The eighth edition of the VLC Startup Awards was held on November 30 at the La Rambleta theater in Valencia, with the aim of honoring the best ideas and the best entrepreneurial projects of the year within the Valencian entrepreneurial and innovative ecosystem. This year a total of 55,000 euros were distributed among 14 categories, 11 sectorial and 3 special.
In this context, four companies that are part of AgrotecUV and the University of Valencia Science Park (PCUV) were recognized. The UV spin-off, working on the development of a treatment for muscular dystrophy type 1 based on microRNA inhibitors, ARTHEx Biotech, was recognized as the best startup 2023; meanwhile, PersiSKIN, dedicated to producing a vegan leather from waste and surplus persimmon harvest, won the award for Best Startup Cleantech / Energy / Sustainability / Impact 2023; Mendel Brain, focused on the development of a DNA kit that combines psychology, genetics and data science, was awarded Best Startup Health / Wellbeing / Medtech /Sportstech 2023; and finally, Evolving Therapeutics, UV spin-off, which works on a customized system for isolating environmental bacteriophages aimed at tackling the problem of antimicrobial resistance, won the Best Startup Triple Impact 2023 award.
"With these awards we recognize local innovative talent and celebrate that startups have been gaining weight in the local economic sector, which are a factor in generating wealth and employment. The Valencian ecosystem experiences an annual growth of 16%, over 1,300 registered startups, and generates 16,386 jobs", Paula Llobet, Councilor for Innovation and Attraction and Investment
"With these awards we recognize local innovative talent and celebrate the fact that startups have been gaining weight in the local economic sector, which are a factor in generating wealth and employment. The Valencian ecosystem experiences an annual growth of 16%, over 1,300 registered startups, and generates 16,386 jobs," says Paula Llobet, Councilor for Innovation and Investment, who says that there will be an increase in investment by the city council towards entrepreneurship and the development of startups. For his part, Juan Luis Hortelano, president of Startup Valencia, stressed that the city of Valencia has an ecosystem that "has established itself as an international benchmark" and has "multiple agents" rowing in the same direction.
As for the rest of the winners, the awarded projects were McReif (in the Software category); Liight (Industry 4.0, Logistics and Mobility); World Challenge Gaming (Gaming, Entertainment and eSports); Concierge Friend (Traveltech and Tourism); Mediterranean Agro Technologies, S.L. (Fashion, Textile, Design); ImpactE (GovTech, Smart); Organic Boosting (Foodtech, Agrotech); and Investment (Fintech, Insurtech, Legaltech).
ARTHEx Biotech, award for Best Startup 2023
ARTHEx Biotech won the award for Best Startup 2023. The spin-off from the University of Valencia, which won a prize of 12,000 euros to invest in the company, is focused on the development of a treatment for muscular dystrophy type 1 based on microRNA inhibitors. Its first clinical trial in patients will begin in January 2024 and to date it has raised €5 million in public funding and €49 million in private investment rounds.
Paula Llobet, Councilor for Innovation and Attraction and Investment on the left, with Beatriz Llamusí and the team of ARTHEx Biotech, winner of the award for best startup. Source: Levante-EMV
PersiSKIN, Best Cleantech Startup / Energy / Sustainability / Impact 2023 award
The startup, located in the Parc Científic, is dedicated to developing and producing a vegan leather made with more than 75% vegetable matter from waste and surplus persimmon harvest, which resembles natural leather.
Mendel Brain, Best Startup Health / Wellbeing / Medtech / Sportstech 2023 award
Mendel Brain is a DNA kit that brings together psychology, genetics and data science with the aim of personalizing emotional well-being care. They provide psychologists with the analysis and interpretation of 750,000 different genetic variants, generating a report on the biological predisposition to manifest 30 traits related to emotional well-being, which is used to know the biological risk and adapt the methodology to the patient's profile.
Evolving Therapeutics, Best Startup Triple Impact 2023 award
Finally, Evolving Therapeutics won the award for Best Triple Impact Startup 2023. The spin-off of the University of Valencia, very recently created, was founded by Dr. Pilar Domingo Calap and Dr. Marisa Domingo Calap, and with the support of the Respiralia Foundation, a non-profit association for cystic fibrosis. Its work, which is focused on the fight against multi-resistant bacteria, seeks to develop products that are able to prevent, treat and diagnose bacterial diseases that are currently untreatable.