Foment and the U.S. Consulate General present the 20 entrepreneurs selected with the Jump Startup grant for Women in Deeptech

• The president of Foment has stated that it is a source of pride that, as a result of the high presence of startups in the health sector, this program is being launched, which represents a qualitative leap and “allows us to go further, crossing borders, and connecting our leaders with the American continent.”
• The U.S. Consul General in Barcelona emphasized that the goal of the program is “to give visibility to female talent in strategic sectors such as biotech and to encourage new business connections with the United States.”
• The Innovation Director of Foment highlighted the network of innovative women being created: “A community to connect, collaborate, and inspire future generations, breaking barriers and changing narratives about the presence of women in the tech industry.”

The first edition of the Jump Startup for Women in Deeptech: Biotech and Healthtech (Jump4Women) program has started to accelerate the growth of women-led startups in the health and biotechnology sectors. Foment del Treball and the U.S. Consulate General in Barcelona have today introduced the 20 selected entrepreneurs, awarded with the grant promoted once again by the alliance between both institutions.

In this regard, the president of Foment del Treball, Josep Sánchez Llibre, expressed gratitude for the collaboration of the Consulate General for once again supporting an initiative that seeks to strengthen female leadership in vital sectors for the country’s economic competitiveness: “Three years ago, together with the Consulate General, we launched an academy for women-led projects in Catalonia, and it is a source of pride that, as a result of the experience and the high presence of startups in the health sector, we are now launching Jump Startup for Women in Deeptech”. According to Sánchez Llibre, Jump4Women represents a qualitative leap, “allowing us to go beyond, crossing borders, and connecting our leaders with the American continent. Cross-border collaboration, innovation, and female leadership to set the guidelines for what we want to be in the future,” the business leader stated.

For her part, the U.S. Consul General in Barcelona, Katie Stana, highlighted that “the goal of this program is to give visibility to female talent in strategic sectors such as biotech and to foster new business connections with the United States, particularly with Boston, one of the world’s most important innovation hubs”.

The Innovation Director of Foment and program leader, Maria Mora, presented the names of the selected entrepreneurs and their projects. Mora emphasized the network of innovative women being created: “A community to connect, collaborate, and inspire future generations, breaking barriers and changing narratives about the presence of women in the tech industry, historically dominated by men, and where your voices are more needed than ever. Having 20 successful women like you in this auditorium today is the first step for many more tomorrow,” she added.

Additionally, those present at the event and the selected participants had the opportunity to listen to two inspiring presentations by Montse Daban, Director of Strategic Foresight and International Relations at BIOCAT, on digital transformation and advanced therapies; and Carla Zaldua, CEO of acceXible, a company that has developed an algorithm capable of detecting mental health-related diseases from a voice recording.

Daban emphasized that the health and biotechnology sector generates talent and attracts significant investments thanks to this talent. She also referred to European competitiveness and its efforts over the past few years to reduce technological dependence by strengthening, among other things, the single market. Zaldua highlighted the mismatch between labor market supply and demand, especially regarding professionals trained in the field of artificial intelligence.

The program is supported by ACCIÓ (Government of Catalonia), LEVEL, the law firm RCD, and Tech Barcelona.

List of scholarship recipients

Nuria Antolí González, NURAFRAMES

Yael Azagury, My Medic Eye

Diana Ballart Cerdán, The Smart Lollipop

Laura Becerra Fajardo, FORESEE Medical Technologies

Judit Camargo Sanromà, Roka Furadada

Maria Casas, Power DIW

Mireia Claramunt Molet, Ephion Health

Marta Corral Pujol, Nema Health, S.L.

Silvia Gomez, Sens Solutions

Isabel Huber, SUCCIPRO

Angela Jordana Gomez, MyMdA

Alejandra Mancilla, FlorenceCare

Maria Alejandra Ortega Machuca, Vitala Technologies

Ester Riambau, ONIRIA THERAPEUTICS, S.L.

Monica Rodriguez de la Vega, Manina Medtech

Avencia Sanchez-Mejias, Integra Therapeutics

Teresa Tarragó Clua, Beyond You

Meritxell Teixidó Turà, Gate2Brain

Sara Toledano, Sycai Medical

Isabel Turpin, OrganAID