Decarb Connect Awards are going global – you spoke, we listened! Based on market feedback from the tech disruptor community, we are evolving the awards into a global digital format, bringing North America and Europe together into a single, international program.
Over the past year, we’ve seen a clear shift in what companies are asking for, particularly from growth-stage and scale-up teams, on both sides of the Atlantic. The priority is no longer regional visibility alone, but direct access to a broader global investor and strategic partner audience. Submissions are open here for you to stake your claim for an award, unlocking a whole host of rewards at Decarb Connect across 2026
The Decarb Connect Awards are designed to recognize innovative, disruptor technologies, successful leaders, collaborations and partnerships. The awards focus on those people leading the charge across in industrial resilience. This year’s categories include:
Digital Transformation Award
Recognises digital solutions that materially advance industrial innovation through data, automation, or optimisation. Eligible submissions should be at TRL 5+, demonstrate a defined commercialization or deployment pathway (e.g., an MoU, pilot agreement, or paying customer), and show clear evidence of emissions-reduction potential. Strong entries will also highlight cross-functional collaboration between technology teams and industrial operators.
Industrial Collaboration Award
Celebrates impactful industrial projects delivered through collaboration between asset owners, hard technology providers, and/or supply-chain partners. Submissions should demonstrate measurable emissions reductions, clear technical rigor, and evidence of a successful partnership (e.g., co-funding, joint development agreements, shared IP, or similar). Projects may still be in pilot or early deployment so long as results and learning are transparent and scalable.
Rising Star Award
Recognises outstanding individuals under 40, from graduate level up, who have shown exceptional leadership, initiative, and measurable impact in driving industrial emissions reductions. Nominees should demonstrate a track record of advocacy or internal transformation, tangible results (projects delivered, savings realised, teams mobilised), and a clear long-term commitment to the energy transition and industrial innovation.
Nominate yourself, your company, or others in the field, to be in with a chance of winning a Decarb Connect Award.
What's in it for you as a Next Gen Award Winner?
Will be invited to attend the Decarb Connect event of your choosing to showcase your solution to an audience of C-suite executives from industry, investors and policy makers
2 x all access pass to attend a Decarb Connect event, along with discounted upgradeable booth
Network, network, network – partake in roundtable discussions, 1-2-1 meetings and more by simply attending a Decarb Connect event.
Feature in the Decarb Connect monthly newsletter and across our social media channels
Will be able to attend a member-only DLN session AND record and post a video on the DLN members-only platform
Exposure in the Decarb Connect 2026 Ones to Watch report – shared with our network of over 8000 financiers, venture capitalists and private equity
Meet the winners from last year
The Decarb Next Gen Awards are designed to recognise start-ups have conceived and developed a breakthrough technology with the potential to accelerate industrial decarbonization for the hard-to-abate sectors.
Category 1 - CCUS
Carbicrete
CarbiCrete’s innovative technology revolutionizes the concrete industry by eliminating the need for cement, using steel slag as a sustainable binder, and permanently sequestering CO2 within concrete products. This dual strategy of sequestration and emission avoidance underscores CarbiCrete’s significant impact on fighting climate change and supporting the circular economy and the transition to net-zero emissions by 2050, with the scalability of its CO2 conversion process making it suitable for large-scale deployment both in Canada and globally.
Find out more here: https://carbicrete.com/
Category 2 – Decarbonizing Industrial Heat and Electrification
Calix
Calix’s unique platform technology is a new type of kiln, or furnace, that delivers indirect heating of minerals to revolutionise industrial heating in heavy industries such as cement, steel, alumina and critical minerals industries, as well as the direct air capture of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and the production of sustainable environmental products. Calix’s technology enables efficient, precise, and flexible energy use in mineral processing, including from intermittent renewable sources, to reduce emissions and enhance operations. It’s hybrid fuel technology, with fast switching between electricity and combustion options, is designed to reduce costs and allow energy intensive facilities to be integrated into the grid, thereby supporting grid stabilisation through the provision of industrial demand side response services.
Find out more here: https://calix.global/
Category 3 – Alternative Fuels including Hydrogen
Undesert Corporation
Undesert Corporation is an innovative water technology company committed to addressing the critical challenge of water scarcity in arid and drought-stricken regions. Founded in 2021 and based in Los Alamos, New Mexico, we specialize in transforming contaminated and underutilized water sources into clean, usable water through our patented **Salty Wastewater Purification (SWAP)** technology.
Find out more here: https://www.undesert.com/
Category 4 – Individual Rising Star Award
Nehali Jain, Chief of Staff, Antora Energy
Nehali Jain is the Chief of Staff at Antora Energy. Antora builds and deploys American-made thermal batteries to power always-on industrial operations with low-cost renewable energy. Nehali leads fundraising and strategic growth at Antora. Prior to joining Antora, Nehali shaped climate strategy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she led the foundation’s climate change adaptation strategy for Asia and collaborated with leadership across four continents to deploy $150M aimed at doubling incomes of hundreds of millions of farmers worldwide.
2024 Next Gen Alumni
Category 1 – Industrial Electrification
2024 Winner: Rondo Energy
2024 Finalist: Brenmiller Energy
Category 2: CCUS
2024 Winner: Mantel Capture
2024 Finalist: Ardent
Category 3 – Low Carbon Fuels and Energy Sources
2024 Winner: Syzygy Plasmonics
2024 Finalist: Terra CO2
Category 4: Energy Efficiency
2024 Winner: Vigilent
2024 Finalist: Nanotech Materials
