Green Transition Challenge 

(the “Challenge”)

CHALLENGE RULES

(the “Rules”)

This Challenge is organised by Agorize and sponsored by EDF 22-30 22 AV DE WAGRAM 75382 PARIS, FR (the “Sponsor”).

The aim of these Rules is to set out the terms and conditions governing your participation in the Challenge. By participating in this Challenge, you fully and unconditionally agree to comply with these Rules.  If you do not agree with any of these Rules, do not register for this Challenge and do not submit an entry.

This Challenge begins on March 27, 2023 and ends on June 15, 2023.  The Challenge will be accessible 24 hours a day on the dedicated Challenge website operated by Agorize at https://enrichinafrica.agorize.com/en/challenges/green-transition-challenge-edf (“the Challenge website”), subject to possible IT maintenance operations. Dates and times in these Rules refer to GMT+2.

 

Any eligible person who is registered on the Challenge website and enrolls to participate in the Challenge (“Participant” or “You”), is required to review and accept these Rules. By accessing and accepting these Rules, You:

1. Enter into a valid and enforceable contractual relationship with Agorize regarding participation in the Challenge. The registration and enrollment in the Challenge does not set up any subordination relationship between either Agorize and the Partucipant, nor between the Sponsor and the Participant, and
2. fully and unconditionally agree to comply with these Rules. Participants express their agreement by checking an online box while enrolling for the Challenge.

In case of non-respect of these Rules, the Participant will be immediately disqualified from the Challenge and no prize will be awarded to such Participant.

To take part in the Challenge, we must receive your completed registration by May 8, 2023 at 23h55. To register, the Participant must first have created a user account on the Challenge website, and must have truthfully and accurately completed required information, such as full name, email address, etc.

Any registration based on inaccurate, false or incomplete information will result in the Participant’s disqualification. Refusing collection, recording and use of their personal data that is strictly necessary to performing the Challenge will result in the Participant’s disqualification. The Participant is solely responsible for the information he/she provides when registering. Any intentional or unintentional mistake, anomaly or inconsistency, regarding this information, may result in the Participant’s disqualification. Agorize reserves the right to proceed with all necessary verifications regarding the Participant’s identity, postal and/or email address.

Deletion of a Participant’s user account on the Challenge website will be deemed as a withdrawal from the Challenge. In this case, the Participant, regardless of whether the deletion results from the Participant’s personal action or not, will not participate in the Challenge, and will not obtain any compensation.

You must also have accepted the Rules as well as the Terms and Conditions of Use and the Privacy Policy, during the creation of your user account and your registration to the Challenge.

Registration for and participation in the Challenge is free, with no purchase or payment obligation.

 

This Challenge is open and offered solely to:

• duly registered and incorporated companies in Europe and Africa, employing no more than 30 people, and acting in one of the following fields: 
• (i) Low-carbon consumption: for example designing new models to reconcile the preservation of the planet with economic development;
• (ii) Low-carbon production: for example  innovative ways of producing or storing electricity;
• (iii) Decarbonising through digital technology.
• which comply with these Rules and the Terms and Conditions of Use, as well as the laws, regulations and other texts in force in relation to such Challenge.

Failure to comply with these conditions will invoke the invalidity of the participation in question ;

Participants may be required, in Agorize sole discretion, to provide proof of (i) company registration by submitting a registration certificate issued within the last three (3) months, or ongoing company registration, or any trade registry and proof ensuring the registration of the entity in the relevant country, (ii) a valid professional insurance policy subscription and (iii) any other information or document that could be required by Agorize. 

All the documents that may confirm the Participant’s eligibility may be required prior to awarding any prizes.

This Challenge is not open to employees and representatives of Agorize or EDF and the members of their families.

This Challenge is void in countries where it is prohibited or restricted by law.

Participants enter the Challenge on behalf of their legal company. During the registration process, Participant must designate one individual who is part of the company for contact purposes with Agorize. This person will be responsible for registering the company at the Challenge and participate in the Challenge on behalf of the company. By participating in this Challenge, the Participant represents and warrants to Agorize that such person (i) is an authorized representative of the company and is participating in the Challenge on behalf of such company, and (ii) has obtained all necessary approvals to enter the Challenge, including all persons qualified to grant any intellectual property rights to Agorize. 

