The Cellnex Foundation successfully completes the third edition of its Cellnex Bridge acceleration programme

• The participating startups Biofood Network, Citizens Legal, Dive.Tech, ForestChain and NeurekaLAB received mentoring, training and financial support of EUR 15,000 to boost their social impact business and define and execute a Proof of Concept (PoC) over eight months.
• After three editions and 14 accelerated startups, the Foundation opens a new call for participants in the fourth edition of the programme. The registration period will remain open until 16 June.

Thursday, 9 May 2024. The Cellnex Foundation, in collaboration with the accelerator Aticcolab and the social innovation company Innuba, held the closing ceremony of the third edition of its Cellnex Bridge startup acceleration programme. The programme, which lasted eight months, provided a favourable environment for the development and growth of five innovative startups focused on reducing the digital, social or territorial divide and contributing to environmental sustainability.

During this period, the startups, which had been selected in July 2023, have had access to a wide range of resources, including specialised face-to-face training in business, financing, strategy and creativity, as well as specific sessions and theoretical-practical workshops to work on their business plan, investment plan, communication strategies, legal issues and soft skills. The entrepreneurs had access to a team of mentors and expert professionals who guided them throughout the entire process, and received financial support of EUR 15,000 to help them promote their Proofs of Concept. This year, furthermore, the entrepreneurs had the chance to be present at the Mobile World Congress 2024 at the Cellnex stand. Such totally comprehensive support allowed the startups to significantly scale up their projects, reaching an important milestone on their path to social innovation.

The closing ‘Demo Day’ event, held at Cellnex’s headquarters in Barcelona, not only marked the end of an edition packed with work and learning, but also served as a platform for startups to demonstrate their potential and all the technical and commercial advances they have achieved since the beginning of the programme before a select audience of mentors, investors, professionals and managers from Cellnex Telecom.

“We are very satisfied with the results obtained in this third edition of the programme. The momentum of Cellnex Bridge continues to increase three years after its launch” said Lluís Deulofeu, President of the Cellnex Foundation. “It is gratifying to witness the progress and evolution of these five startups and the positive impact they are generating thanks to our support,” he added.

The event included the participation of David Ayalón, CEO of Innuba, who introduced the session with a talk on augmented entrepreneurship “AI-assisted Entrepreneurship”, plus the intervention of the startups that were selected in the programme’s second edition. Jorge Maylin, CEO of Oroi, and Pablo López, Chief Innovation Officer of Innogando, who shared their experiences and advice with the participants of the third edition, providing inspiration to the new generation of entrepreneurs. Their presence at the event reaffirms the lasting impact of Cellnex Bridge and the significant contribution that this programme continues to make to the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The “Cellnex Bridge” Community grows

After three editions and 14 startups accelerated, Cellnex Bridge consolidates an active and solid community that has become a vital forum for exchanging ideas, mutual support and fostering innovation among entrepreneurs. Participants, both past and present, continue to work together and to connect beyond the confines of the programme. This commitment reflects the Bridge’s focus not only on driving individual startup growth, but also on cultivating a collaborative and nurturing environment that benefits all of its members.

In light of the success of this third edition, Àngels Ucero, director of the Foundation, took advantage of the closing ceremony to announce the opening of the call for the fourth edition of the programme. The registration period will be open on the Website of the Cellnex Foundation until 16 June, once again inviting up to five startups to present their innovative social impact projects focused on technology or connectivity. Furthermore, this year greater prominence will be given to projects focused on environmental sustainability, recalling the importance of addressing environmental challenges through innovation and entrepreneurship. In this new edition, special emphasis will be placed on presenting solid and viable Proofs of Concept, and participants will benefit from the same support, resources and growth opportunities that have characterised previous editions.

Innovative projects to overcome challenges and build bridges

Innovation and technology have played fundamental roles in each of the participating projects of this third edition, with a predominant focus on areas such as education, social inclusion, sustainability and rural development.

