Mental health is a priority in the Catalan ecosystem. The TECSAM Network and BHV Partners, with the collaboration of Nara Capital, joined forces to host the first Mental Health Investment Forum on 12 June in Barcelona with 100 investors and entrepreneurs.
The event aimed to promote private investment in groundbreaking start-ups and projects that are working to improve the quality of life for people with mental health problems. Another milestone is consolidating Catalonia as an innovation hub in this field.
It kicked off with an inspiring speech by Laia Arnal, General Director of Transference and Knowledge Society (Government of Catalonia).
Next, Francisco Badia from Grow Venture Partners gave an interesting keynote on what is relevant for investors.
The forum featured five start-ups pitching their solutions to investors:
⚡ Loomee
⚡ nen
⚡ Dana Health
⚡ NeurekaLAB
⚡ MJN
Then, four research-based projects from TECSAM Network groups competed in the second Mental Health Innovation Contest:
The Nara Capital Award went to ECONOS, a project from Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Deu led by Antoni Serrano Blanco. It is a database of healthcare service rates and unit costs required for health economics studies, as well as cost-effectiveness studies required to launch new products.
The BHV Partners Award went to Evimatic, a project from the University of Girona led by Xavier Castells. It is an eHealth tool that generates decentralised, automated, personalised, participatory and explanatory treatment recommendations presented in a similar format to clinical practice guidelines for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
The judges were Gemma Hernández, Innovation and Tech Transfer at TECSAM Network; Gregory Mannix, VP International Business Development; Jordi Plaja, senior strategic advisor; Albert Mascarell, CEO of BHV Partners; and Joan Mercadal, partner at Nara Capital.
