Tuesday, 27 October, saw the launch of the Acceleration Program, formerly IQS Next Tech, the acceleration program for IQS Tech Factory.
Tuesday, 27 October, saw the launch of the Acceleration Program, formerly IQS Next Tech (the name has changed in this new edition), the acceleration program for IQS Tech Factory, the IQS entrepreneurship centre. Of the nine selected industrial start-ups participating in the program, the Most Promising Industrial Start-up 2020 will emerge.
The program, jointly supported by IQS Tech Factory and ACCIÓ, the Agency for Business Competitiveness of the Government of Catalonia, has been adapted to the current situation caused by Covid-19, and has started with the celebration of the first kick off online in which the selected start-ups* were presented, with the participation of Oriol Pascual, Director of IQS Tech Factory, Juanjo Canuto, CEO of Steering Machines, the Most Promising Industrial Start-up of 2019, and Heriberto Saldivar, Managing Director Brinc Accelerator and program mentor. The nine start-ups, with hardware-based projects, will work intensively until January 2021 to convert their prototypes into an initial production series for industry.
The Acceleration Program has agreements with the Association of Industrial Zones of Catalonia (UPIC) and Open Industry, the digital meeting point for companies and professionals from Industry 4.0, which will bring new companies closer to the local manufacturing industry throughout Catalonia. IQS Tech Factory is committed to strengthening the local manufacturing industry to achieve a resilient, industrial-based economy.
Mentors participating in the program include experts such as Mariona Sanz de Girbau, Xavier Farrés de Uriach, Jesús Santamaria de Lubrizol, Oriol Estrada with the Healthcare Institute of Catalonia, and Enrique Shadah with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, among others.
The Most Promising Industrial Start-up 2020 will emerge from the Acceleration Program
During the Demo Day, which will be held in January 2021 within the framework of the IQS Tech Fest, the first industrial start-up festival in Europe, a jury made up of leading experts in the world of entrepreneurship will choose the winning start-up, which will be named Most Promising Industrial Start-up 2020, and will have the opportunity to travel to Shenzhen (China), considered the biggest manufacturing city and region in the world, to carry out an acceleration program with Brinc Accelerator. Steering Machines, creator of the first robotics platform with multidirectional wheels, was chosen as the Most Promising Industrial Start-up in the last edition of Demo Day.
*The nine start-ups participating in the IQS Acceleration Program 2020:
Benesit: Developed a smart device that connects to chairs and detects when a person has poor posture. This device sends a signal to the user's mobile phone and helps correct posture in just a few days.
BitMetrics: Specialized in the automation of industrial manufacturing processes, it has developed products based on vision through artificial intelligence, artificial vision, and robotics.
Bronze Toaster: The first intelligent toaster, which makes the perfect toast and always in the desired hue. Simply insert a slice of bread and select the hue for the toast.
Clever Solar Devices: Developed the Smart Module, an IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) platform for the digital transformation of photovoltaic solar plants.
Evix: This start-up's project involves a neck airbag system that is integrated into helmets. Just before an impact or potential injury, an airbag inflates in the system that protects the user's neck.
Loop Diagnostics: Developed a new in vitro cellular immunoassay that identifies early infections of the bloodstream through immunological activity. Its primary mission is the early detection of sepsis, offering hospitals the perfect solution to reduce sepsis mortality, patient side effects, antibiotic resistance, and costs in sepsis management.
My Food Robot: A robotic hardware solution for restaurants that reduces the cost of preparing food in restaurants by 30%. It can prepare any dish the same way a professional chef would, to reduce the cost of food preparation and increase hygiene and safety in all kitchens.
Quokka: Developed a smart fridge for companies, with which employees have a faster and more efficient purchasing experience. Through the mobile application or their employee card, they can open the fridge and take the product they want directly. Payment is done automatically.
SuperAR: An air purifier that eliminates mould, viruses (including SARS-CoV-2), and volatile organic compounds (VOC), thus improving ambient air quality. It employs a thermal generation system that sterilizes air at a high flow through the HTST (High Temperature Short Time) process, a process similar to pasteurization.