Three Climate Tech Startups Win Rp15 Billion to Pilot Solutions in Indonesia

CRecTech, Blueyou, and MacroCycle Technologies will receive catalytic funding through the Climate Impact Innovations Challenge 2026, following a competition that attracted more than 850 applications from around 60 countries.

Three climate technology companies have secured a combined Rp15 billion in catalytic funding to pilot their solutions in Indonesia, as investors and sustainability organizations seek to accelerate the deployment of technologies addressing industrial emissions, ecosystem degradation, and waste. CRecTech, Blueyou, and MacroCycle Technologies were named winners of the Energy Transition, Food & Nature Solutions, and Circular Economy tracks, respectively, at the fourth edition of the Climate Impact Innovations Challenge (CIIC). Each company will receive Rp5 billion to pilot its solution in Indonesia.

Presented by East Ventures, Temasek Foundation, and Tencent, CIIC 2026 attracted more than 850 applications from around 60 countries. Nine finalists received mentorship from industry leaders before competing at the Grand Finale on October 6, held as a thematic session of the Indonesia International Sustainability Forum 2026. Launched on April 8, the competition focuses on connecting climate innovators with funding, strategic partners, and opportunities to commercialize their solutions. Its eligibility criteria require applicants to have developed a pilot or minimum viable product with commercialization in mind.

Three Technologies Target Different Climate Challenges

CRecTech, winner of the Energy Transition track, converts biogas from palm oil mill effluent into bio-methanol. The organizers say its technology can reduce production costs by 50% and emissions by up to 93%. Co-founder and CEO Lim Kang Hui said the funding would accelerate pilot and commercial deployment with Indonesian partners, including Pertamina. The company aims to convert underused waste resources into sustainable fuels for domestic and international markets.

“We are honored to win the Energy Transition track at the Climate Impact Innovations Challenge 2026. At CRecTech, we turn stranded biogas from palm oil mill effluent into affordable green bio-methanol at source. With CIIC’s catalytic funding, we will accelerate our pilot and commercial deployment in Indonesia with local partners, including Pertamina. This achievement reflects the hard work of our team and the support of our investors and partners, and we are grateful to East Ventures, Temasek Foundation, Tencent and the CIIC community for the opportunity as we work to scale Indonesian waste resources into sustainable fuels for domestic and global markets,” said Lim Kang Hui, Co-Founder & CEO, CRecTech. 

Blueyou won the Food & Nature Solutions track with a model combining mangrove restoration on degraded land with blue-food production without feed or chemicals. According to the organizers, the approach can increase smallholder farmer incomes by up to three times. Its model seeks to connect ecosystem restoration with food production and local livelihoods.

MacroCycle Technologies won the Circular Economy track with textile-to-textile polyester recycling technology. The organizers report that the process uses 80% less energy, produces 80% fewer CO₂ emissions, and consumes 99% less water while achieving price parity.

“MacroCycle is incredibly fortunate and happy to win the CIIC Circular Economy track! This prize will now allow us to officially launch our first Asian-based project to start tackling head on the immense amount of textile waste present in the region, especially here in Indonesia. With over 80% of textile manufacturing taking place in Asia, MacroCycle has been looking how to best enter this market, and with this opportunity, we can now expedite the projects we have with local Indonesian partners to prove that an circular economy is not only viable, but economically attractive in this country,” said Stwart Pena Feliz, Co-Founder & CEO, MacroCycle Technologies. 

These performance figures are reported claims and have not been independently verified for this article. The pilots will be important in determining whether the technologies can deliver their projected environmental benefits and operate commercially under local conditions.

Circular Economy Attracts the Largest Share of Applications

The distribution of applications provides insight into the areas attracting climate innovators. In an exclusive conversation with AsiaTechDaily, Avina Sugiarto, Partner at East Ventures, said Circular Economy accounted for 38.2% of applications, followed by Food & Nature Solutions at 34.3% and Energy Transition at 27.5%.

