A jury incorporated the technological projects that aspire to be assessed
From science to market
The Collider, the innovation area of Mobile World Capital Barcelona held the 2022 Investment Committee last December. This event evaluates deep tech projects that are finalists of the annual startup creation program.
A jury made up of investors, experts in technology transfer and heads of corporate innovation departments decide which projects are viable to be set up as spin-offs to later join the MWCapital portfolio, which currently has fifteen startups.
Daniel Gonzálvez, Portfolio & Investment Manager at The Collider, highlights the differential value of the finalist projects of this edition, focused on addressing the challenges of society related to health and energy, as well as industry 4.0. “The process that culminates today, after more than a year of work, shows that we are experts in bringing science closer to the market.”
New additions to The Collider portfolio
Identifying technological projects and evolving them into potential high-tech companies, to set up, invest and scale them later, is The Collider’s specialty.
The seven projects that have reached the final phase of MWCapital’s venture building program in 2022 offer disruptive solutions to the challenges posed in the strategic sectors of health, energy, and industry.
For nine months, the teams of scientists that were selected in the “Call of Technologies”, valued positively by the Industry Committee and complemented by serial entrepreneurs identified in the Call of Entrepreneurs, worked hard. They evolved their respective technological projects, born in research or technological centers, tested and adjusted their potential to scale in the global market, and developed business plans with the support of mentors.
Before the investment committee, each project was presented and defended in front of the jury:
- the technology used
- the challenge it solves
- the market plan
- the roadmap
- financial forecast
- and the entrepreneurial team
Its objective was to be part of the MWCapital portfolio, receive a seed investment of up to €100,000 to consolidate itself as a startup, and have the support in networking, training, and investment offered by The Collider.
The projects that reached the final phase of the 2022 edition of the business creation program, in three sectoral panels, are:
eHealth projects
- NewARes: presented an autonomous and portable AMBU (Airway Mask Bag Unit) resuscitator that leaves hands free for other tasks. The solution also increases volume and CO2 exchange, reducing patient fatigue during the maneuver. Emerging from Eurecat, the project has been mentored by Alfons Nonell, Ph.D. in Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, CEO and co-founder of DevsHealth.
- LETO: presented to investors a simulator to optimize clinical trials on cancer. The solution, originating from the Universidad de Novi Sad in Serbia, uses digital twin technology, offers more accurate predictions, and explains why a drug has the observed effect in different patient profiles.
Industry 4.0 projects
- CUT/Susurro: defended the design and manufacturing process of ultrasonic sensors that allow their use without the need for human contact, and that is suitable for a wide range of applications in various fields. CUT/Susurro comes from and has the support of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) and has been mentored by Jordi Bosch, strategic consultant and partner of BIC Consultors.
- ENCODEM/Nasaap: presented a platform that makes it possible to detect and classify odor pollution episodes. The analysis of this data makes it possible to detect incidents in the industry. This Eurecat project has been mentored by Marc Sansó, Ph.D. in Business Administration and Management, adviser, and strategy advisor.
- NanoChronia: Its CEO showed a modular system made up of a network of sensors capable of detecting hydrogen, methane, ammonia, or hydrogen sulfide and operating in industrial environments. The project has the support of the Universidad Rovira i Virgili and ITQ and has been mentored by Silvia Pérez, an expert in open innovation at Repsol Technology Lab.
CleanTech projects
- Pixel Voltaic: presented their solution for the clean production of hydrogen through a continuous process at low temperatures. The innovation, originating from the la Universidad de Porto, uses the cyclical regeneration of the reactor and the removal of carbon for its storage. Judith Cruxent, a business partner at Bridge the Gap, has mentored the Project.
- LightNET: valued its solution to capture CO2 from emitters from the atmosphere. A technology that emerged from the Instituto Catalán de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología (ICN2), and uses rings or CO2 minerality that imitate the natural process of CO2 mineralization. The project has been mentored by Javier de la Ossa, an expert in entrepreneurship and innovation.
- IrriDesk: championed a software system based on a digital twin of irrigated crops that enables autonomous and intelligent control of irrigation and its optimization based on data. The project arises from the Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentarias (IRTA) and has been supervised by Javier Relats, former CEO of Tous.
Congratulations to all the teams for their evolution!