10 deep tech stars from Spain are selected to the EIC Scaling Club.
Scale-ups from Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, Valencia, Alicante, Valladolid
Clear goal of growing 20% of Club members into future European unicorns
10 deep tech stars from Spain are selected to the EIC Scaling Club, funded by the European Innovation Council (EIC). These promising companies from various places in Spain including Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, Valencia, Alicante, Valladolid, are joining a total of 120 high-tech scale-ups with the goal for at least 20% of them to become European unicorns.
The newcomers were announced at the Scale 100 Forum, a community event held on 21-22 October, 2024 in Athens, Greece.
Turning 20% of the EIC Scaling Club companies into European deep tech unicorns
With a budget of over €10 billion, the European Innovation Council (EIC) is aiming to strengthen Europe’s leadership in deep tech innovation by generating a pipeline of startups with the potential to become unicorns.
Their EIC Fund is stated to exist to bridge the funding gap for deep tech European startups that have market-creating potential but carry a high risk for private and public investors. With this EIC Scaling Club, the promise is to also more hands-on assist "the hand-picked deep tech scale-ups with fundraising support, leadership mentoring and coaching, corporate partnership identification and matchmaking, media visibility, recruitment, and much more." Through this stronger hand-holding approach, the aim is to accelerate the growth of all its 120 club members, with the specific goal of scaling 20% of them into European unicorns.
These are the selected 10 deep tech and scale-up companies from Spain to potentially become European unicorns, as part of the EIC Scaling Club:
Within Agri tech & Food Tech, one deep tech company from Spain:
⭐️ AlgaEnergy offers agricultural biostimulants based on microalgae, providing essential elements for a plant's physiological development.
When AlgaEnergy participated in the Biotech Attraction Congress in Madrid on October 9, 2024, their Director of Regulation, Estefania Hinarejos Esteve, delivered a talk on the role of bio stimulants and regulation in today's agriculture.
In conjunction, the company wrote on social media:
"As biotech advancements like New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) are advancing rapidly, Estefanía emphasized that bio stimulants remain indispensable in tackling the broad spectrum of challenges our farmers face today. Key takeaways:
𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐠𝐚𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 bring versatile solutions to complex agricultural problems that NGTs and other technologies alone can’t fully address, bridging key gaps in crop and soil management.
𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 of innovation—it can either fuel or hinder progress. When supportive policies are in place, they ensure farmers have access to breakthrough technologies like bio stimulants.
𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 is critical. A tailored toolbox of solutions enables farmers to tackle their unique challenges, fostering safe, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems.
AlgaEnergy is led by CEO Carlos Rodriguez-Villa Förster.
AlgaEnergy is based in Madrid.
The founder(s) are: Augusto Rodríguez-Villa.
Within Batteries & Energy Storage, one deep tech company from Spain:
⭐️ Basquevolt, develops sustainable, safe solid-state battery technology for electric vehicles, heavy transport, renewable energy, and electronic devices.
On October 18th, 2024 Basquevolt announced having started its 3rd party testing and the delivery of its first 20Ah pouch cells to selected strategic partners and potential customers.
This milestone, the company claims, validates their breakthrough lithium metal cell technology and its groundbreaking energy density (450 Wh/kg with NMC and 300 Wh/kg with LFP), while at the same time bringing a significant cost reduction versus current lithium ion batteries.
“Lithium batteries need a very significant breakthrough in electrochemistry to move further in the society of electrification. For mobility applications, the weight of battery packs must be cut by at least 30% over the next five years to make transportation more affordable, efficient and environmentally friendly”, commented CEO Francisco Carranza.
Basquevolt is led by CEO Francisco Carranza.
Basquevolt is based in Vitoria-Gasteiz. The founders are Francisco Carranza, the Basque Government, Iberdrola, CIE Automotive, Enagás, EIT InnoEnergy, and CIC energiGUNE, whose research is the initial technology baseline for the company.
Within Cardiovascular therapies, two deep tech companies from Spain:
⭐️ Anaconda BioMed, the next generation of catheters to perform safely and efficiently mechanical thrombectomies.
On July 17, 2024, the company announced the conditional IDE approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin the ATHENA study of its ANA Funnel Catheter.
“The IDE approval marks an exciting milestone in our company’s mission to deliver new, safe, and effective solutions that can meaningfully improve the treatment of stroke,” said Anaconda Biomed CEO Francois Salmon.
Dr.Adnan Siddiqui, MD, PhD, coordinating investigator of the ATHENA study, added: “The neurointerventional community is eager to assess this innovative technology, which is designed to enhance the efficiency of mechanical thrombectomy. Even a small difference in revascularization success after one pass can have a profound impact on the clinical outcomes of people with ischemic stroke.” Anaconda is led by CEO Francois Salmon.
Anaconda BioMed is based in Barcelona.
The founder(s) are: Dr. Marc Ribo and Dr. Ofir Arad.
⭐️ Aortyx, providing a new generation of endovascular devices to treat vascular diseases. The company is a spin-off from the IQS School of Engineering and Hospital Clínic de Barcelona.
How it works video in English: (subtitles in Spanish)
Aortyx is led by CEO Jordi Martorell.