“The breadth of applications we received from more than 60 countries reflects how climate innovation is gaining momentum across countries and markets. We are seeing founders from different geographies bring forward solutions shaped by their own environmental challenges, industrial capabilities, and local contexts. For us, this diversity reinforces the importance of connecting global innovation with local needs, particularly in Indonesia, where the potential to deploy and scale climate solutions is significant.”

Sugiarto said the application distribution reflected opportunities across waste management, resource efficiency, sustainable food production, ecosystem restoration, and cleaner energy.

“What is particularly encouraging is the growing focus on solutions that can move beyond the concept stage towards practical implementation and commercial viability. This is where CIIC plays an important role: by identifying promising innovations and connecting founders with funding opportunities, strategic partners, and potential pathways, such as local partners and ecosystem to deployment. Through this platform, we aim to help innovators validate their solutions, strengthen their commercial potential, and scale their impact in Indonesia.”

The emphasis on commercialization is significant because technical performance alone does not guarantee adoption. Climate ventures must also demonstrate reliable operations, viable economics, and the ability to work with local industrial and community partners.

Additional Funding and Carbon-Credit Commitments

The Grand Finale produced further financial commitments beyond the Rp15 billion awarded to the three winners. The Tencent commitment relates to carbon-credit purchases rather than a conventional cash grant. For the fourth edition, Tencent joined as a presenting partner and committed to pre-purchase carbon credits from selected finalists, subject to the relevant requirements. The challenge also received support from Triputra Agro Persada as strategic partner and Mana Impact, Sinar Mas Agribusiness & Food, and Vinerock Capital as investor partners.

The Grand Finale featured a panel discussion with Rahayu Saraswati Djojohadikusumo, Deputy Chairperson of Commission VII of Indonesia’s House of Representatives, and a keynote address by Agus Rusly, Director of Waste Reduction and Circular Economy Development at the Ministry of Environment. Temasek Foundation’s Heng Li Lang, Head of Climate and Liveability, said the challenge was intended to bring global climate solutions closer to Indonesia’s needs and opportunities. Tencent’s Xu Hao, Vice President for Sustainable Social Value, highlighted the importance of helping nature-based innovations demonstrate their value and develop commercially sustainable models.

Indonesia’s climate transition will require sustained investment at a scale that individual funding initiatives cannot meet. The World Bank’s Indonesia Country Climate and Development Report estimates that the country will need approximately US$267 billion to US$311 billion in additional climate-mitigation investment between 2022 and 2040, depending on the decarbonisation pathway. Meeting this requirement will depend partly on mobilising private capital and creating conditions that encourage investment in low-carbon solutions. CIIC’s Rp15 billion allocation represents a targeted effort to help promising climate technologies progress towards deployment. The real measure of its impact, however, will be whether the selected companies can validate their solutions in Indonesia, establish commercially viable operations, and demonstrate environmental benefits that can be replicated at scale.

For CRecTech, Blueyou, and MacroCycle Technologies, the immediate task is to validate their approaches through deployment in Indonesia. For the wider climate-tech ecosystem, the challenge is turning promising technologies into repeatable solutions that can attract further capital and serve local markets. The competition’s ultimate impact will therefore be measured not by the number of applications it attracts or the funding it awards, but by whether its pilots establish viable models for sustained environmental and economic benefits.

Quick Takeaways

• Rp15 billion in funding: CRecTech, Blueyou, and MacroCycle Technologies will each receive Rp5 billion to pilot their climate solutions in Indonesia.
• 850+ applications globally: CIIC 2026 attracted applications from around 60 countries, with nine finalists competing across three climate-tech categories.
• Three areas of focus: The winners target cleaner fuel production, sustainable blue food and mangrove restoration, and textile-to-textile polyester recycling.
• Circular economy leads applications: The category accounted for 38.2% of applications, followed by Food & Nature Solutions at 34.3% and Energy Transition at 27.5%.
• Additional capital commitments: Beyond the main awards, CIIC announced grants, investments, and a US$1 million carbon-credit offtake commitment to support climate initiatives.
• Commercial deployment is the next test: The challenge aims to connect promising technologies with funding and industry partners to help move them from pilot projects toward commercial implementation.