Swiss Re Foundation has opened applications for its Shine 2027 programme, an accelerator and grant initiative aimed at early stage climate startups that already have a working product being piloted or sold in the market. The programme is not structured as a scholarship or an idea stage competition, and applicants without an operating venture at a demonstrable stage of development are unlikely to qualify, with applications set to close on the fifteenth of September, twenty twenty six.
To be eligible, ventures generally need to be no more than four years old, already operating with a minimum viable product, running a pilot or early commercial activity, and working toward a scalable and financially sustainable business model built around solving a measurable urban climate problem. Swiss Re has been explicit that the programme is not intended for concepts that exist only as presentations, with the foundation instead looking for ventures that have already begun testing whether their solution functions in real world conditions.
Shine 2027 operates through eight designated city chapters rather than as an unrestricted global programme, meaning eligible ventures must operate in or serve one of the following locations, Bangalore, Bratislava, Cape Town, London, Manila, Mexico City, New York, or Zurich. A startup founder based outside these locations would not qualify simply by working on climate related problems, since the programme requires a direct operational connection to one of the participating cities.
The areas of focus for Shine 2027 span clean energy and energy transition, building efficiency and electrification, sustainable transportation, waste and circular economy solutions, urban nature and land use, and climate data, governance, and monitoring, with the programme’s central requirement being that ventures address problems cities are actively facing rather than making broad environmental claims without a clear customer base or implementation pathway. Funding levels vary by chapter rather than following a single global figure, with the Manila chapter offering thirty thousand dollars as one example, while other city chapters apply their own currency denominated grant amounts, alongside the possibility of further funding tied to programme milestones.
Beyond financial support, selected founders gain access to Swiss Re specialists working across risk, strategy, and business development, along with leadership and executive coaching, support in refining business models and go to market strategy, and connections into climate innovation networks and ecosystem partners. The programme is delivered in partnership with Climate KIC and is designed to help founders move proven early stage solutions toward businesses capable of larger scale climate impact, with Swiss Re Foundation encouraging applicants to spend the remaining weeks before the deadline strengthening evidence around their product, pilot results, customer traction, and climate impact metrics rather than relying on general sustainability language in their applications.
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