AstraZeneca Spain, in collaboration with Wayra, Telefónica’s corporate venture capital arm, and Kunsen, an investor specializing in digital health and startup acceleration, has recently held the Pitch Day for startups and healthcare professionals of ACCIÓN, the accelerator created to drive transformative solutions that will shape the future of the healthcare system in the coming years.
The session made it possible to align real needs from the healthcare environment with technological solutions that have practical applications, connecting clinical knowledge with entrepreneurial talent.
The eight winning startups addressed four major challenges. For the healthcare system challenge, the winning proposals focused on triage, clinical data, training, and efficiency in real-world practice:
For the respiratory challenge, solutions focused on proactive monitoring and digital biomarkers:
For the Oncology challenge, proposals addressed early detection, monitoring, and real-world evidence generation:
Finally, for the cardio-renal challenge, solutions focused on early risk identification, treatment personalization, and structured follow-up:
The eight winning startups will receive top-level mentoring; individualized and personalized support; visibility and positioning at technology, healthcare, and entrepreneurship events; and access to a unique network of investors and entrepreneurs to foster high-quality networking.
In the healthcare professionals category, projects in the respiratory and immunological challenge focused on anticipating complications and improving follow-up in respiratory and immunological conditions:
The Oncology challenge addressed solutions aimed at anticipation, prediction, and improvement of clinical decisions:
Finally, the cardio-renal challenge focused on early diagnosis and comprehensive monitoring of cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic conditions:
These healthcare professionals will receive a €10,000 cash prize, in addition to strategic and technological support and institutional visibility through AstraZeneca Spain’s innovation ecosystem and communication channels, as well as those of its partners.
In addition, one of the winning startup projects will have the opportunity to carry out a pilot program in a hospital, working with healthcare experts to bring the solution into real-world practice.
Andrés Saborido, CEO of Wayra, stated:
“From Wayra, we bring a strong focus on applied innovation: we identify technology with potential, support its growth, and connect it with corporations, investors, and partners capable of accelerating its validation. ACCIÓN’s Pitch Day makes it possible to turn innovation into real collaboration.”
Laura Colón, President of AstraZeneca Spain, emphasized:
“At AstraZeneca Spain, we are clear that innovation has real impact when it responds to the needs of patients and healthcare professionals. Our commitment in this area has already benefited more than 350,000 patients and supported the development of over 200 solutions and 19 startups. With ACCIÓN, we take another step forward by betting on the synergy between science, technology, and entrepreneurial talent to drive solutions validated in real environments. The future of healthcare is built through collaboration, and this program is a clear example of that approach.”
Finally, Adrián Gorritxo, Director of Strategy and Business Development at Kunsen, explained:
“ACCIÓN’s Pitch Day marks a turning point for the participating projects: it is the day we identify the eight winning startups that will begin the program. From Kunsen, we contribute our expertise in digital health to support these companies on their path toward validation and adoption within the healthcare system.”
The project involves the participation of more than 20 partners, who—for the first time in a call of this scale—support startups and healthcare professionals throughout the entire project in different areas. These partners include: 4 Years From Now (4YFN), Asociación Salud Digital (ASD), Barcelona & Madrid Health Hub, Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS), BStartup Banco Sabadell, Capital Cell, Clave, Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN), CRB Health Tech, Cuatrecasas, DKV, EIT Health, Federación Española de Empresas de Tecnología Sanitaria (FENIN), Futuro Perfecto, Google Cloud, Microsoft, Mutua Ventures, ITEMAS (Platform for the dynamization and innovation of the industrial capacities of the National Health System), Plataforma de Organizaciones de Pacientes (POP), Sociedad Española de Informática de la Salud (SEIS), South Summit, and Spinoff.
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/NYSE: AZN) is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in three therapeutic areas: oncology; cardiovascular, renal and metabolism; and respiratory. Headquartered in Cambridge (UK), AstraZeneca operates in more than 100 countries, and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. Visit astrazeneca.com and follow the company on Twitter @AstraZenecaEs.
About Wayra
Wayra is Telefónica’s Corporate Venture Capital arm. It invests in technology startups with the potential to drive innovation within the group and provides open innovation services to third parties. With a presence in Europe and Latin America, Wayra has invested more than €245 million in over 1,100 startups and currently has an active portfolio of more than 530, of which over 200 collaborate with Telefónica. It also promotes open initiatives through its platforms Alaian and Open Future.
More information available at www.wayra.es
About Kunsen
Kunsen is a firm specialized in digital health, dedicated to the acceleration, investment, and validation of startups developing digital solutions with clinical and healthcare impact. With a founder-centric model, Kunsen supports founders from early stages through acceleration programs, access to hospital pilots, investment, and collaboration with corporations, insurers, and hospitals to integrate real innovation into clinical practice. Since 2020, Kunsen has supported dozens of digital health startups alongside some of the most relevant players in the Spanish healthcare sector
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