HSBC Industrial Innovator Programme

Applications open
Commercial Opportunities • Pilot Pitching • Finale Gala & Forum: May 2026

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

Forge connections with industrial leaders actively looking for solutions

The HSBC Industrial Innovator Programme is an invite-only programme for select HSBC corporate clients, and we are selecting a small group of leading startups to join them.

The programme brings together senior voices from industrial organisations across South East Asia with global startup founders working in Waste-to-Value and Circular Industry solutions.

During the programme, participating startups will work directly with HSBC corporate clients to explore partnership opportunities in areas where urgency is rising fast. Regulators and buyers across industrial Asia have moved from pledges to enforcement, making carbon, waste, and efficiency real operating metrics. Customers and auditors increasingly expect proof across the value chain, and resource volatility is opening up new opportunities to turn waste into feedstocks across energy, water, and mineral security.

Improving circularity and lowering energy waste remain significant operational challenges for many companies. This programme aims to bring together sector expertise of established organisations and innovative ideas of new startups to accelerate deployment of transformative solutions – helping to drive greater efficiency and cost savings for our clients.

Martin Richards, Global Head of Climate Tech, HSBC

Apply now

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

Forge connections with industrial leaders actively looking for solutions

The HSBC Industrial Innovator Programme is an invite-only programme for select HSBC corporate clients, and we are selecting a small group of leading startups to join them.

The programme brings together senior voices from industrial organisations across South East Asia with global startup founders working in Waste-to-Value and Circular Industry solutions.

Martin Richards, Global Head of Climate Tech, HSBC

Apply now

PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

Accelerating pathways to industrial commercialization

Access Decision Makers

Get in front of senior stakeholders at leading industrial corporates, including teams that can sponsor pilots and drive internal adoption.

Pilots & Commercial Opportunities

Move quickly from identifying real problem statements to designing pilots, validating ROI, and building credible success stories.

Finale Gala & Pitch Day

Pitch your startup to our industrial ecosystem and network with founders and industry leaders at our gala event in in May 2026.

Join a Global Network

Connect with a worldwide community of industrial innovators, founders, and strategic partners through the Founders Factory global ecosystem. Expand your reach and build relationships with people solving these challenges at scale.

CHALLENGE THEMES

JOIN A GLOBAL COMMUNITY

Our Industrial Tech Portfolio

Endolith
Endolith
/ Seed
Increasing copper recovery from low-grade ores in heap leaches by harnessing microbial communities, synthetic biology techniques, and a cloud-native platform
US
Durin
Durin
/ Seed
Automated drill rigs that consolidate drilling, lab testing, planning, and analysis into a single system
US
Terra AI
Terra AI
/ Series A
Combining geological data with AI-driven reasoning to optimise exploration in real time
US
Vycarb
Vycarb
/ Pre-Seed
CO2 removal and storage technology, facilitating permanent, low-cost, and fully-measured carbon capture, removal, and storage, using water and minerals
US
Rock Zero
Rock Zero
/ Seed
Zero waste, cost-efficient lithium extraction
US
Magmatic
Magmatic
/ Pre-Seed
Building a library of metal-binding proteins, to establish novel integrated separation process for improved recovery of critical metals
Austria
BluumBio
BluumBio
/ Pre-Seed
Enzyme database for removing pollutants from soil, air, and water
US
Rainstick
Rainstick
/ Pre-Seed
Mimicking effects of lightning to stimulate biological and electrochemical changes in seeds to enhancing crop performance
Australia
ProSpectral
ProSpectral
/ Pre-Seed
Next generation computer vision for material detection and analysis
UK
Thunderstone
Thunderstone
/ Pre-Seed
Extracting metals directly from underground deposits, using high-voltage electric fields to create fractures in rock, allowing conductive fluids to dissolve and extract metals.
US
Sunchem
Sunchem
/ Pre-Seed
Developing sustainable leaching and Nano Filter technologies for the precision separation of critical metals
US
Ekion
Ekion
/ Pre-Seed
Electrokinetic recovery to extract metals from stranded deposits
Australia