Both biotech companies, located in the Science Park of the University of Valencia, compete for this award with which CaixaBank and ENISA recognize innovative startups
The Emprendedor XXI Awards, promoted by CaixaBank and co-sponsored by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism (through the Empresa Nacional de Inovación S.A., ENISA) and by Banco BPI, seek to make visible the work of technology-based and innovative micro-enterprises and SMEs. In total, in this edition 27 awards will be given in two categories. One of them, the Regional Award, is of a geographical nature and includes 19 awards (17 autonomous communities in Spain and two regions in Portugal). The other, the Entrepreneurial Challenges XXI Award, highlights companies that provide solutions in specific fields such as health or environmental sustainability.
The biotech companies Dakawo Medtech and Arthex Biotech, both located at the University of Valencia Science Park, have been two of the five selected for the territorial award of the Valencian Community. Dawako is a medical technology start-up company that offers advanced solutions to bring portable biomedical technology innovations to the market. Arthex Biotech is a spin-off of the University of Valencia focused on the development of a treatment for muscular dystrophy type 1 based on microRNA inhibitors. The name of the Valencian company winner of the Regional Award will be decided on April 29, when the finalists will make their second pitch.
Agustín Maciá, CEO of Dawako Medtech, considers that these awards are "very important" because of the recognition they give as well as the economic endowment, which in the case of the award for the Valencian Region is 5,000 euros. "From among the more than 150 projects that were presented for this Regional Award, we have been among the five finalists. For us this is a huge recognition. It means that Dawako's proposal is being valued, especially when there are so many projects of such a high level in the region," says Maciá.
Beatriz Llamusí and Pedro Fernández, CEO and CTO of Arthex Biotech. Source: FPCUV
Beatriz Llamusí, CEO of Arthex Biotech, agrees that the other companies competing "were of high quality". "We applied because these awards could give Arthex visibility, but also because in the process we could learn a lot from the others, and we did. There was a very long list of candidates, and being a finalist is already a remarkable merit," says the company's CEO.
Both companies are candidates for the Bienestar XXI Award
Both Arthex Biotech and Dawako Medtech are biotech companies working in the field of health. For this reason, they are also competing in the Entrepreneurial Challenges XXI Award category, specifically in the Welfare XXI subsection. This state award is aimed at proposals that contribute to improving the health of society, active aging and disease prevention. This recognition is parallel to the Regional Award and the winning company will receive an amount of 15,000 euros. At the moment, the organization has not decided which companies will go on to the final.