Cuatrecasas Acelera, a program launched in 2016 to place the firm’s legal expertise at the service of startups facing complex legal challenges, has concluded its tenth edition with the celebration of Demo Day at its Barcelona office. During the closing event, the seven startups selected this year—Emogg, Hair Up Laser, Iqana, Moradai, Stamp, Usawa Care and Zenit Solar—presented their projects before a specialized jury, which ultimately named Usawa Care as the winning proposal.
Over five intense months of work, Cuatrecasas provided the seven startups with support across all legal areas necessary to strengthen the growth of their respective business models. Through professional mentoring, they received tailored, individualized advice adapted to the specific characteristics and needs of each project, both at a corporate and technological level. This year’s legal mentoring team included firm lawyers specializing in intellectual property, technology and digital media; pharmaceuticals and healthcare; financial and insurance services; digital asset taxation; M&A transactions; public law, energy and infrastructure; financial and fintech matters; and life sciences.
Following welcoming remarks by Francesc Muñoz, CIO of Cuatrecasas, the selected startups presented the progress of their proposals before a jury composed of industry experts, including Rafael Fontana, Honorary Chairman of Cuatrecasas; partners of the firm; and representatives from the innovation and financial ecosystem such as Unicorn Factory Lisboa, BStartup and Hub Empresa of Banco Sabadell, and GIC.
The event also featured the keynote “Lawyers, the First Vibecoders,” delivered by Omar Puertas, partner at Cuatrecasas and expert in AI implementation. In his speech, he addressed the challenges of moving from generating content with AI to delivering reliable results, sharing insights gained from several years of applying “vibecoding” in the legal field.
To select the winning startup, the jury considered key aspects such as viability and scalability, the strength of the team, and the progress demonstrated throughout the program. The decision was unanimous: Usawa Care was chosen as the best proposal of this tenth edition due to its economic and social impact, the extensive sector expertise of its team, the project’s feasibility, and its strong value proposition.
Usawa Care is a Portuguese healthtech company that offers families unlimited access to a pediatrician in under 15 minutes, 24/7. It operates under a subscription model, enabling connection with specialists via chat. Its AI-backed system optimizes professional efficiency and workflow, ensuring safety and high-quality care.
Rafael Fontana presented the award to Luís Almeida Fernandes, CEO of Usawa Care, who expressed his gratitude: “For us, winning Cuatrecasas Acelera means that what we do has value and encourages us to keep working. It also opens up the opportunity to strengthen our presence and visibility in Spain. Participating in the program has allowed us to receive incredible legal support and build very important relationships and contacts. We are very happy.”
After congratulating the winning team, Francesc Muñoz thanked attendees and highlighted the outstanding reception of this new edition: “After ten editions, we remain convinced that innovation is built by supporting, listening to, and connecting talent. Cuatrecasas Acelera looks to the future with the same ambition as in its first edition: helping startups grow with legal certainty, sound judgment, and strategic vision.”
Once again, Cuatrecasas Acelera demonstrates its commitment to promoting open innovation, discovering new business proposals, and fostering their development and market positioning.
About Cuatrecasas Acelera
Cuatrecasas Acelera is an acceleration program through which the law firm Cuatrecasas makes its legal expertise available to startups seeking to validate their legal strategy and accelerate compliance. The five-month program provides legal support while facilitating connections with clients, investment funds, and the broader innovation ecosystem.
Previous winning projects include Nimble Diagnostics (9th edition), Emily.AI (8th), Union Avatars (7th), Bia Power and Match Trial (6th), Menhir Financial (5th), TOQIO (4th), BlockTac and FuVeX (3rd), Validated ID (2nd), and TheLogicValue (1st)
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