BIND, an initiative by the Department of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability of the Basque Government and SPRI, held its annual innovation event, Demo Day 2025, this week at the Kursaal Conference Centre and Auditorium. During the event, 20 startups presented a total of 30 innovation projects developed in collaboration with Basque SMEs and large corporations, in a gathering that brought together over 400 professionals from the Basque entrepreneurial and industrial ecosystem.
The event featured institutional participation from the Minister of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability, Mikel Jauregi; the Deputy Minister for Industrial Promotion, Andoitz Korta; and the Director of Entrepreneurship and Internationalisation, Ane de Ariño.
During his address, Minister Mikel Jauregi reaffirmed the Basque Government’s commitment to entrepreneurship and its role in sustainable industrial development, stressing that “entrepreneurship is a national priority in Euskadi and a tool to make our industry more competitive through collaboration between startups and established companies, and between the public and private sectors. The new Industrial Plan considers entrepreneurship a key area to promote a more advanced and less polluting industry that boosts the competitiveness of Basque companies. That is why the Basque Government supports initiatives like BIND, which are essential for achieving this goal, demonstrating that collaboration between startups, corporations, and the public sector is the way to build a more sustainable, smarter, and stronger industry for the future. The Basque Government will continue to promote these initiatives to strengthen our productive fabric.”
Among the attendees were representatives of leading companies such as Mercedes-Benz, ITP Aero, Iberdrola, Bellota, DanobatGroup, Talgo, Arteche, Tubos Reunidos, Eroski, Erreka, and GH Cranes, as well as SMEs like Eralki, Ona, Zikotz, Agaleus, Loramendi, AAC Acústica, and A&B Laboratorios.
The BIND public-private platform has established itself as an international benchmark in open innovation for its support of the industrial fabric and entrepreneurship. Its goal is to connect disruptive startups with corporations, SMEs, and public agencies through its Corporate, SME, and GovTech initiatives. Since its launch in 2016, it has already accelerated over 250 startups and 350 projects, surpassing €9.6 million in turnover.
The 10th edition of BIND kicks off with 12 challenges and new partners
Within the framework of the BIND Demo Day, the Director of Entrepreneurship and Internationalisation, Ane de Ariño, presented the 10th edition of BIND Corporate. In her presentation, she highlighted the constant growth of the BIND ecosystem and welcomed the new partner companies joining this year to develop new innovation projects in collaboration with disruptive startups. Startups interested in participating in the initiative and developing projects with Basque corporations can submit their applications until September 5.
The new partner corporations are: Arania, a leading company in Southern Europe in precision cold-rolled high and low carbon steel; Ansareo, a company providing comprehensive solutions in civil engineering, industrial cleaning services, pumping equipment, etc.; Sacyr, a leader in concessions, infrastructure, and water; and Valoriza, dedicated to various services in the waste recycling chain such as collection, treatment, and management.
Additionally, four Basque SMEs are joining the platform: AZ3 Oeno, specialising in products, machinery, and training in oenology and viticulture; Industrias Mail, a leading SME in the manufacture of special cutting tools; Draxton, a benchmark company in the manufacturing of components for the automotive market; Gistek, an expert in advanced solutions for the insurance sector; Lanik, specialised in the design, manufacture, and assembly of roofs, façades, and retractable structures; Oilasko Berriak, specialised in fresh poultry, beef, pork, lamb, rabbit, and processed products; TME Logistics Innovation, a comprehensive logistics services company; and Winterstone, a producer of high-performance diamond tools.
In the 10th edition of BIND Corporate, startups will be able to present their technologies to address one or more of the 12 new challenges posed by participating partner companies in the following areas:
Innovation for a smarter, more sustainable industry
During the event, pioneering technological solutions were presented for key sectors such as advanced manufacturing, clean energy, industrial digitalisation, and the circular economy. Among the standout cases was the project by the Biscayan startup Lowerton, which collaborated with Ramondin, Talgo, Elecnor, and Enagás on initiatives to accelerate industrial innovation processes. Also notable is the Alava-based startup Data Value Management, which developed a smart risk management and data analysis project with SMEs Agaleus and Loramendi to create more competitive offers.
In the field of sustainability, the startup Powerfultree, together with Iberdrola, presented an agrivoltaic system to reduce the carbon footprint of companies and organisations, while Bioferric showcased its water regeneration technology with Tubacex, designed to eliminate nitrates and heavy metals. Greemko, together with Erreka, GH Cranes, and SME Zikotz, developed a project to digitalise the calculation and management of carbon footprints and increase the competitiveness of companies.
The day also included a roundtable focused on success stories from the BIND GovTech initiative, which connects startups with public entities to address their digitalisation needs. Speakers included Aitor Elorduy (Parke) and Julene Madariaga (Sprilur), who shared their experiences of effective collaboration between the public sector and technological entrepreneurship.
The event concluded with an awards ceremony recognising the most outstanding entities of this edition. The winners were: Startup of the Year awarded to Mairu, which has developed software to digitalise companies’ industrial processes; Corporate Company of the Year to GH Cranes, dedicated to the design and manufacture of cranes and lifting systems; Innovative SME of the Year to AAC Acústica, specialising in engineering in acoustics, noise, vibrations, light pollution, and energy; and Public Entity of the Year to Parke, the Basque Technology Park.
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