Prince William Visits Tech Hub with Earthshot Connections as Singapore Countdown Continues

The Prince of Wales connected with a finalist for the "Clean Our Air" Earthshot Prize

Prince William is out and about in London for an eco-focused engagement.

On Thursday, the Prince of Wales, 41, visited Sustainable Ventures to learn more about the work of the environmental incubator. The organization is the largest climate tech hub in Europe, and helps sustainable startups scale up through investment, workspaces and business support. Sustainable Ventures has helped develop over 500 businesses since 2011, embracing commercial innovation to address climate change and resource scarcity.

The stop came with a special connection to the Earthshot Prize, which Prince William launched in 2020 to promote impactful approaches to the world's most pressing environmental challenges through the next decade. The Prince of Wales met businesses based at the London hub including ENSO, a 2023 Earthshot Prize finalist for the “Clean Our Air” category. The tech company makes tires for electric vehicles which are more sustainable and reduce pollution, leading to a cleaner atmosphere.

Related: Kate Middleton Shares Prince George's Relatable Take on School Tests Amid News She Won't Travel to Singapore

ENSO is among fifteen finalists in the running for the prestigious environmental prize. The five ultimate winners will be announced at the upcoming Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony in Singapore on Nov. 7. The international Earthshot Prize contest invites changemakers to submit solutions across five categories: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate. Those chosen will receive £1 million ($1.2 million) and support to scale their solutions to size.

Elsewhere during the Thursday tour, William joined a discussion with startups on their stories of scaling. The businesses included AirEx, which produced the world’s first smart air brick to reduce home energy bills, and Depop, an e-commerce platform for buying and selling vintage and second-hand clothing.

In another tie to the Earthshot Prize, Sustainable Ventures previously supported Notpla, the sustainable packaging startup and winner of the 2022 Earthshot Prize for "Build a Waste-Free World." King Charles’ eldest son visited Notpla’s East London headquarters in May to see how the Earthshot platform has helped the startup accelerate its progress. The Earthshot honor has enabled the business to expand its team and invest in machinery for research and development.

When previously speaking with PEOPLE about what it meant to win an Earthshot Prize, Notpla co-founder Pierre Paslier described the accolade as a game-changer.

"Most importantly, the Earthshot Prize team is offering us some tailored support and will introduce us to a vast network of businesses, philanthropists and investors, that should boost scaling our commercialization," Paslier told PEOPLE in December 2022.

Related: Prince William Pens Foreword for New Book Inspiring Next Generation of Climate Changemakers (Exclusive)

Prince William's latest engagement follows a busy visit to New York City for the second annual Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, where he officially confirmed he would travel to Singapore for the third cycle of the Earthshot Prize Awards.

The inaugural presentation of prizes was held in London in October 2021, followed by a second cycle in Boston in December 2022. Shaking up tradition, it was revealed last week that Kate Middleton will not join her husband for the big event as she has in previous years. Princess Kate, 41, will stay home to look after Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, during an important week. PEOPLE understands that Prince George has school exams, and his mother will be at home in Windsor to support him.

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The Princess of Wales shared George’s relatable take on tests at school while visiting Fitzalan High School in Wales on Tuesday. Kate commented while chatting with sixth-form students (the American equivalent of 12th grade) about their various classes.

In a clip shared on TikTok by Matt Wilkinson of The Sun, Kate said, “George is just at the beginning of being tested. He says, ‘Mummy, I keep getting tested all the time.’ But when it gets to A-levels you feel like you're on it.”

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