The goal of the Challenge is for Participants to submit contributions (or projects) meeting the requirements determined Agorize and the Sponsor in the Challenge brief, and that are formalized by deliverables. The brief includes information regarding various deadlines, details of the prizes etc. (the “Brief”). The Brief is accessible through the Challenge website.

During the Challenge, Participants may upload any documents or other materials (such as texts, presentations, videos, etc.) relating to their project to the Challenge website in response and as a solution to the  Challenge (the “Deliverable”).

To be eligible, Deliverables must (i) address the specific issue set out in the Brief, (ii) be in a common digital format, such as, PDF, PPT, and (iii) be in English and in general terms must comply with these Rules.

If a Deliverable cannot be downloaded, is not in the right format or is incompatible, illegible, or unintelligible, the Deliverable will be disqualified.

By submitting a Deliverable, the following needs must be respected:

• The Deliverable includes exclusive contributions from a Participant.
• Otherwise, if content from a third party has been used in the development of the Deliverable, all rights, authorizations and agreements necessary to submit the Deliverable and grant the rights mentioned herein have been obtained. The existence of uncredited third-party contributions in the Deliverable will result in the disqualification of the Deliverable and the related Participant;
• No other individual and/or entity is entitled to claim any rights from the use of the Deliverable; and
• The content of the Deliverable does not and will not infringe or violate any rights of any third party or entity, including, without limitation, intellectual property rights, privacy, competition law, confidentiality, or any contractual or extracontractual right. All deliverables suspected of any law(s) and/or any third party’s right will be ineligible.

Participants are responsible for and shall bear any costs or expenses associated with preparing and submitting Deliverables. Participants assume all risk for  damaged, lost, late, incomplete, invalid, incorrect or misdirected Deliverables.

 

Challenge Rounds. The Challenge consists of 2 rounds:

• First Round. Deliverables will be accepted from 27th of March 2023 to 8th of May 2023 at 23:59. At the end of this Round, up to 3 winning Deliverables will be selected to proceed to the Final Round.
• Final Round. Will take place from 14th of May 2023 to 15th of June 2023 at 23:59 PM. Participants might be required to upload a Deliverable on the Challenge website for this Final Round. More information will be shared at a later stage.

Deliverable. If a Participant does not upload a Deliverable on the Challenge website before the deadline, this will be considered as a withdrawal from the Challenge. in this case, the Participant will not join the Challenge, and will not obtain any compensation from Agorize nor the Sponsor.

Selection Criteria. Deliverables will be judged according to the Selection Criteria, described below. You agree and acknowledge that the Challenge relies on your creativity, capacity, ability, and ingenuity to solve difficult problems. The Challenge does not depend, even partially, on chance or luck, and therefore should not be considered as a lottery. Under no circumstances are factors such as appearance, religion, membership in a trade union, political opinions or sexual orientation considered. 

Notification to Participants. Once selection has been completed, Participants will be notified by email, phone, or by other means of the results of each Round. Agorize will be free to alter the dates on which results are released should this become necessary due to the number of projects to be assessed.  The ranking decided by the final jury will be announced on the day that presentations are made and will identify the Participants that are finalists.

 

Deliverables must meet the specifications set out in Section 6, above, and include:

A 5 to 10 -slide presentation of their Project produced using the template available for download from the Challenge website, in PPT or PDF format, including information such as:

✓ Project structure, its team and its motivations

✓ The solution or product developed, as well as its market and business model

✓ Main technical specifications of your solution

✓ The stage of progress: tests, prototypes, fundraising, commercial contacts, support and partners, awards...

 

Optional: Short video showcasing your concept / solution

 

Selection phase following Round One will proceed as follows: Criteria based voting

“Criteria based” voting will take place from 9th May 2023 to 14th May 2023

The voters (Sponsor company) (the “Voters”) may evaluate and select the Deliverables based on their content and the following criteria:

✓ Innovative and distinctive character of the solution (25%)

✓ Progress for society brought about by the solution (25%)

✓ Relevance of the business model (25%)

✓ Assessment of the team (vision, complementarity, experiences, skills...) (25%)

Except as otherwise provided below, the 3 Participants with the highest score at the end of this vote will win this vote and proceed to the next round. Results will be released by 15 May 2023.

