Today, there are 7.1 billion people living in the world. In the year 1800, there were just 1 billion. Such a large increase in 200 years would be the equivalent of multiplying Chicago’s current population by 2,600. Hard to believe isn’t it?

Even harder to conceptualize is the fact that over the next 20 years, the global population will continue to grow and the middle class portion of the world’s population will double. This rising demand is placing an unprecedented strain on basic resources such as food, water and energy. The current approach to solving these challenges is not sustainable and new ways of doing business and using these resources are required.

At Cleantech Open, we believe many of the solutions will come from the world’s innovators. Just as Thomas Edison changed the way we light our homes or Mark Zuckerberg disrupted how we socialize, our founders look to entrepreneurs to be the real agents of change when it comes to dealing with the world’s cleantech challenges.

The core of our mission is increasing their chances for success. At Midwest Cleantech Open, we are focused on helping entrepreneurs from our region lead in these important industries. Specifically, we offer start-ups a one-of-a-kind professional development platform that includes extensive mentoring, customized training, investor meetings, pitch sessions, prospective client demo opportunities and showcasing at events.

We are a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. Nationally, our start-ups have raised over $700 million in seed capital with a success rate that far exceeds the typical rate for early stage companies. On average, our companies have raised $1 million.

Since 2010, the Midwest Cleantech Open division has worked with over 50 emerging companies from across the Midwest. This year we plan to expand to 13 states in the Midwest and broaden our impact. Also very exciting for our regional organization is the fact that we have produced the national Entrepreneur of the Year for the past two years, a resounding validation of our capabilities in the region.

Your donations as a part of this campaign will be used to directly support the entrepreneurs in the 2013 accelerator class or to fund the programs that we put on to increase their visibility in the market and chances of success. Sample programs where we will use the funding raised from this campaign include:

• Training workshops in July and August for entrepreneurs across the Midwest
• "Student Innovator" internship program for undergraduate and graduate students from regional universities
• Midwest Innovation Summit in October that convenes thought leaders and entrepreneurs from across the region
• Seed cash and awards for our accelerator companies
• Sustainability Fellows Program, which convenes sustainability, thought leaders from our communities including larger corporations

Please help us expand our reach by donating today. Your support will allow us to continue to foster the individual entrepreneurs aspiring to address major global challenges and position the Midwest to lead in many of these exciting new industries.