Biofood Network develops technological solutions to improve the traceability of food from farm to fork, thus promoting a more transparent and ethical supply chain. This is a unique network in Spain that supports producers, retailers and ecological entrepreneurs, promotes rural entrepreneurship and is committed to the disruptive digitalisation of agri-food distribution. To this end, they have made online sales tools (e-commerce), dissemination and business growth opportunities available to everyone working in the world of agroecology and organic food. Thanks to the programme, they have organised events to present their ecosystem, generating synergies and new commercial relationships together with the Chamber of Barcelona and the Chamber of Valencia. 

Citizens Legal helps migrants living in an irregular situation to obtain their papers in a simple, transparent and accessible way. They have created a digital platform that provides information, legal assistance and resources for people aiming to settle in a new country, fostering inclusion, diversity and making it easier for families and individuals to regularise their situation in a simple way, cutting through all the red tape and bureaucracy. The programme has helped the startup to find a lever for growth and establish an alliance with the charity organisation Cáritas to create a digital programme that teaches migrants how to request asylum themselves. 

Dive.Tech uses advanced technology for the early detection of fires right from the outset using real-time images. In this way they manage to reduce reaction times and provide invaluable information to emergency teams. The Proof of Concept was based on implementing a platform that manages an alarm system to locate fire sources and clearly define their size and distance. Together with Cellnex, they are working to install cameras in telecommunications towers and implement their business model in the Spanish and European market. 

ForestChain has created a digital platform that uses Blockchain technology to track the origin of forest products, fighting deforestation and fostering responsible practices in the logging industry. They provide a digital passport for wood products, providing the consumer with traceability data from the source, and their positive impact on the planet. Thanks to the programme, they have created an improved version of their platform and will implement their technology in 2,000 rural towns in Spain.

And finally, NeurekaLAB, which develops an innovative digital solution based on the application of artificial intelligence for early detection and intervention of high intellectual abilities and learning difficulties in children in first and second grade. Their Proof of Concept was based on creating an algorithm that can use the results collected in a pilot test in which nine schools in Catalonia took part, making it possible to train and validate the machine learning processes of their platform to predict the cognitive performance of children in terms of reading and mathematics via a video game. Such predictions allow the necessary interventions to be made in a personalised way.

Through the Cellnex Bridge acceleration programme, the Cellnex Foundation and its collaborators, AticcoLab and Innuba, aim to build bridges of cooperation, create alliances and move towards digitalisation, thereby helping to reduce social inequalities and improve digital skills, quality of life and environmental sustainability.

About the Cellnex Foundation

The Cellnex Foundation, backed by Cellnex Telecom, works to reduce existing digital, social and territorial divides through initiatives that improve access to connectivity. It also works to promote positive solutions for the environment. Its business model is based on three pillars: Proprietary programmes led by the Foundation, joint programmes in alliance with other organisations and institutions, and corporate volunteering.

For more information: www.thecellnexfoundation.com

AticcoLab

AticcoLab, Aticco Ecosystem’s entrepreneurship support platform, has the mission of strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem and the connections between entrepreneurs, start-ups and corporates. It develops acceleration programmes that maximise opportunities for start-ups, shortening their growth timeline and avoiding the risks that can affect the early phases. Furthermore, it supports corporations on the path to change through open innovation, and brings investors closer to its network of entrepreneurs so that they can discover which projects have the most potential and intensify the deal flow. AticcoLab has an extensive network of mentors, specialising in startups, innovation and entrepreneurship. Their experience, knowledge and contacts drive and maximise accelerated startup projects.

Innuba

Innuba is a strategic design consultancy in social innovation that, since 2016, has been supporting and mentoring companies through their social transformation, injecting social impact and sustainability into the heart of their businesses. It works towards corporate goals, fostering holistic and systemic change, and by designing products and services that have a positive impact and a financial return, and designing innovation projects with a measurable impact. It also designs and delivers transformational training programmes.