BerriUp held the final of the 21st edition of its acceleration program, with the participation—for the sixth time—of Rural Kutxa, a leading financial institution with a strong presence in the Basque Country, Navarre, and La Rioja; and—for the third time—of Artizarra Fundazioa, a foundation that promotes entrepreneurship, talent, and education to strengthen the business fabric of the Basque Country and Navarre and ensure sustainable development.
The event was also joined by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, reflecting its commitment to promoting and positioning Bizkaia as a territory that supports innovation and entrepreneurship, together with BAT B Accelerator Tower and Easo Ventures, leading players in the ecosystem, who also participated as collaborators. Through this initiative, BerriUp promotes entrepreneurship with social and economic impact, strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem and supporting the development of startups with a strong commitment to sustainable growth and local roots.
In addition, eight companies from the energy, environmental, technology, industrial, healthcare, and automotive sectors—Aiako Tech, Ducha sin fin, Procesim, Muvatech, DS4T, Betternostic, OXHYD Energy, and Soquimat—took part in the final, held on June 12 at the BAT Tower in Bilbao. The event brought together around 130 attendees, including startups, public institutions, corporations, and investors. The jury, made up of experienced mentors and collaborators, listened to the pitches of the finalist projects, highlighting the high level of preparation of all participants. The selection of startups that will join the next acceleration program will be announced at a later date.
At the beginning of the event, Jon Ander Merodio, General Director of BerriUp, emphasized “the importance of public-private collaboration in supporting entrepreneurs, as it increases their success rates and transfers knowledge from fields such as industry and finance to early-stage projects.”
Later, Víctor Iriarte, Head of the Entrepreneurs’ Inicia Line at Rural Kutxa, stated that “from Rural Kutxa’s experience, the real challenge is not only having a good idea, but also knowing how to structure it, validate it, and make it sustainable over time.”
According to Jon de Lapatza, President of Artizarra Fundazioa, “the foundation of a society’s growth is the company, and for there to be companies there must be initiative and talent. At Artizarra Fundazioa we aim to provide financing so that talent can flow and to support the brave individuals who take the risk of launching business projects.”
Meanwhile, Joy Okuyama, Project Director at BerriUp, highlighted that “BerriUp is much more than an acceleration program: it continues to grow with new business lines through which it aims to deepen its collaboration with startups.”
José María Montiel, Head of Projects at Beaz, the public agency of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia dedicated to supporting companies, entrepreneurship, and innovation, emphasized that “we want startups to find in Bizkaia a place where they can land, grow, and connect with the entire innovation ecosystem of the territory.”
Likewise, Jesús Ortiz del Río, Head of Open Innovation at BAT B Accelerator Tower, highlighted BAT’s role “as a meeting point between startups, companies, and investors to promote new projects and growth opportunities.”
Final projects
The finalists who presented their projects on June 12 were:
The winning projects will be announced at a later date.
Following the morning pitch session, the jury continued deliberating on the companies. The selected projects may join the BerriUp Acceleration Program in the second half of 2026. BerriUp will also provide mentoring and support to the startups at a key stage in their business consolidation.
In addition, the winners will receive a minimum investment from the Easo Ventures Venture Capital fund of €50,000, and Rural Kutxa will offer access to financing under preferential conditions through its Inicia Line for entrepreneurs.
The winning projects will join the 44 startups that have participated so far over BerriUp’s 11-year history, across twenty acceleration calls. It is worth noting that these companies have achieved a survival rate above the market average.
About BerriUp
Founded in 2015, BerriUp was named the best private accelerator in Spain in 2025 according to Funcas’ annual report, and is based in Bilbao and San Sebastián. It has accelerated more than 40 startups selected from over 2,000 projects, backed by the Easo Ventures SCR fund, investing more than €2 million in high-potential initiatives. Its success is based on a network of 50 mentors and a training program recognized by the Funcas Foundation as one of the best in Spain since 2021. It also promotes open innovation by connecting startups with large corporations.
About Artizarra Fundazioa
Artizarra Fundazioa is a non-profit foundation created by a group of professionals and entrepreneurs from the Basque Country and Navarre. Its goal is to promote an industrial investment culture as a driver of sustainable territorial development, contributing to social prosperity and sustainability while supporting the anchoring of local business, capital, and talent. The foundation aims to contribute to the economy by reinvesting in its areas of influence and carrying out social initiatives.
About Rural Kutxa
Rural Kutxa is a leading local financial institution with a strong commitment to supporting entrepreneurship and regional economic development. It offers a specific support line for entrepreneurial projects: the Inicia Line for Entrepreneurs. Through this initiative, it provides advisory services and financing under preferential conditions for startups developed in Navarre, La Rioja, and the Basque Country. Since its launch in 2007, the Inicia Line has supported 2,900 entrepreneurial projects led by more than 5,000 entrepreneurs.
For more information: www.ruralkutxa.com
For more information: https://artizarra-fundazioa.org/
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