The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center is thrilled to have these incredible entrepreneurs in our Fall 2024 Milestone Makers Cohort 1 which supports entrepreneurs building businesses focused on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Affordable and Clean Energy (#7) and Climate Action (#13).
Milestone Makers is the Center’s flagship program, providing individualized mentorship and executive coaching and access to the Center’s vast network of industry experts to help each founder with his or her milestone. Entrepreneurs in the Fall 2024 Cohort 1 were hand-selected after a competitive application process, and all hope to improve the lives of and support communities across the globe.
Find out more about the Milestone Makers program here. Applications are now open for the Winter 2025 Milestone Makers cohort which supports entrepreneurs focused on Peace and Justice (#16) and Reduced inequalities (#10). Applications close Monday, October 28th at 11:59pm PT. Express interest here.
Anastassia Nefedova
Regenerate
United States
MILESTONE: Validate Regenerate’s 4 P’s (Product , Price, Promotion, Place) to ensure alignment with market demands and establish a solid foundation for scaling.
Regenerate is an AI-powered climate technology company focused on optimizing dual land use through agrivoltaics. Our solution tackles land-use conflicts by integrating renewable energy production with regenerative agriculture and soil restoration. This dual-use model accelerates decarbonization, revitalizes degraded soil, promotes biodiversity, and supports water conservation.
Our turnkey hardware solution integrates AI and sensor monitoring for precision land management, ensuring the most efficient design and operation of agrivoltaic systems. We also track carbon sequestration and biodiversity improvements. By generating clean energy while enhancing soil health and supporting rural economic development and upskilling, we address key challenges related to food security, climate action, and economic
Caleb Iwuoha
Acecore Incorporations
Nigeria, United States
MILESTONE: Develop the right business model strategy to better meet the needs of a broader market.
Acecore is reinventing clean energy in Africa by locally manufacturing AI-powered solar solutions to provide homes and businesses with reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity.
Acecore’s solution addresses Africa’s chronic power shortages with an innovative, scalable clean energy system. Our flagship product, the Acecore Powercell, is an AI-powered solar power unit featuring advanced lithium-ion battery technology. The Powercell’s all-in-one compact design allows users to get more energy in less space. Its scalability is a key advantage; the system can be scaled to about 100kWh, meeting the energy needs of both small households and larger businesses. Our AI-driven mobile app enables real-time monitoring and optimization of energy usage, ensuring efficiency and cost savings.
| Caroline Comeau Fire Neural Network United States MILESTONE: Evaluate and optimize different revenue streams to discover the financial priorities/sales cycles of different customer segments, thus providing confidence in FNN’s financial modeling, runway, and market understanding. Lightning-initiated fires are responsible for 70% of the area burned across the western United States. Fire Neural Network (FNN) detects lightning-initiated fires in seconds. By using satellite data, implementing FNN’s proprietary lightning detectors, UAV FireBird, and unleashing the power of artificial intelligence using signal processing tools from astrophysics, Fire Neural Network delivers actionable intelligence in real time. |
Ifeoluwa Olatayo
Soupah Farm-en-Market Limited
Nigeria
MILESTONE: Increase customer base by over 50% from 2150 to 3500 customers over the next 3 months.
Soupah Farm-en-Market Limited addresses food deserts in Africa, a consequence of gentrification and urbanization, limiting access to nutritious food. We are a farm marketplace that connects small scale farmers to urban off takers with end-to-end supply chain traceability, thereby making nutritious foods affordable for consumers.
With a strong vision of transforming agricultural productivity to achieve nutrition and to shape a healthier future for our people and our planet, we have helped connect over 1200 farmers who have over 4000 hectares of land in South-West Nigeria, increased their income by 32% by earning additional $295 per ton. By cutting out middlemen, we have reduced food prices by 13% for the final consumers and consequently increased nutrition by 8% within our impact areas.
James Muritu
ProGreen Innovations Ltd
Kenya
MILESTONE: Optimize capital structure to meet demand
We are a Waste to Fuel Energy Manufacturer. We turn waste plastic and biomass into alternative and environmentally friendly fuel
Lalit Gautam
Sensegrass
United States, UK, India
MILESTONE: Develop a repetitive sales cycle- Reach $50K in three months and have 10 new customers.
Sensegrass is a climate intelligence platform that helps companies grow better with low emissions through personal recommendations using AI agronomist.
Natasha Ibori
Uwana Energy
Nigeria
MILESTONE: Reduce average sales timeline by 50% with improved messaging and strategies
Uwana Energy offers services that help individuals and businesses find the right solar solutions to meet their energy needs. We vet and aggregate top-quality solar products, providing expert advice and connecting users to suppliers. Uwana Energy simplifies the process of choosing solar solutions by offering personalized recommendations and financing options, ultimately aiming to make solar energy more accessible and affordable.
Nnaedozie Idoko
Solaristique
Nigeria
MILESTONE: Increase our community cooling centers by 150% which will help us reach 3,000 plus customers and 10,000 beneficiaries.
Solaristique is a recycling company tackling Nigeria’s food waste/losses by providing a series of solar-powered cold storage solutions, such as solar freezers, tri-cycled freezers, chill tents, slow-defrosting ice blocks, and cooling bags.
Tunde Adeyemi
SolarMoney
Nigeria
MILESTONE: Expand our reach, enhance accessibility, and foster community-driven sustainable energy adoption.
SolarMoney is a fintech platform that merges AI, Intelligent-USSD, and micro-financing to make solar energy more accessible, affordable and optimizable for both banked and unbanked customers, offering features like quick Solar Energy Assets-based loan approvals, BNPL options, AI-powered support, and flexible repayment terms with Decentralized EaaS Ownership.
Learn more about the Milestone Makers program here.
Do you have a unique perspective in your industry or field that you would like to share as a mentor? Apply to be a mentor for the Milestone Makers at the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center and pay it forward by emailing colin.mahin@thecenter.nasdaq.org
