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

The aim of this initiative is to promote talent, raise awareness and incentivize entrepreneurship in the sector.

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 28 September, 2020 within the framework of the event of the presentation of the BioRegion Report.

Selecting companies

• From the candidates who apply, the organizers (Biocat and CataloniaBio & HealthTech) 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 July.
• 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 28 September. The sessions will be held at Biocat headquarters on September 15 and 21and attendance will be mandatory.
• On 28 September, the 5 finalists will present their pitch during the online presentation of the BioRegion Report (Auditorium AXA Barcelona). 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.

Award

The winner will receive a commemorative trophy and a prize worth € 5,000 (€ 2,500 in cash and € 2,500 in consulting hours thanks to the support of Genesis Biomed). The company will also enjoy 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:

• Prepare a onepager presentation document for your company (pdf).
• Record a 1-minute video presenting your company.
• Go to the registration platform, fill out the form and attach the two files (onepager and video).
• The finalists will be contacted in late July by email and/or phone.

SIGN UP! (Deadline: 24 July)