announcement of the 6 winners, 3 start-ups and 3 scale-ups, from 11 countries.

Categories

Technology-based start-ups and scale-ups with innovative solutions to improve the user experience.

 

Startups

Must be legally constituted in one of the participating countries and fulfil at least one of the following criteria: annual income not exceeding $300,000, capital raised between $100,000 and $1 million, or between 2 and 25 full-time employees.

 

Scaleups

Be legally constituted for at least two years in one of the participating countries and fulfil at least one of the following criteria: annual income greater than $300,000, capital raised greater than $1 million or more than 25 full-time employees.

Called by

 

Banco Santander

At Banco Santander we have been supporting education, employability and entrepreneurship for more than 27 years. This unique and global initiative sets us apart from other financial institutions around the world.

To date, Santander has invested more than 2.3 billion euros and supported more than 1.5 million people and companies through collaboration agreements with universities and institutions around the world.

 

Norrsken Barcelona

Norrsken Barcelona is a non-profit foundation that is building a global impact ecosystem where entrepreneurs can find the capital, network and knowledge they need to make a positive change.

The Hub is part of the Norrsken Foundation, founded by Niklas Adalberth, which has 5 funds with more than a billion dollars in assets under management invested in impact startups, two other global Hubs and hosts Impact/Week.

 

Oxentia Foundation

Oxentia emerged from the University of Oxford's technology transfer company, Oxford University Innovation, with the aim of providing specialised innovation management services to clients in the public and private sectors around the world.

Oxentia's approach is based on Oxford's strong tradition of providing global support to innovators and early-stage entrepreneurs to promote innovative projects that have an impact on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

We answer your questions

Startups and scaleups that can sign up for this challenge can work in any of these four areas of activity and in areas such as:

 

  • Recycling, recovery and reuse of materials and waste: We are looking for advanced recycling technologies; AI solutions that optimise the recycling or reuse of valuable materials and minerals or industrial waste; innovations in wastewater treatment; more efficient desalination systems; or technologies for reusing plastic waste, which help to preserve our oceans.
  • New materials, and circular products and services: Companies working on the development of biomaterials; biodegradable packaging made from algae; reusable modular design models; the development of bioplastics from food waste; or zero-waste textiles, among others.
  • Circular business models and monetisation: Innovations in new models of consumption of products as a service or by subscription; second-hand or resale markets or platforms; or pay-per-use models for durable goods.
  • Renewable energy and smart grids: Innovative solutions in renewable energy sources; smart and decentralised electricity grids that optimise and make consumption more efficient; advanced energy storage solutions or waste-to-energy technologies that make it possible to use waste to generate energy.

Candidate companies must be incorporated in one of the countries participating in the programme (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the United States and Uruguay).

In the case of a start-up, you must fulfil at least one of the following criteria: annual income not exceeding $300,000, capital raised between $100,000 and $1 million, or between 2 and 25 full-time employees.

In the case of a scaleup, you must fulfil at least one of the following criteria: annual income greater than $300,000, capital raised greater than $1 million or more than 25 full-time employees.

Yes, you need to be registered in order to sign up for the challenge.

To register, click on the ‘I want to register’ button and you will be registered in Santander X. Remember to complete the registration between 17/3 and 9/5. Send your application by filling in the requested fields about your company.

You can apply without any problem, and it will be the group of experts who evaluate the applications who will decide whether or not your application applies to the theme of the challenge.

If your company is selected as one of the finalists, the Global Challenge organising team will contact you to invite you to participate in the online semi-final, which will be run as a ‘pitch session’.

In this session, you will present your company to a group of experts, who will then validate and decide on the winners of the challenge. 

You will have to prepare and give your pitch presentation in English. 

When receiving a monetary prize, we request that it is deposited in a Banco Santander account. If you do not have an account, we will help you to open one as efficiently as possible.