Technology transfer with socio-economic impact

MWCapital celebrates the five-year anniversary of its innovation programme 

 

Anticipating the global future 

One of the main features of the foundation Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital) is its extraordinary vision of the future of digital transformation. Through four core areas—innovation, smart connectivity, talent and society—it implements responses to global socio-economic and cultural challenges related to technology, playing a compelling role as an agent of change.  

 

The department of innovation of MWCapital, The Collider, works to generate and support businesses based on science and technology that respond to relevant industrial and social challenges in the medium and long term.  

From science to market

The Collider supports the creation and growth of deep tech companies developed by European research institutions.  

 

Its highly-specialised team ensures the attraction of technologies of teams from universities, European research centres and the innovation departments of corporations are attractive. It also provides:  

• A pioneering Venture Building programme  based on its own methodology and entirely in English, featuring experts and mentors of proven quality. 

• Contact with corporations, often multinationals, to propose, validate and test the applicability of technologies intended to reach the market.  

• Internationally-recruited serial entrepreneurs to  add talent to the scientific and technological teams that benefit from the programme. 

• Close relationship with early stage investors, many of which are international, who assess the viability of the programme’s projects. Moreover, they invest in the creation of spin offs and finance their acceleration.  

The evolution of The Collider 

The department of innovation of MWCapital is a key player in the European deep tech entrepreneurship ecosystem. For five years The Collider has created quality jobs and promoted innovative and sustainable economic activity. 

 

Only a small percentage  of the Spanish industrial sector has R&D contracts with research centers and investors rarely focus on the medium and long term, which means bringing early stage and deep tech solutions to market is highly complex.  

 

In this regard, it is worth noting the qualitative evolution of MWCapital over the five years that The Collider has been in existence. The aim is clear: to promote startups developed in research settings and based on high-impact disruptive technologies: 

• Systematic improvements of the Venture Building programme, which in the last two editions has involved projects from the innovation departments of The Collider’s corporate partners. 

• Specialisation, primarily, in the sectors of Cleantech and Healthtech, without dismissing other sectors. 

• Willingness to collaborate with female mentors, experts and representatives of investment organizations and corporations, in an ecosystem of technological entrepeneurship  with a clear majority of men.
  

• Progressive internationalisation of the teams and markets of the startups that are created and of the origin of the capital that is raised.

Five years of impact

• 18 startups created, 15 of which are currently part of the portfolio of The Collider. 

• Portfolio valued at 30 million euros.  

• Public and private capital of nearly 10 million euros raised between 2021 and 2022. 

• More than 100 highly-qualified direct and indirect jobs created.

• Three female founders  and/or directors at the helm of the created startups 

• Six editions of the Venture Builder programme. 

• Nearly 300 tech projects attracted and evaluated.

• 45 projects selected and supported as part of the Venture Builder programme.

• 1,700 applications from entrepreneurs to join scientific teams.

• 45 serial entrepreneurs selected as CEOs/CCOs of teams.

• Over 30 pilot projects developed in corporations.

• Over 220 scientists trained in Lean LaunchPad at more than 70 Spanish research institutions.

• Participation in some 30 national and international annual events.

• Production of three benchmark technology watch reports: Technology Transfer and Business, Digital Health Report and Agrofood industry Technology Watch Report.

• 12 corporate partners.

Three success stories from The Collider 

• Exheus: this startup offers the world’s first commercial DTC genetic test that analyses the complete RNA sequence from the blood samples of healthy and sick people. The solution uses applied artificial intelligence to compile and analyse information on the 22,000 genes of the human body to offer tailor-made recommendations regarding lifestyle or to correct anomalies that affect the body. Exheus has recently secured a 900,000 euro funding round.

• eRoots: this startup offers integrated software to manage the critical analysis and simulation tasks of companies involved in the large-scale monitoring and management of electricity grids. The current geopolitical situation will accelerate the generation of renewable energy and eRoots technology increases the precision and cost-benefit ratio of said estimates.

• Cooling Photonics: has developed and patented a cooling technology for solar panels that reduces temperature and does not require any energy supply. It is a zero emissions solution, having a positive impact on the global warming. It is silent, cannot malfunction or require maintenance, and does not take up space. Cooling solution is based on a natural process through which our planet regulates its temperature. Cooling has replicated and enhanced this physical property applying nanoscience and nanotechnology. Cooling is a micro-scale patented product with the most perfect emissivity of infrared radiation on Earth.   

A future with greater  international visibility

The Collider – MWCapital team is committed to continue working to enhance scientific projects with an innovative component, validated by the market and economically sustainable. And want to increase its visibility and impact through the internationalisation of its training, business creation and startup portfolio management programmes.  

 

The Collider intends to continue representing Spain through Deep Tech Alliance, an initiative to support deep tech startups with high global growth potential, connecting the best deep tech incubators and accelerators in the world. In addition, In 2023 the innovation programme will set in motion an important collaboration with an insitution which included The Collider in the top 25 incubators and accelerators in Europe specialised in tech projects.