Incubator details
Length
6 months
Start
December 2025
Format
Part-time
Location
Online
Overview
Our focus is on peaceshaping – social innovation at the critical intersection of peace and climate – addressing the deep social issues that link climate disruption and conflict.
The Cambridge Peaceshaping and Climate Incubator provides a dedicated space for innovators at the nexus of peace and climate to build capacity, gain practical tools and develop the networks needed to design, grow and resource their work.
Drawing on the experience of the successful Cambridge Social Ventures programme, the incubator supports small, competitively selected cohorts with tailored advice, training and connections to accelerate action for peace.
Deadline to apply: 3 November 2025
About the incubator
The incubator is delivered online to practitioners from across the globe working in diverse fields and contexts. Their actions could take different forms: social ventures, projects or partnerships. Social ventures use entrepreneurship to establish organisations with a mission focused on peaceshaping. Projects may be discrete actions driven by formal or informal organising. Partnerships may, for example, be dedicated to creating platforms for collective action.
Successful applicants participate in live virtual sessions once a month for 6 months.
What we are looking for?
We’re looking for ambitious changemakers who are already building something impactful. If your social venture, project, or partnership is past the idea stage – with early traction like proof of concept, stakeholder support, or initial funding – you’re in the right place.
This programme is designed for founders who bring relevant lived experience or expertise, have led or managed initiatives before, and are ready to tackle challenges with practical problem-solving. You should already be working on your venture (ideally full-time) and ready to commit around 20 hours per week to live sessions, pre-work, and advancing your initiative.
We offer hands-on support, but it only works if it matches your needs – so we’re looking for ventures that align with what the incubator provides. You’ll also be part of a pioneering cohort, helping shape a collaborative community of practice through meaningful exchange and knowledge sharing.
If that sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.
Explore our past cohorts
Na-amal
Founders: Lorraine Charles, Sonia Catinean, Nuba Elamin
Na’amal’s approach is holistic and impact-driven. Our Remote Work Readiness Programme equips displaced talent with professional skills, including soft skills training, mentorship, and experience on microwork platforms. Through our Agency, talent is matched with international clients for real-world project-based paid work. To strengthen the ecosystem, we work with organisations to adopt our approach. We are conducting research on digital livelihoods for refugees, including a World Bank-funded RCT and a Jobtech for Refugees Community of Practice. Our advocacy- the annual Migration Summit and “Voices of Resilience” podcast-amplifies refugee voices and promotes dignified digital work pathways in the global economy.
Adding here the aim for easier access as well:
Na’amal facilitates sustainable livelihoods for refugees through meaningful digital work.
PaxHax
Founders: Jonathan Prosser, Phoebe Bardsley
Planetari
Founder: Cindy Forde
Our survival now depends on our ability to understand and work within the planetary boundaries and awaken to a wider story of ourselves as a human familiy. At the heart of this systemic transformation is education. Planetari pioneers Earth led education and entertainment to nurture co-creators of a peaceful, thriving world. Our multidimensional resources, for schools, homes and communities, develop children able to recognise themselves as part of Earth’s ecosystem and to build, design and behave accordingly. Our core book ‘Bright New World’ is now on the Australian National Cirriculum and Plenetari won a Climate Positive award at UN COP28.
Jawtana
Founder: Rezhyar Fakir
Jawtana, formally established in 2023, operates as a sophisticated social enterprise committed to cultivating inclusive access to language, knowledge, and learning across Iraqi Kurdistan. Leveraging decades of profound expertise, our distinctive dual organisational structure, comprising a registered company and a nonprofit entity, guarantees operational agility, strategic precision and an unwavering commitment to our social imperative. We have spearheaded an array of transformative educational initiatives, significantly enhancing teacher professional development and parental engagement for hundreds of thousands, executed in collaborative partnership with UNICEF and the Ministry of Education. Jawtana is now strategically expanding its purview beyond the educational sector, addressing pervasive systemic challenges, including but not limited to climate change, through robust cross-sector collaboration to achieve comprehensive, enduring development and equitable societal progress.
Platform249
Founders: Ahmed Jamal Elsheikh, Caitlyn Lee-Mei-Jin Merry, Matt Poutney, Fadil Alibeid
“Named for the Sudanese dialing code, Platform249 is a multidisciplinary team of media, journalism, academia, business, human rights, and policy professionals working to drive meaningful action on Sudan.
Our mission is to amplify Sudanese voices, shape global understanding of the war, and influence action. This isn’t just about highlighting the human cost but also about ensuring the world sees Sudanese resilience, culture, and self-determination. By placing Sudanese perspectives at the centre of the conversation, we aim to drive accountability, sustainable peace, and justice.
Our Key Areas of Focus, include – Policy & Advocacy – Media & Journalism – Arts & Culture – Sports & Solidarity”
Peace in Indian Schools
Founders: Marvin Fernandes, Preeya Pathak
“Our aim is to catalyse positive peace and harmonious cultures in India’s 1.5 million schools via a nature-based
model.
Our starting premise is that indirect violence is endemic in schools and prevents human flourishing.
We use part of the problem (disconnect from nature) as the basis for a solution. Our response:
“Future Lab” – nature-based, heterotopic spaces that transform school cultures using a dual
transformation model. Each Future Lab, a small initial footprint of a school, includes three
components: 1) a locally biodiverse garden/forest, 2) a rotunda learning space, and 3) an operating
programme baked into the school curriculum. Our focus is to create an open toolkit and demonstrate
a pilot that is desirable, doable, viable, and easily repeatable by any school. “
Ready to apply?
We’re inviting bold, committed founders who are actively driving change at the intersection of peace and climate. If your venture is already in motion – with early signs of impact and a clear sense of direction – this incubator offers the structure, support, and community to help you go further.
This is more than a training programme; it’s a space for collaboration, experimentation, and growth. You’ll join a small, purpose-driven cohort and gain access to tailored guidance, practical tools, and a network of peers and experts. If you’re ready to deepen your work and contribute to a pioneering community of practice, we encourage you to apply.
Application deadline