Last week was crazy in terms of national and international awards for Portuguese startups. After three prizes in Copenhagen and one in Spain, we counted two national awards and one international nomination. Check them below:
NOMINATION FOR THE MBA ENTREPRENEURIAL VENTURE AWARD
Luís Martins (CEO) and Kiruba Eswaran (Marketing Director) from the Portuguese startup Zaask, and The Lisbon MBA alumni are among the finalists for the MBA Entrepreneurial Venture Award. This award is a celebration of Entrepreneurship and demonstrates the Association of MBAs’ support for business schools that encourage entrepreneurship in their MBA programmes. The winners will be announced at the Awards & Gala Dinner in London on 29 January 2016.
PRÉMIO EDP INOVAÇÃO
bLACK.bLOCK won the EDP Innovation Award 2015 last thursday, 19th of November. It was awarded with 50.000 euros and one year of incubation at EDP Starter. bLACK.bLOCK is focused on the optimization of solar energy, through a hybrid solar dryer – it reduces the amount of energy required to provide a quality drying. The mathematical algorithm associated with the product allows to choose, the more efficient drying process to use at each time, applying one of the following processes: hot air convection from the panels, dehydration of air from the dehumidifier, or by thermal differential, providing heat generated inside the chamber. Besides the three predefined and configurable drying programmes, bLACK.bLOCK also provides a storage programme, turning the drying chamber into a perfect warehouse with excellent conditions.
17º PRÉMIO DO JOVEM EMPREENDEDOR DA ANJE
Exogenus Therapeutics won the Young Entrepreneurship Award promoted by the National Association of Young Entrepreneurs (ANJE) last Wednesday.Founded by the researchers Joana Simões Correia and Ricardo Neves and the manager Luísa Marques, after participating in the COHiTEC Program by COTEC Portugal, Exo-T is a biotechnology startup dedicated to the development of advanced cell based therapies, specifically for treatment of skin lesions. Their first product, Exo-Wound, is a stem cell-derived gel for topical administration, which significantly accelerates wound closure, reducing healing time. It may be particularly suited for the treatment of chronic wounds found in patients with diabetes, vascular disease or bedridden. The technology originated from a collaborative research project developed by Biomaterials and Stem Cell-based Therapies group from CNC (Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology), Crioestaminal S.A. and Biocant.