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Àlex Casta Awards

The "Àlex Casta Awards" are a joint initiative of the ecosystem in memory of Dr. Àlex Casta, a renowned professional in the Catalan healthcare and life sciences sector who left us in December 2018. Àlex had held leadership positions at Biocat, Caixa Capital Risc and UPF Ventures, as well as founding RadisMed.

With the Àlex Casta Awards, we aim to promote talent, raise awareness and incentivize entrepreneurship in the BioRegion of Catalonia. The competition will take place during the presentation of the BioRegion Report on September 28 in Barcelona, which will be online event.

Elevator pitch competition for start-ups in the BioRegion of Catalonia.

Participation requirements

Start-ups that meet the following requirements may submit their candidacy for the Àlex Casta Awards:

  • Company working in the healthcare and life sciences.
  • Set up between 2015 and 2020, officially based in Catalonia.
  • Active, with a detailed business plan.
  • Available to present their pitch on the morning of September 28, 2020, for 5 minutes, in English, within the framework of the event of the presentation of the BioRegion Report, which will be held online.

 

Selecting companies

  • From the candidates who apply, the organizers will select 5 finalists, taking into account aspects like innovative and differential advantage of the project, potential market and social impact.
  • The results of the selection will be communicated to the entrepreneurs at the end of August.
  • The 5 finalists will be invited to a training and feedback session with experts from the participating organizations to prepare the presentation that the will offer on September 28. The sessions will be held at Biocat headquarters on September 15 and 21and attendance will be optional.
  • On September 28, the 5 finalists will present their pitch during the online presentation of the BioRegion Report. Presentations must be made in English, with 1 or 2 speakers, and a maximum duration of 5 minutes.
  • The audience of the event, both presential and virtual, made up of people from the ecosystem (entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, etc.), will vote for the project they like best during the event through a digital app.
  • During the act, the winning project will be announced.

 

Prize

The winner will receive a prize of €5,000 - € 2,500 in cash and € 2,500 in consulting hours - thanks to the support of Genesis Biomed. You will also receive a commemorative trophy courtesy of UPF Ventures, 1 year of free subscription to the CataloniaBio & HealthTech association and visibility in the communication materials of the organizing entities.
 

Submit your start-up!

To take part in the Àlex Casta Awards, follow these steps:

  1. Prepare a onepager presentation document for your company (pdf).

  2. Record a 1-minute video presenting your company.

  3. Go to the registration platform, fill out the form and attach the two files (onepager and video).

  4. The finalists will be contacted in late July by email and/or phone.

  5. Deadline to submit your candidacy: July 24

Companies that are not contacted will not have been selected as finalists.