In the beginning of November Katapult Ocean’s portfolio company Keep IT Cool from Kenya won the Earthshot Prize. We’re proud investors and supporters since 2019.

The five 2024 Earthshot Prize Winners were announced at a star-studded awards ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa, hosted by Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner Billy Porter and award-winning television presenter Bonang Matheba. The 2024 Winners, selected from this year’s 15 Earthshot Finalists, will be awarded £1 million each to accelerate and scale their game-changing environmental solutions.

The aim of the awards is to celebrate and support those working to provide innovative solutions for climate and environmental issues.

Speaking during the Awards Ceremony, Prince William said:

“I believe our world can be rich in possibility, in hope, and in optimism. That is why The Earthshot Prize exists. To champion the game-changers, the inventors, the makers, the creatives, the leaders; to help them build upon the amazing things they’ve already achieved; to speed their innovations to scale and to inspire the next generation to create the future we all need.”

About the winner

Keep IT Cool (KIC) addresses the challenge of food spoilage by providing sustainable, localized refrigeration systems that help small farmers and fishers preserve their produce. By installing solar-powered cold storage units where fish are landed, KIC significantly reduces spoilage and waste by ensuring the catch stays fresh and managing its transport to market. With plans to grow into East Africa and beyond, KIC is now working to expand their activities in poultry, fruit and vegetables and aims to bring their solution to more communities.

Francis Nderitu, Founder and Managing Director of Keep IT Cool said, “We are on a mission to revolutionize the food supply chain in East Africa. We are grateful for the recognition from The Earthshot Prize, and it is an important milestone for Keep IT Cool. We will continue to enhance market access, reduce waste and build climate resilience for small-scale fish and poultry farmers throughout the region.”

The 2024 Earthshot Prize

There was a focus on ideas from Africa for this year’s Earthshot Prize, with more than 400 African-led projects nominated and another 350 linked to the continent.

Although Africa generates the fewest emissions for global warming, many of its countries are among the most vulnerable to climate change.

As he spoke of his deep connection to Africa last week, Prince William said he wanted this year’s prize to provide a platform for innovators to bring about change for their communities and inspire young people across the continent.

A recent UN report warned that the goals of the Paris agreement to keep global temperatures under 2C while making efforts to stay below 1.5C are now in very serious danger.

The Prince of Wales has said he wants his environmental Earthshot prize to “change the world for good” over the next decade as he celebrated this year’s winners.

Prince William closed the awards ceremony in Cape Town by calling for people around the world to join the “movement for change”.

Earthshot Prize 2024 – Full list of winners
Models Heidi Klum and Winnie Harlow, actor Nina Dobrev and artist Tobe Nwigwe announced the £1m ($1.2m) prize winners from each category at the event.

• Protect and Restore Nature: Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative, a project that has saved the critically endangered Saiga antelope from extinction in Kazakhstan

• Clean Our Air: Green Africa Youth Organization, who use behavioural change to help communities clean up waste and build circular waste management infrastructure across Africa

• Revive Our Oceans: High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, an alliance of at least 119 countries with the ambitious goal to protect 30% of land and oceans by 2030

• Build a Waste-free World: Keep IT Cool, a Kenyan-based company using solar powered refrigeration to help cut harvest waste for farmers

• Fix Our Climate: Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems, an American company that convert excess heat, produced during the making of steel or cement, into electricity

Each Winner to receive £1 million to accelerate and scale the impact of their innovative environmental solutions