Events

Innovators Under 35 Spain

MIT Technology Review

MIT Technology Review, a publication owned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, presented the sixth generation of Innovators Under 35 Spain 2016 on 27 October at the Rafael del Pino Foundation in Madrid.

The 10 young Spaniards awarded in 2016 work in the area of science, innovation and technology and have developed innovative projects in fields such as biomedicine, telecommunications and energy, among others.

Every year, MIT Technology Review magazine recognises the talent of young innovators and entrepreneurs through the different editions of Innovators Under 35 around the world. The aim is to promote the development of new technologies to solve the challenges and problems affecting society today.

The winners of the sixth edition of Innovators Under 35 Spain 2016 have been:
1. Jordina Arcal - HealthApp. This start-up develops applications to improve communication between patients and therapists in the treatment of chronic diseases, eating disorders or long-term conditions.

2. Luis Cuende - Stampery. His company allows users to certify the existence, integrity and ownership of any file or communication by means of blockchain technology.

3. César de la Fuente - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It has developed a technology to prevent the formation of complex communities of bacteria (biofilms) that are particularly resistant to current antibiotics.

4. Óscar Flores - Made of Genes. It has developed the first marketplace for applications based on the human genome. The company offers its users the possibility to sequence their genome and store it securely for life.

5. Esther García - Eneso. This technology-based company is dedicated to the development and commercialisation of products to facilitate access to technology for people with disabilities.

6. Javier Hernández - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It has created a technological tool capable of measuring, identifying and minimising unnecessary stress and avoiding its negative health consequences. Stress levels are measured using devices such as a computer keyboard or mouse, which capture changes in users' muscle tension.

7. Javier Jiménez - New Born Solutions. Biomedical start-up leading the development of Neosonics, a medical device that allows non-invasive testing for meningitis in infants as an alternative to lumbar puncture, a risky method not always available in resource-limited settings.

8. Gonzalo Murillo - National Centre for Microelectronics. It has developed and patented miniaturised, self-contained wireless sensors that draw mechanical energy from the environment and convert it into electricity to avoid energy dependence on batteries, generate economic savings and reduce ecological impact.

9. Blanca Rodríguez - Smile&Learn. A digital platform of stories and games for children that, through Big Data analysis, allows parents to monitor their children's learning and identify new needs while they enjoy themselves and have fun.

10. Carlos Sánchez - Asana Weartech. His technology start-up focuses on the development of high-precision electronic sensors that are integrated into clothing and collect information related to posture or spinal movements to help prevent scoliosis.

Two special mentions were awarded during the award ceremony: Innovator of the Year and 'Social Innovator'. with the aim of recognising, on the one hand, the young person who proposes the most innovative project and demonstrates a high capacity to put it on the market and, on the other hand, the one who stands out for the impact that his or her project generates in improving the quality of life of people at a global level.

Also present at this sixth edition were members of the Innovators Under 35 community, such as Ron EvansRingleader at The Hybrid Group; Ander MichelenaCEO at ticketBis; Iñaki BerenguerCEO and Cofounder of Coverwallet o Pau García Millá, co-founder of EyeOS and the first innovator to receive the 'Innovator of the Year' special mention in 2011.

Innovators Under 35 is a recognition that seeks to promote talent and entrepreneurship and to generate a pioneering community of future leaders and drivers of change. In 2016, the prize was awarded to more than 40 young people in five European countries: France, Belgium, Poland, Germany and Spain. All of them are the new members of this community that will meet on 24 November at the second edition of the Summit Europe in Barcelona.

Summary:

On 27 October, the Rafael del Pino Foundation hosted the sixth edition of the "Innovators Under 35" programme, organised by the MIT Technology Review, in which the projects of the ten young Spanish innovators with the greatest future projection are presented. The event began with the words of Rafael Salazar, director of Innovators Under 35, who stressed the importance of taking into account the challenges of a rapidly changing world, in which innovation cycles are becoming shorter and faster. In order to survive in this context, it is necessary to remain relevant, which means looking for the most disruptive people in any country. This was followed by Ron Evans, technologist at The Hybrid Group, who gave a practical demonstration of the power of play in technology development. Ander Michalena, CEO and co-founder of Ticketbis, said that the innovation ecosystem in Spain is better now than it was five years ago. Investment has improved and the system continues to grow. He even believes that, at some point, a "unicorn" could emerge in Spain. And he recalled that the largest companies in the world are now technology companies that are reinventing sectors and economic activities. Pau García-Milà, founder of IdeaFoster, stressed that it is very important for innovators to be quick. In this sense, he recalled that great companies of the past, such as Nokia or Motorola, are almost dead today because innovations are produced at a speed that exceeds their project implementation schemes. The ten finalists of "Innovators Under 35 Spain" presented their projects. Blanca Rodríguez, from Smile & Learn, created an educational platform where children learn while big data informs parents and teachers about their progress and shortcomings. Javier Jimenez, from New Born Solutions, presented a pen that helps diagnose meningitis in children without performing a lumbar puncture, which could save thousands of lives in Africa. Esther García, from Eneso, competed with gadgets that enable people with special needs to use computers and smartphones. Javier Hernández, a researcher at MIT, designed smart devices that detect stress and emotions to help people manage them. César de la Fuente, from the Broad Institute at Harvard University, devised a system that uses peptides that could stop deaths from infections caused by multi-resistant bacteria. Luis Cuende, from Stampery, who spoke via videoconference, designed a system that harnesses Bitcoin technology to turn it into a notary 2.0 and fight patent trolls Carlos Sánchez, from Asana Weartech, presented a smart jersey, which guides scoliosis treatment with smart data. Gonzálo Murillo, researcher at the National Microelectronics Centre, presented a project that harnesses energy 'floating' in the environment to power internet of things sensors without the need for batteries. Jordina Arcal, from HealthAPP, participated with a health app that helps to keep eating disorders, obesity and child psychosis at bay. Finally, Óscar Flores, from Made of Genes, presented a genomic digital marketplace that eliminates the need to sequence the same genome twice for two different tests.

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The Rafael del Pino Foundation is not responsible for any comments, opinions or statements made by third parties. In this respect, the FRP is not obliged to monitor the views expressed by such third parties who participate in its activities and which are expressed as a result of their inalienable right to freedom of expression and under their own responsibility. The contents included in the summary of this conference are the result of the discussions that took place during the conference organised for this purpose at the Foundation and are the sole responsibility of its authors.