The sponsor might organize 1-to-1 sessions with the three finalist participants for further discussion and clarification, via offline calls or through the challenge platform.

 

B. Final Round

Participants who have been selected to participate in the Final Round will be directly notified by email to the address provided during registration. In the event a Participant does not confirm his/her attendance at the final event, Agorize and the Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify this Participant. This disqualification shall not entitle the Participant to claim any kind of compensation from Agorize or the Sponsor.

The Final Round consists of an oral presentation of the selected projects by the Participants. Participants might be required to upload a Deliverable to the Challenge website before the Final Round.

This Deliverable will need to meet the specifications set out in Section 6 and which include:

A document describing their Project and presenting, for example, the problem it tackles, the proposed solution, its impact and its business model.

This document will be used as a presentation document during the 3 minutes presentation given by the Participants involved in the Project.

At the end of the Final Round, the jury will choose the winning project and will rank the finalists. 

The prizes are awarded to the winners of the Challenge and are subject to compliance with the following cumulative conditions:

The Deliverables comply with Section 6 (“Deliverables”);

Each Participant of a winning project complies with Sections 9 and 11;

It can be proven that the winning Participants fulfill the conditions of eligibility of Section 4.

No prize will be awarded to winners who do not fulfill the above conditions.

Subject to these Terms and Conditions, once confirmed by Sponsor, the grand winner will receive the following:

• the right to join in the EDF Pulse Africa program

 

In addition, each Finalist will receive from Enrich in Africa 

• Invitation to the Final event in South Africa for one (1) representative of each Finalist, with the following services included : 
• Round-trip flight tickets (standard class) 
• Accommodation for two (2) nights, it being specified that the standing and location of the accommodation will be decided by Enrich in Africa only. 
• One (1) License for the Accelerator Squared online acceleration platform. By the founders of Startupbootcamp, the Startup Squared is a digital startup accelerator program based on the acceleration model of the traditional on-campus SBC programs. More information on: https://learn.acceleratorsquared.com/courses/startup-acceleration

Each representative (1) of the finalist startups or company will receive its own prize.

No assignment or transfer of prizes is allowed by a winner. If a potential winner cannot be reached, is unable to accept the prize or any portion of the prize for any reason, Sponsor shall have no further obligation to such potential winner. Sponsors will not replace any lost or stolen prizes after being awarded to winners. Winners will accept the prize “as it is”. Sponsor disclaims any warranty regarding the Prizes.

In the event a Participant (a winner) cannot be reached, by email or by phone, for more than three (3) months after the first attempt to reach them was made, he/she will be deemed as having waived their right to claim the prize and will not be entitled to any prize or any kind of compensation.

Any Participant who does not fulfil the conditions of Participation as provided in the Rules during their registration and/or at any time during the Challenge will be summarily disqualified from the Challenge without prior notice and will not be entitled to any prize. In the event that a prize is awarded to a Participant who does not meet the conditions of Participation when registering or throughout the duration of the Challenge, Sponsor reserves the right to require the Participant exit the Edf Pulse Africa challenge in which it has been invited by winning the prize.

The Participant acknowledges and consents that Sponsor may, worldwide, with a focus on Europe and Africa and for the duration of the Challenge and for a period of one (1) year following the Final Round use the Challenge for publicity, including for Sponsor’s advertising or other marketing purposes, (by any means and through any format (website, advertising banners, social networks, newsletter, press release) now known or unknown to date, free of charge or for a consideration. 

In particular, you consent to the use, by the Sponsor, of your name and surname, your city and region of residence, the name of the institution in which you studied or in which you obtained your diplomas and other biographical information, your image, the information regarding the Prize (if you are a winner), the name of your company and its distinctive signs (if you are a Startup) and any other personal data that you submit with your Deliverables as well as the content of your Deliverables relating to the Challenge. 

As an example, each Participant authorizes the Sponsor to use  the photographs taken during the Final to disseminate them via any communication medium.

