Moonshot
Projects

Simon’s journey into space exploration began in his Czech hometown, inspired by Star Wars marathons and building rockets at age 12. At 16, he led his high school team to win NASA awards at the Conrad Challenge for a satellite-restarting laser system, gaining recognition from the Czech Prime Minister. This year, his team’s LASARsat satellite will launch aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 to test their innovation in orbit. A recipient of numerous accolades, including the European Space Agency’s Hack an Exoplanet prize, Simon dreams of making space exploration accessible to all students, inspiring the next generation of innovators.

KAMIM Technologies is a Nigerian solar EPC company advancing sustainable infrastructure in energy and agriculture. Its flagship initiative, KAMIM's Cooling hubs, is a patented, modular cold chain solution that repurposes end-of-life fossil fuel generator components into solar-powered commercial walk-in cold rooms. Currently these hubs serve 2,500+ farmers. It has created 40 green jobs, generated over 1.5MW of solar power, prevented 1,100 kg of CO₂ emissions, and reduces 250 tonnes of food waste annually—enhancing rural incomes and food security.

Next-gen diaper fillers made from pineapple-derived materials that enable disposable diapers to biodegrade in just 2 years instead of 500.

Ecobed Biotech is an Ugandan circular economy enterprise that transforms the would-be spoilt milk into a powerful mosquito repellent skincare lotion. Additionally, we convert food waste into organic fertilizers, and animal feeds. Through our WastePay model, families can exchange food waste for our sustainable products, promoting public health, climate action, and food security.

My organisation: Through our commitment to the social (re)integration of incarcerated individuals in the penal system, we aim to break the cycle of recidivism and unlock potential. Richtungswechsel (German for “Change of Direction”) represents a change in how our society views prisons and incarcerated individuals, with the goal of developing social responsibility. Simultaneously, we seek to promote the professional excellence of prison officers and other professionals in the penal system through knowledge exchange and further education on an international level. The project I won the Moonshot Award for: The Champions Community project envisions a transformative shift in European prison systems towards a more humane and effective environment for both incarcerated individuals and staff. The long-term societal change aspired to is a comprehensive cultural transformation within detention settings that prioritises staff well-being, increases positive relationships within prison walls, and enhances the (re)integration prospects for formerly incarcerated individuals. This vision includes the establishment of a resilient European network of professionals dedicated to continuous improvement and innovation in correctional practices.

LightEd is a circular energy company transforming plastic waste into modular, solar-powered stations that deliver clean electricity to underserved communities. Our solutions power homes, refugee and IDP camps, businesses, and innovation hubs—creating jobs, cutting carbon, and lighting up lives across Africa.

The SAPHe Community is a youth-led initiative advancing sexual health, awareness, and education across the MENA region, with a special focus on Lebanon. Through workshops, podcasts, and creative campaigns, it empowers young people with inclusive, accurate information on puberty, relationships, and well-being. Recognized for its innovation and impact, The SAPHe Community fosters safe spaces and dialogue, challenging stigma with empathy and evidence.

Thomas Terhemba James is from Nigeria, he is the founder of TED InnovativeSolutions Limited. With a background in electrical and electronics engineering, headdresses social challenges in rural communities in Nigeria associated with lack ofelectricity; with clean and renewable energy production. Using digital technology andArtificial Intelligence based model to learn and analyse customer data to offerpersonalised, flexible payment based on energy consumption and financialbehaviour, breaking affordability barriers. Thomas has earned local and internationalrecognition, including support from the Nigerian Content Development andMonitoring Board under the science and Technology Innovations Challenge (STIC),International Telecommunications Union, and Huawei under their GCYLP fellowshipand is committed to using innovation to create a sustainable business model andimpact.

Cholistan Center of Excellence (CCE) is a youth-led non-profit working to bridge the digital divide in the remote Cholistan Desert of Pakistan. By deploying innovative, portable and sustainable community networks and delivering culturally rooted digital literacy curriculum through a Train-the-Trainer model, CCE equips nomadic tribes with essential digital skills to combat digital poverty. To date, CCE has connected and empowered over 10,000 individuals from marginalized nomadic communities through inclusive connectivity and skills-based trainings.

