The biotechnology companies, located in the University of Valencia Science Park, have won second and third prizes in the 5UCV competition organised by the five public universities in Valencia and the Regional Ministry of Sustainable Economy, Production Sectors, Trade and Work
Doitplenoptic spin-off is two years old. It was born from the work of three researchers from the University of Valencia's 3D Image and Display Laboratory, experts in lightfield technology, with the support of the Be Able Capital high-tech fund. They have developed a simple accessory which, applied to any conventional observation instrument, converts the image into 3D in real time. Ángel Tolosa, one of the founders and technical director of Doitplenoptic, explains that their technology "has sufficient features for the industrial, biomedical and technological fields, which allows expensive and bulky devices to be replaced".
The prize, 5,000 euros non-refundable, will be dedicated to innovation and the development of new components. "We are grateful to receive this type of recognition because, after all, it reaffirms our intense work. We think that we are developing a great idea and we are sure that this is indeed the case", says Tolosa.
Arthex Biotech, less than a year old, bases its action on the development of a treatment for the most common muscular dystrophy in adults - muscular dystrophy type 1 - based on microRNA inhibitors. It is a highly disabling disease with symptoms involving the skeletal musculature, the heart and the nervous system and the objective of this spin-off is to develop a drug up to clinical phase 2.
"We have thought of devoting the 2,500 euros in the form of a non-refundable prize to organising an informative day with patients from different associations to give us visibility. We would like to inform you of the current state of research into muscular dystrophy type 1. In addition, we want to include patient associations in our clinical trial process, know how they see the deadlines, inform them of the design and get their feedback", explains Beatriz Llamusí, founder and CEO of Arthex Biotech.
Beatriz Llamusí and Pedro Fernández, CEO and COO of Arthex Biotech Source: FPCUV
From UVemprén, the University of Valencia's Entrepreneurship Unit, its director, Rafael García, highlights the "quality" of the projects presented by the members of this academic institution, which is reflected in the number of prizes obtained, half of those awarded. In addition to the two winners in the 'startup' category, both located in the Parc Cientific de la UV, "we have two other awards in the 'junior' category".
One of them is Ed-Lika, an entrepreneurial initiative proposed by the student Sara Belarbi, which consists of an intelligent assistant to support adult education. The other award was for Yummy, the project presented by María Rodríguez, Ximo Mira and Pablo Martínez. These three students from the University of Valencia propose the design of the first kitchen robot capable of autonomously preparing healthy and personalised dishes at any time and place, with a single click and using 100% natural ingredients. For the 5UCV jury, these two business ideas are innovative and commercially viable, which is why they have been recognised with 1000 euros each.