The startups Easychatbot, Flamingo Biomechanical Lab, Keplerkoord, Minifunkids, and Veiko have emerged as winners of the fourth edition of the ‘Startup Andalucía Roadshow’ program, promoted by the Ministry of University, Research, and Innovation and the Andalusian Council of Chambers of Commerce to foster innovative and technology-based entrepreneurship. The counselor José Carlos Gómez Villamandos and the president of the Chambers, Javier Sánchez Rojas, inaugurated this event held in Granada within the framework of Alhambra Venture and presented the awards to the leaders of these entrepreneurial projects.
The goal of ‘Startup Andalucía Roadshow’ is to select the best emerging technology companies and support them in their development and scaling through specialized training and mentoring programs. Through this initiative, participating entrepreneurs have the opportunity to connect with potential investors, access various available funding instruments, and participate in significant national and international events in the field. The competition also aims to promote a culture of internationalization among Andalusian startups, strengthen the current innovative ecosystem, and help emerging firms implement new business models that enable them to gain competitive advantages and become leading companies that attract innovative talent to Andalucía.
Gómez Villamandos highlighted «the value and potential of the participants,» while expressing satisfaction in seeing initiatives like ‘Startup Andalucía Roadshow’ «translate into developed and established business ideas». «From the Junta, we are convinced that the recipe for success lies in encouraging entrepreneurship and supporting the drive and dedication of Andalusian entrepreneurs,» he added.
The University official explicitly stated his commitment to continue working and collaborating with agents of Andalusia’s knowledge system to «explore avenues and opportunities that allow for the growth and enhancement of our region’s business competitiveness.» In this context, he emphasized that efforts will focus on promoting innovative and technology-based entrepreneurship, which is «a strategic line of this government.»
From this perspective, Gómez Villamandos underscored that his department has already begun the process to convene in 2025 three lines of incentives worth 2.2 million euros aimed at reinforcing the incubation and acceleration of innovative technological SMEs, supporting newly established business initiatives, and promoting collaboration in open innovation between startups and the business sector. In addition to this 2.2 million, another 2.5 million will be allocated to innovative entrepreneurship in SMEs, to be activated through TRADE, under the Ministry of Economy, Finance, and European Funds. Furthermore, the University Ministry will make available to the entrepreneurial ecosystem, through the ‘InnovAndalucía’ initiative, grants worth 11.4 million euros aimed at innovative business projects.
In addition to this financial support, the counselor added that the Junta will also collaborate with the City Council of Seville and CATEC to launch the European Space Agency incubator for emerging companies in the sector.
On the other hand, Sánchez Rojas emphasized «the growth and consolidation of this initiative, which becomes a launching pad and a privileged showcase for our entrepreneurs to realize their dreams,» while thanking the counselor for his «commitment and dedication» to this collaboration project with the Chambers of Commerce, which is «an example of public-private collaboration, pooling efforts and resources that contribute to energizing our innovative and technological ecosystem,» he emphasized.
He also highlighted the Chamber network’s commitment to driving forward the digitalization and innovation of the Andalusian business fabric, especially SMEs through various programs managed by the Chambers. Additionally, he emphasized the training, mentoring, and guidance provided to help entrepreneurs secure the necessary funding through this program to deploy their projects, as well as support them in the internationalization process.
Twelve finalist projects
The five emerging companies selected in this final round are those that have demonstrated the most significant development and evolution throughout the regional competition, in which twelve innovative finalist projects participated. All twelve initiatives received guidance and mentoring to transform their projects into viable initiatives capable of growing, attracting investments, and competing in international markets in the future.
The twelve companies that faced this final round had to demonstrate the quality and viability of their proposals in a ‘pitch’ or brief presentation before the jury responsible for selecting the five best in this fourth call. The jury comprised various agents from the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Specifically, it included the founder of Axon Partners, Macarena González, or the executive director of the Owners Scaleup Program, Joe Haslam, alongside the General Director of Entrepreneurship Promotion and Continuous Training of the Junta, Javier González, and the Managing Director of the Andalusian Council of Chambers, Mercedes León.
In the selection of the five winners, factors such as business model, scalability, revenue forecast, funding strategy, geographical deployment, or company valuation were considered. These aspects accounted for 80% of the score, while the remaining 20% was reserved for evaluating the presentation of the entrepreneurial projects, taking into account conviction, clarity, or coherence of the discourse.
The five winning startups
The five winning companies are innovative firms whose business model is scalable and validated through active users, commercial pilots, or recurring initial revenues. These startups offer technological solutions in the space, education, commerce, or medical fields and come from Almería (1), Córdoba (1), Granada (1), Málaga (1), and Seville (1).
These companies are: Easychatbot (Málaga), dedicated to global debt collection campaigns using artificial intelligence; Flamingo Biomechanical Lab (Córdoba), offering personalized surgery and diagnostic services through 3D organ recreation for practice and reducing operating room times; and Keplerkoord (Almería), a startup dedicated to the space sector. Also included are Minifunkids (Seville), using virtual reality to assist children with special educational needs (neurodiversity and functional diversity); and Veiko (Granada), with an app for auctions of used vehicles connecting dealerships and buyers.
They will all have the opportunity to participate in high-impact business training and international and national events related to entrepreneurship, including WebSummit (Lisbon), VDS+ (Valencia), Al-Andalus Innovation Venture (Seville), or Alhambra Venture (Granada).
