The Cellnex Foundation incorporates five new start-ups with social impact into its acceleration programme

Third edition of Cellnex Bridge

• A new edition of the Cellnex Bridge programme kicks off with the collaboration of AticcoLab and Innuba, after the success of the two previous editions which made it possible to boost the growth and success of nine innovative start-ups
• Biofood Network, Citizens Immigration, Dive, ForestChain and NeurekaLab will participate in the accelerator together with expert mentors who will guide them as the develop their project over eight months

Barcelona, 19 July 2023. The Cellnex Foundation reiterates its commitment to open innovation and launches a new edition of its Cellnex Bridge start-up acceleration programme in collaboration with the AticcoLab accelerator and the Innuba social innovation consultancy. The five social impact projects that are incorporated into the programme will receive financial support and personalised advice to scale their businesses over eight months.

The selection process again focused on initiatives aiming to reduce digital, social and territorial divides using connectivity, as well as projects that contribute to environmental sustainability or the fight against climate change.

As participants in Cellnex Bridge, each start-up will enjoy comprehensive support and advice from a board of exclusive mentors who are members of the AticcoLab network, plus the know-how of Cellnex managers and specialists who will accompany the projects in the definition, execution and measurement of a proof of concept (PoC) that helps them grow and achieve their maximum potential.

“Cellnex Bridge is a gateway to the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. We not only provide the tools and resources necessary for start-ups to thrive, but we also seek to foster an environment of mutual support and collaboration. Our goal is to turn start-ups into proven successful projects” says Àngels Ucero, director of the Cellnex Foundation.

Likewise, the entrepreneurs will participate in theoretical-practical workshops on business and impact issues, round tables for dialogue and learning on social and environmental problems; workshops for developing soft skills and group coaching for personal and collective development. In addition, the Cellnex Foundation will provide €15,000 to each of the chosen projects.

Start-ups will also get the chance to collaborate and learn from other entrepreneurs through the community comprising start-ups, organisations and experts from previous editions. These represent an innovation ecosystem to which nine projects of different profiles have already had access.

As a new element this year, the duration of the programme has been extended from six to eight months, allowing greater support for start-ups, both in their business plans and in their social impact aims. Special advantages will also be made available to them when subscribing to different services and digital platforms with AticcoLab partners such as Amazon, HubSpot and Stripe, as well as the possibility to join the telecommunications company Cellnex Telecom at the next Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024.

Selected projects 

For the third year running, the programme has broken its own participation record, receiving a total of 70 applications through the Foundation website, where the registration period was open from 22 May to 5 July. The new start-ups of the programme passed a pre-selection test in accordance with the rules of the call and have been carefully selected by an expert committee.

Technology and connectivity were front and centre in all the selected projects, which focused mainly on areas such as education, sustainability, protection of vulnerable groups and the rural environment.

• Biofood Network: A network that is unique in Spain and supports organic producers, retailers and entrepreneurs in our country as a community, promotes rural entrepreneurship and self-employment while maintaining a good work-life balance, and is committed to the disruptive digitalisation of the short agri-food distribution channel. To this end, they provide all workers in the world of agroecology and bio food with tools for e-commerce, dissemination and opportunities for business growth. 

• Citizen Immigration: A start-up with a social mission that helps illegal migrants to obtain their papers in a simple, transparent way at a fair cost. Their mission is to democratise access to legal immigration and nationality services, to make it easier for families and individuals to regularise their situation in a simple way, overcoming all bureaucratic obstacles.

• Dive: A start-up dedicated to developing technological solutions based on Artificial Intelligence to test the capabilities of technological systems and demonstrate their sensitivity in different environmental circumstances. 

• ForestChain: A Blockchain-based digital platform for the timber industry, to ensure timber traceability, compliance with legal requirements, facilitate sustainable forest certification and improve company management and productivity. They offer a digital passport for wood products, informing the consumer about traceability from source, sustainable practices and their positive impact on the planet.

• NeurekaLab: A start-up that is developing an innovative digital solution based on the application of AI technologies to detect and intervene in learning difficulties in school-age children. They aim to create and train an algorithm able to use the results that will be generated by a video game to accurately predict children’s cognitive performance in reading and maths. From this prediction it will be possible to detect learning difficulties and take the necessary steps in a personalised way.

The kick-off of this third edition of Cellnex Bridge will be held next Thursday 27 July at the Cellnex Foundation headquarters in Barcelona.

Through this initiative, the Cellnex Foundation and its partners AticcoLab and Innuba aim to build bridges of cooperation, create alliances, generate social wealth and move towards digitalisation, thereby helping to reduce social inequalities and improve digital capacity, 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: https://thecellnexfoundation.org

 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. 

AticcoLab
AticcoLab is an entrepreneurship support network in which start-ups, corporates, mentors and investors coexist to promote innovative projects. Through its acceleration programmes, it creates an environment that fosters collective learning, growth, and connections to bring talent closer to investors. AticcoLab began life as a start-up accelerator, but now it is more than that. For more information, visit aticcolab.com.