Planet Heroes, an eco-crowdfunding platform, was born out of the wish for a community dedicated to cleaning up the natural environment. As Planet Heroes, users can either help clean up an area (such as a forest or beach) or support others doing this work through donations. Users share the before and after pictures of the area and get cash in return.

“There is always some trash wherever you go,” says Karolina Gurgul, PR and communications manager at Planet Heroes, “so it helps when people can see results and receive financial motivation to clean it up.” The assured five euros per every bag of collected trash guarantees users a just reward for their work. Karolina highlights a recent Zanzibar clean-up project whose proceeds help schools to buy new computers to further digital education in the Tanzanian capital. “It’s a wonderful project that’s showing a lot of results.”

Planet Heroes is a UN partner and the official host of World Clean Up Day in Poland while also launching its official app later this year. “We had this original goal of collecting one million liters of trash when we started,” says Karolina, “but what we ultimately want is to create a passion for cleaning up the planet. We want our heroes to share and be proud of their work.”

Planet Heroes' initial funding came from the founders, but the project soon drew the attention of investors. After getting first place on the UN-Habitat Waste Wise City Campaign and the UN's Green Startup Marathon in Kenya, Planet Heroes went on to secure funding through the VC group Invento Capital.