The Moonshots for Development (M4D) Open Innovation Challenge is a global initiative supported by major development institutions including the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Inter-American Development Bank Lab (IDB Lab), CGIAR Accelerate for Impact Platform, European Space Agency (ESA), and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). It invites growth-stage enterprises with validated products or services to pilot and scale solutions that address critical rural challenges across four focus areas: Insurance for resilient food systems, Agroecology for climate-resilient production, Digital extension services, and Solutions that reduce drivers of fragility. The program is structured in phases that combine bootcamps, mentorship, funding, piloting, and scaling support.
Benefits
- Phase 0 Bootcamp: Virtual business model development with mentorship.
- Phase 1 Support: Up to $10,000 in early funding and coaching.
- Phase 2 Pilot Funding: Up to $100,000 plus implementation support.
- Phase 3 Scaling: Up to $250,000 with tailored scaling assistance.
- Structured mentorship and access to global innovation networks.
- Exposure to development partners, investors, and implementation collaborators.
Eligibility
- Legally registered enterprises (for-profit or non-profit) with a validated business model and a functional product/service already deployed in a live environment.
- Solutions that address challenges in rural food systems, resilience, digital extension, insurance, or fragility.
- Teams must be committed to participating in the bootcamp, mentorship, and subsequent phases of the program.
- Focus on impact for smallholder farmers, rural communities, or underserved populations, ideally through AI, geospatial analysis, or data-driven tools.