The Loono app is a free, comprehensive tool that reminds users about preventive check-ups and guides them through self-examinations for early cancer detection. It provides evidence-based medical information and eliminates the need for multiple apps. Our mission is to make healthcare accessible to everyone, regardless of social or financial background. So far, the app has prompted over 21,000 medical check-ups and led to the detection of 1,463 lumps during breast and testicular self-examinations — 80 of which were confirmed as cancer diagnoses.

InSync is a women-led startup on a mission to help women feel more in sync with their bodies. Our first product – a cycle-based supplement – is designed to support hormonal balance and wellbeing throughout the menstrual cycle. We’re challenging the one-size-fits-all approach in health by embracing the uniqueness of female biology and creating products that respond to real needs.

MARMAR is an AI-powered medication safety companion designed to prevent dangerous drug interactions. It analyzes user-specific factors like medications, conditions, age, and allergies to deliver personalized, real-time safety insights and clear, actionable advice. MARMAR supports patients and healthcare providers in making informed decisions, enhancing medication safety and confidence through an intuitive, user-friendly platform.

CAJU VALOR transforms wasted cashew apples into organic juice enriched with local spices, creating jobs and sustainable income for rural women in Benin. Across African cashew-producing countries, the underutilization of cashew apples leads to massive food waste and lost income. By tackling this widespread problem and boosting local value chains, the project contributes to climate action, gender equality, and circular economy. CAJU VALOR envisions a future where nothing is wasted, and communities thrive through innovation rooted in local resources.

The description for the project is: In partnership with NextShark for AAPI Heritage Month, What Did They Say? is a 1-minute film about the experience of immigrant children translating for their parents. The film went to receive viral attention online with over 30-million views.

SmoothSpeak AI is a real-time speech enhancement and therapy platform designed for individuals with speech disorders such as apraxia, dysarthria, and stuttering. It offers seamless online communication support and personalized AI-powered exercises, empowering users to express themselves clearly and confidently. Our mission is to make communication judgment-free and inclusive in the digital world.

"DoctorsEverywhere: A digital Health Platform Where Health Meets Human Needs. Since the beginning of the war in Syria in 2011, the country’s collapsed health system has left millions without essential care. DoctorsEverywhere upholds the human right to health by empowering communities in crisis zones through a digital platform offering inclusive, accessible, acceptable, and available mental and physical healthcare. With real-time consultations and culturally tailored guidance, it bridges urgent gaps in fragile settings. Starting in Syria and expanding across the Middle East, it supports SDGs 3, 5, 10, 16, and 17, building a future of health equity for all."

The Empowerment Collective (EC) is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded by Nasreen Sheikh in 2018. EC is dedicated to empowering women in disadvantaged and vulnerable communities in Nepal and India and raising global awareness of the challenges women in the developing world face.

Spear of Africa Peace (SoAP) is a youth-led non-profit organization that works to address SDG 3 and partly SDG 4 by recognizing art and storytelling as a form of therapy to help refugees and youth deal with the trauma.

Unlock the power of truly accessible and diverse communication with SPOTER – the state-of-the-art automated sign language recognition system. Using AI, SPOTER converts sign language videos into text, opening the doors to direct translation apps and accessible user interfaces.

Seaweed Culture is using seaweed to tackle climate change. A tropical seaweed species has been identified as an opportunity to significantly reduce methane emissions by up to 95% with as little as 80g per day in ruminant livestock such as cows or sheep whilst increasing productivity by up to 20% and decreasing the cost per KG on regular feed.

EduBeyond tackles the SDG of ensuring equitable quality education and learning opportunities worldwide. Youths, especially those in underdeveloped/low-income regions, were significantly hindered in their education accessibility and quality due to financial and logistical constraints amidst the pandemic.