Such use does not entitle the winner to any other payment than the Prize he/she received. The Sponsor agrees to cease use  of the aforementioned elements in connection with the Participant at the end of the aforementioned period.

 

The Sponsor has no obligation to keep the information contained in the Deliverables confidential. In general terms, when submitting any Deliverables, the Participants understand, agree and accept that any information contained therein may be publicly disclosed by the Sponsor.

If you are a prize winner, the Sponsor may request that you execute a confidentiality/non-disclosure agreement for the purpose of entering into negotiations regarding the further development of your project, as described in your Deliverable.  Such confidentiality/non-disclosure agreement will be directed to your Deliverable and all intellectual property that it may contain.

Furthermore, Participants acknowledge that the Sponsor may currently or in the future be developing information internally, or receiving information from other parties, that is similar to the information contained in any of the projects. Accordingly, nothing herein shall prohibit the Sponsor from independently acquiring, developing, or having developed for it, products, concepts, systems, services, or techniques that are similar to or compete with the products, concepts, systems or techniques contemplated by or embodied in any Deliverable. 

The Participants recognize that other Participants, individuals or entities may have provided to the Sponsor or others, or made public, or may in the future submit, or make public, content that is the same or similar to any piece of information contained in any of the projects. Hence, the Participants acknowledge, agree and accept that the Sponsor shall have the right to use such same or similar materials, and that the Participants will not be entitled to any compensation arising from the Sponsor’s use of such materials. 

 

Definitions. For the purposes of this section, 

"Intellectual Property Rights" refer to any copyright or other rights over a brand, a design or a model, a patent and, more generally, any element, (including trade secrets and knowhow), that may be protected by national and/or international laws or conventions on intellectual property (“Intellectual Property Rights”)

“Previous Rights” refer to any Intellectual Property Rights and/or any associated know-how held by the Participants before the start date of the Challenge (“Previous Rights”) 

“Creations” refer to any software (including source and object code software), database, technical specifications, text, design, model, information, knowledge, method, process or product, as well as any resulting elements and/or processes likely or otherwise to be protected according to national and/or international laws or conventions on intellectual property developed by any Participant as a part of any submitted deliverable throughout the Challenge (“Creations”).

Warranty of non-infringement. When submitting any Deliverable, at any stage of the Challenge, each Participant guarantees to Sponsor that he/she is the co/owner and/or co/holder of the Intellectual Property Rights regarding all or part of the Creations  contained in the Deliverables submitted at any stage of the Challenge, and that he/she has obtained all rights and permissions regarding all pre-existing Creations and any elements of the Deliverables for which he/she does not hold the relevant rights.

Each Participant guarantees (i) that his/her contribution is original and unprecedented; (ii) that it does not infringe upon the copyright or any Intellectual Property Rights of any third party; (iii) that all the elements of which his/her submissions are formed, as well as all pieces of contributions and information communicated in the submission presentation documents are accurate, reliable and complete; and (iv) that the submission of the relevant Deliverables does not constitute an act of unfair competition of any kind.

It is compulsory for Participants to indicate the source of any pre-existing Creations of whichever nature and on whichever support that are included in any submitted deliverable. Any Deliverable involving several Participants constitutes a collaborative work and it should be treated as such in accordance with the applicable regulation in force.

Liability. Sponsor cannot be held liable for any infringement of the above provisions by Participants. Each Participant shall indemnify the Sponsor against any disturbance, action, claim, opposition and demand or eviction attempt from any third party in connection with any Creation in the Deliverables (Intellectual Property Rights included).

By submitting a Deliverable and participating in this Challenge, you are not granting the Sponsor any rights to any intellectual property supporting all of part of the Deliverable and the Sponsor makes no claim to ownership of your Deliverable or any intellectual property that it may contain.

 

Update of the Rules. Agorize reserves the right to amend these Rules at any time, including the Challenge duration in case of operational imperatives, without prior notice to Participants regarding the enforcement or the validity of these amendments.  Participants are encouraged to consult these Rules regularly. Participants expressly waive all claims or disputes related to any amendment to these Rules by Agorize. 

Should any paragraph of these Rules be declared or judged illegal, unenforceable or void by a court decision, the paragraph in question will be considered null and void, but all other unaffected paragraphs will be enforced within the limits of the law.