Aortyx is based in Barcelona.
The founders are Jordi Martorell, Noemí Balà, Salvador Borrós, Vicenç Riambau.
Within Clean fuel and Hydrogen, three deep tech companies from Spain:
⭐️ H2SITE, developing and providing membrane reactors that address the significant challenge of H2 transportation. A useful explanation from their website:
"H2SITE’s membrane reactor technology allows hydrogen to be separated from molecules that are easy to move, easy to produce, and have a known regulatory framework such as ammonia, methanol, syngas…
But also filter the hydrogen mixed with other gases in existing pipelines, salt caverns, aquifers or other storage infrastructure…
You can think of our solution as a box with rods in it, and these rods are our membranes. When a molecule containing hydrogen enters the box, it will be split. The first thing that the hydrogen sees is the membrane, which is extremely selective to it. Membranes will absorb the hydrogen with +99% purity, no moving parts, and very high conversion efficiency."
H2Site is led by CEO Andrés Galnares.
H2Site is based close to Bilbao.
The founders are Andrés Galnares, Jose Antonio Medrano, Jon Meléndez, Gorka Hermoso.
⭐️ JOLT Solutions, offers a new coating process for activated electrodes for more stable, efficient and cost effective performance. Jolt manufactures activated electrodes for alkaline water electrolysers (AWE) and anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolysers.
Jolt Solutions is led by CEO Leon Rizzi.
Jolt Solutions is based in Barcelona.
The founders are Leon Rizzi, Alberto Bucci, Arturo Vilavella, Julio Lloret-Fillol.
⭐️ Zeleros develops advanced electric and automated mobility solutions for passenger- and freight transport.
For everyone associating Zeleros with Hyperloop, there is still hope. "The next steps are to have a test track, which we believe Spain has all the ingredients for, collaborating with other companies and with our Hardt colleagues in the Netherlands. We believe that it can be done in Spain and that Europe has a lot to say. Although China and the United States are going very fast too", CEO David Pistoni told Spanish newspaper El Espanol upon being included in the EIC Scaling Club.
Zeleros is led by CEO David Pistoni.
Zeleros is based in Cuenca. (HQ moved in October of 2024 from Valencia.)
The founders are David Pistoni, Juan Vicen, Daniel Orient.
Within Biotech, two deep tech companies from Spain:
⭐️ Amadix, is a molecular diagnostics company focused on liquid biopsy, developing innovative diagnostic tests for early cancer detection in blood.
Founded in 2010, the mission is to extend people’s lives by developing disruptive technologies to detect the tumor many years before the symptoms appear.
The company’s products are oriented towards non-invasive early cancer detection, avoiding the complications of existing invasive procedures, such as tumor biopsies.
Amadix currently has one product commercially available and two products under clinical validation. The available product PreveCol® is said to be "an innovative blood-based test for the early detection of colorectal cancer and/or advanced adenomas. Based on a high-precision algorithm that combines biomarkers and an individual’s clinical characteristics."
Biomarkers play a critical role in transforming early cancer detection, as the company writes on social media: "By identifying specific genes, proteins, or hormones, these indicators provide valuable insights into the presence and progression of cancer. They can help detect cancer early, monitor how well a treatment is working, and even detect if cancer has returned."
Aadix is led by CEO Rocio Arroyo.
Amadix is based in Valladolid.
The founder(s) are Rocio Arroyo.
⭐️ MiMARK Diagnostics, specialized in the discovery, verification and validation of biomarkers to develop new solutions for gynecological patients.
Mimark is developing innovative in vitro diagnostic solutions to improve the management of gynecological malignancies. They envision the gynecological fluid as the next step in liquid biopsy in gynecology. Their first objective is to improve Endometrial Cancer diagnosis. MiMark is led by CEO Marina Rigau.
Mimark is based in Barcelona.
The founders are Marina Rigau, Eva Colás, Antonio Gil.
Within Space tech, one deep tech company from Spain:
⭐️ PLD Space, a pioneering company in the aerospace sector and a reference within Europe in the development of reusable rockets.
On 7 October 2024, PLD Space unveiled its strategic plan at the Beyond event, held at its new headquarters to mark the first anniversary of the successful MIURA 1 launch. The company showcased significant progress in the MIURA 5 programme, confirming that it is on course to achieve key milestones and begin its launch campaign by the end of 2025. In the announcement it states that "PLD Space has taken a major step forward by expanding its space transportation offering with LINCE, the first manned capsule developed by a private company in Europe with an 8m3 capacity. This programme will provide Europe with the capability to send astronauts into space and return them safely to Earth, reinforcing Europe’s technological sovereignty in manned space missions."
"The first tests for LINCE are scheduled to begin in 2025 to conduct its first unmanned test flight with MIURA 5 in 2028, launching from the European spaceport CSG in French Guiana, with the aim of achieving the first orbital flight in 2030." PLD Space is led by CEO Raúl Torres.
PLD Space is based in Alicante.
The founders are Raúl Torres, Raúl Verdú.
Created with the intent of giving well-deserved limelight to these deep tech founders, by Caroline Lagergren.
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