Mindtech, Press

Mindtech Startup Event (MSE), a startup competition to address industrial challenges, is now open for entries

24 de April de 2023

  • The MSE jury, made up of executives from leading companies in the automotive, naval, aeronautics, machinery-food and technology industries, met this morning in Vigo.
  • Mindtech, the benchmark trade fair for the industrial sector of the Iberian Pole to be held in Vigo from 20 to 22 June, will host for the first time the MSE, a competition between the most innovative and disruptive startups.
  • They are looking for startups that provide solutions to challenges linked to three categories: the digitisation of industrial processes, energy efficiency and circular economy in industry.
  • The call is open until 21 May. The finalist startups are eligible for prizes of €2,000 and will be able to present their project to potential investors at the MSE final, which will take place at the heart of the Mindtech fair.

MINDTECH STARTUP EVENT (MSE)

This year, the first edition of the Mindtech Startup Event will be held at Mindtech, a competition that seeks out start-ups with the most innovative ideas, capable of transforming Industry 4.0 with a unique technological solution.

Enrique Mallón, Managing Director of the Mindtech fair, stressed that “the main objective of the MSE is to highlight the entrepreneurial fabric and provide a vehicle to promote and give visibility to the most innovative projects. We seek to promote open innovation, enabling startups to help established companies to solve various fundamental challenges for the industrial and technological sector, such as digital transformation, energy efficiency and the circular economy”.

“We will reward these companies financially but above all with a recognition that will help them to grow, to make themselves known and to use the Mindtech fair as a platform to expand their own business. The quality of the members of the jury, made up of large multinational companies that regularly collaborate with startups, will undoubtedly attract the interest of startups both nationally and internationally,” Mallón added.

“The future of the industry will be built only through transformation and innovation, and that is precisely what we are looking for through this disruptive startup competition and from the Mindtech fair itself, which brings together the metal industry and all its associated technologies, in activities such as automotive, aeronautics, metal mechanics, metal structures, renewable energies, machinery, supplies, but also engineering and the latest technologies”, concluded the organisers of the fair.

CATEGORIES

Mindtech, in collaboration with the Xunta de Galicia, is looking for startups that offer innovative solutions in three challenges linked to the current reality of the industrial and technological sector.

  • Category 1: Transformation and digitisation of industrial processes. Development of digital technology to enable new capabilities and optimisation of processes in its value chain.
  • Category 2: Energy efficiency and reduction of environmental impact. Efficiency solutions and reduction of environmental impact.
  • Category 3: Circular Economy in Industry and Sustainability. Solutions that enable inclusive and environmentally sustainable industrial development and responsible use of resources.

PHASES AND REQUIREMENTS

Applications for the competition are free of charge and the deadline is open until 21 May. All companies that meet the definition of a startup according to the new Startup Law (article 3.1.a) are eligible to apply: startups or companies with less than five years of experience if their activity is general, or seven years for those specific to biotechnology, energy, industrial and other strategic sectors or that have developed their own technology in Spain.

Startups must submit their application via the registration form, which must include a pitch deck and a video pitch.

The jury will select two finalists for each of the categories, who will be offered the opportunity to present their solution/project at the MSE final, which will take place on 21 June at the heart of the Mindtech fair. During the event, renowned experts from the international innovation and industry scene will be speaking.

AWARDS

The MSE offers a unique opportunity to boost the business capacity of startups, gain visibility and benefit from open innovation opportunities with leading companies that will attend the final of the event. The winning companies in each of the categories will receive:

  • A cash prize of €2,000.
  • Opportunity to present your business idea at the Mindtech 2023 fair.
  • Maximum visibility and diffusion in local, regional and national media.
  • Networking activity with investors, leading industrial companies and prominent industry benchmarks.

EXPERT JURY

The MSE will have a jury of six experts of recognised prestige in the industrial and technological sector, managers of leading companies in the automotive, naval, aeronautical, machinery-food and technological industries.

  • GKN
  • Navantia
  • Airbus
  • Jealsa
  • Inycom
  • Igape

STARTUP ARENA

The MSE has the support of the Xunta de Galicia through a collaboration agreement to promote technological transformation, innovation and the improvement of the competitiveness of the Galician productive fabric within the framework of the Mindtech fair.
In this sense, the fair promotes with the collaboration of the Xunta de Galicia an area dedicated to startups and innovation, the Mindtech Startup Arena. This is a specific exhibition space for 39 startups, incubators and accelerators of high technological level and with significant growth potential, which can opt for their own stand at very low prices, since the costs are financed and cover the reservation of land, the entire production of the stand and basic furniture.

  • 250 €/space for startups/entities from Galicia.
  • 600 €/space for startups/entities from other regions or countries.

Startups can apply for their stand at reduced costs via the floor reservation form. Places are limited to 39 subsidised spaces and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.