Amazon opened applications today for its third annual Amazon Sustainability Accelerator (ASA) climate tech programme in Europe and the UK.
The programme connects startups and scaleups with Amazon Operations to pilot technology, helping Amazon achieve its goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.
Selected applicants will participate in an eight-week programme that culminates in a pitch to launch a fully-funded pilot within Amazon Operations. For Amazon, reaching net-zero carbon requires more than ambition; it requires proven technology deployed at scale.
But for climate tech startups, bringing a product to a large-scale pilot at a global organisation can take years of pitching. The Amazon Sustainability Accelerator climate tech programme was built to close that gap.
Since the programme’s 2024 launch, 28 startups from a pool of over 1,100 applicants have joined, and Amazon has funded over $3m in equity-free pilots across 16 projects.
The programme turns climate ambition into operational reality. Startups from the first two cohorts such as Shayp, Cartesian, Solaq and Over Easy Solar are already piloting energy, water, and waste solutions across Amazon's European fulfilment network, with early results informing decisions on wider deployment.
What sets this programme apart
The programme compresses months of pitching and navigating a large organisation into eight weeks. At the end, startups have the chance to secure a live pilot, not just a certificate.
"ASA actually delivers," says Gregoire De Hemptinne, CEO and cofounder of Shayp, an AI-driven water monitoring company that participated in the programme in 2025.
"We got to pitch to the right people and craft a pilot together with clear information about what we needed to do at each step," De Hemptinne says.
Amazon operates the programme in collaboration with Founders Intelligence, an innovation strategy consulting firm under Accenture, pairing founders with senior leaders and sustainability specialists over an intensive eight-week engagement.
"Founders at this stage don't need another mentorship programme," says Vishnupriya Gupta, ASA climate tech programme lead. "They need access to the decision-makers, the data and a clear answer. That's what eight weeks with Amazon's operations teams offer."
What Amazon is looking for
Applicants must be from companies at Technology Readiness Level 8 or higher which involves technology past prototype stage and proven in real-world conditions with existing or planned European operations.
Amazon also welcomes applications from startups with other technologies that could directly reduce carbon, water use, or biodiversity loss across our operations.
"Decarbonising buildings is one of our most powerful levers toward net-zero carbon by 2040," said Brad Swartz, Amazon’s energy lead for EU Ops Sustainability.
With that focus in mind, this year’s programme is seeking applications across six key areas of building decarbonisation:
- Advanced energy storage
- High-efficiency renewable generation with small footprints
- High-performance HVAC and building envelope technologies
- AI-powered energy management including digital twins, integrated control and real-time analytics
- Grid-interactive buildings functioning as virtual power plants
- DC microgrids for new builds
A water track within the programme aims to help startups with technology that can support water stewardship across Amazon's operations.
“By opening our second water-focused track within the climate tech cohort, we're building on a strong 2025 launch,” says Liya Elizabeth Jacob, Amazon’s water lead for EU Ops Sustainability.
“Shayp secured a 60-site contract targeting 15% water reduction per building,” she adds, “Solaq launched a pilot producing 1k litres of drinking water from ambient air daily.”
For this year’s cohort, Amazon is seeking innovators in water efficiency, circularity and replenishment.
Within Amazon's facilities, the focus is on scalable low-and no-flow fixture solutions, water circularity systems that capture and reuse rainwater and greywater, and technologies that improve the economics of on-site water management.
Amazon is also looking for replenishment solutions in the regions where it operates that help utilities reduce water loss, protect watersheds and enable recycled water distribution.
The programme is open to startups developing technologies that support biodiversity.
“Amazon operates hundreds of sites across Europe, each with unique ecosystems,” says Richard Charlesworth, Amazon’s biodiversity lead for EU Sustainability. “We want to find companies who can help us monitor and improve ecological performance at scale — through remote sensing, AI-powered habitat assessment, and soil health tracking.”
Startups and scaleups with cost-effective technology that can monitor ecological performance across diverse site types, identify habitats requiring intervention and track performance against commitments are encouraged to apply.
The programme is seeking solutions in automated habitat condition assessment, predictive analytics and early warning systems, soil health and carbon monitoring, species and biodiversity tracking, as well as in water and air quality measurement.
Click here to apply to the programme before July 10.
