Team for the Planet launches a global call for innovation, awarding €1 million each to leading climate inventors

LYON, France, June 29, 2026 /CNW/ -- Researchers, engineers and entrepreneurs worldwide are invited to apply; winning innovations receive €1 million to reach industrial scale. Founded in Lyon in 2020, Team for the Planet holds one conviction: decarbonisation must be sound business--for investors and innovators alike.

"We need major innovations to structurally decarbonise the economy. Most already exist, but they aren't scaling," notes Jean Jouzel, former IPCC vice-chair. The aim is to identify, anywhere on Earth, technology that massively cuts emissions and equip it to win its market.

More than a cheque

Beyond the capital, winners are paired with an experienced executive to co-lead the venture, gain access to a 133,000-strong shareholder network, and adopt an open-licence model that has already multiplied one project's profitability tenfold. Eligibility is universal--any nationality or legal structure--provided the innovation delivers a measurable greenhouse-gas impact reaching several million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent annually.

A selection process unlike any other

Each application passes through 10,000 trained volunteer evaluators, an independent scientific committee of 14 experts (CNRS, CEA, INRAE, École Polytechnique), 13 private-equity professionals, and a final shareholder vote. Since 2020, over 1,700 proposals have yielded 14 companies across energy, industry, transport, agriculture and construction.

Saving the planet pays

Since 1 January 2026, shares once capped at €1 are revalued annually against the portfolio's real worth, with one global first: gains are recognised only when a holding's climate targets are met. The figures speak plainly: €41 million raised in five years--Europe's largest crowdfunding campaign--now drawing venture capital and institutional investors.

"A tonne of CO₂ avoided has become an economic asset. The winner won't receive a prize--they'll be signing the first funding round of a future global decarbonisation leader." -- Mehdi Coly, Founder

Information Applications: https://1-million-planet.com/fr •

Winner announced: December • Prize: €1,000,000 in equity + entrepreneurial support

About Team for the Planet

A nonprofit limited partnership founded in Lyon in 2020, backed by the French government and investors including the Mulliez family and Duval Group. It counts 133,000 shareholders, has raised €41 million, and supports 14 companies toward a goal of 100. Performance is measured in Climate Dividends: one dividend equals one tonne of CO₂ avoided.

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SOURCE TEAM FOR THE PLANET

Sébastien Gallot -- [email protected] -- [phone]