Challenge Cancellation or Suspension. Agorize reserves the right in its discretion, to (i) cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Challenge and these Rules, for any reason, at any time and without any liability, and (ii) to limit or restrict participation in the Challenge. Agorize will not be held liable for the modification, cancellation or suspension of the Challenge and no compensation or remuneration will be due to the Participants nor to the Sponsor.

 

Agorize and the Sponsor will in no way be held liable in the event of breakdown or failure, regardless of the cause, of any telecommunications network used that causes Participants difficulty in or prevents Participants from identifying themselves on or gaining access to the Challenge website.

Participants agree that Agorize and the Sponsor, their affiliates and all of their respective officers, directors, employees, contractors, representatives and agents (“released parties”) will have no liability whatsoever for, and will be released and held harmless by Participants for any claims, liabilities, or causes of action of any kind or nature for any injury, loss or damages of any kind including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages to persons, including without limitation disability or death.  Without limiting the foregoing, everything on the Challenge website and in connection with the Challenge is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.  Some jurisdiction may not allow the limitations or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages or exclusion of implied warranties, in which case such limitation or exclusion shall apply only to the extent permitted by the law in the relevant jurisdiction. 

Participation in the Challenge implies acknowledgement and acceptance of the characteristics, limits and risks of the internet and related technologies, particularly with regards to performance, response time, security of software and computer equipment against various potential attacks, such as viruses, logic bombs or Trojans, and loss or misuse of data. As a result, the Sponsor will not be held liable in any way for any damage incurred by Participants arising from these characteristics, limits and risks, which Participants accept by registering and taking part in the Challenge.

Agorize and the Sponsor will not in any case be held liable for damages resulting from faults with or delays in the submission of deliverables by Participants, including refusal to accept these deliverables as a consequence of their submission outside the deadlines set out in the Rules, from faults with or delays to the sending of any emails by the Participant sent as part of the Challenge, or from any alterations made to the deliverables independently of Agorize or the Sponsor.

Agorize and the Sponsor will not be held liable for the consequences of a Participant’s disqualification from the Challenge as a result of their violation of these Rules.

Participation in the Challenge requires the communication of some Participant's personal data ("Personal Data").

Participant’s personal data is subject to processing within the meaning of the regulations on the protection of personal data (The EU 2016/679 General Data Protection Regulation and the Council of 27 April 2016, known as GDPR) for which Agorize defines the purposes and means and is, as such, “Data controller” within the meaning of the GDPR.

The purposes of the processing are: 

• To meet the organization of the challenge needs 
• To organize the intermediation between the Participant and the Sponsor, to ensure identification, communication and preservation of the exchanges with the Participant
• In accordance with the provisions of the GDPR, Agorize undertakes to implement organizational and technical security measures in order to protect all Participant’s Personal Data and allow the exercise of Participants’  rights from GDPR.

After transmission of the personal data of the Participant to EDF in compliance with the Rules, EDF shall be responsible as processor of personal data and undertakes to handle Participants' Personal Data in accordance with the Regulation in force, including EU Regulation 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 known as the “GDPR” and Law No. 78-17 of 6 January 1978 on Information Technology, Files and Freedoms, as amended.

Any Participant’s claims, arising from the Challenge, should be addressed no later than thirty (30) days following the Challenge end date to notification@agorize.com. All claims must include: (i) the Participant’s complete contact details (name, address, email address and phone); (ii) the name of the Challenge; and (iii) a clear and detailed explanation for the claim.

 

The Challenge and any action related thereto shall be governed by the law applicable in France.

In case of persistent litigation beyond a period of fifteen (15) days after the Participant has filed a claim, the Sponsor and the Participant undertake to submit their dispute to an amicable conciliation prior to any legal proceedings. The party wishing to initiate conciliation shall inform the other party by means of a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt, in which it will inform of its intentions and will explain the cause. If no agreement is reached between the parties within thirty (30) days after receipt of the registered letter, the parties regain their freedom of action.

In case of persistent disagreement on the application or interpretation of the Rules, and in the absence of an amicable settlement, any dispute that may arise between the parties, will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Paris, France.