The 9th New-Aquitaine Euskadi Navarra Bio-Health Meetings (9RNAEN) will take place on 19 and 20 November, with the aim of boosting the health sector in the Euroregion and promoting collaboration between companies from the three territories. In the previous edition, Hemotic, an entity associated with Navarra Health Cluster, was the winner in the ‘MedTech’ category of the first Euroregional Bio-Health Award, which was presented on this occasion. Irene Ayerra, founder of the firm specialising in Digital Health, shares her experience and the benefits of being part of the initiative.
What did taking part in the 8RNAEN and winning the prize mean to you?
It was a very interesting day to meet many agents of the health sector, representatives of health clusters from other regions, investors and actors of the entire value chain that otherwise would be very difficult to reach. At that time, at Hemotic we were looking for the best way to access our clients, the blood banks, and participating in this event has provided us with a facilitated entry into some of them. Winning the Euroregional Bio-Health Award was very unexpected, it was a further help to move forward and keep working. It also helped us in the visibility of our startup, as it gave us exposure in the three regions that collaborate in the Euroregion and opportunities to enter new markets.
What would you say to a company that is hesitant to participate in the 9RNAEN?
In the health sector, it is very difficult to reach the customer, companies have to work hard on dissemination, it is a constant task that has to be combined with scientific work and technological developments, and the results are not immediately visible. In Navarre, we are fortunate in that there are many platforms to make ourselves known within the region. There is a lot of support, such as that offered by CEIN with its accelerator programme, but the leap is more difficult for us to be known abroad. An event like the 9RNAEN represents a stepping stone to establish new contacts and encourage our entrepreneurial efforts. Moreover, as the meeting includes a pitch session, it is an opportunity to strengthen the commercial discourse, to train and also to learn from others.
This past year, Hemotic has achieved many milestones and you Irene are a finalist in the ‘Women Startup Awards’ organised by the Spanish Startup Association and the agency Yellow. To what do you attribute this success?
I would highlight two main ideas: our value proposition and a constant innovation process. Hemotic, as a startup specialised in the application of mathematics to transfusion medicine, helps blood banks to get more out of their resources and to manage blood very efficiently. Our ‘software’ LHEMA, which has been implemented since 2022 in the Blood and Tissue Bank of Aragon, with its recommendations allows optimising donations and generating great economic savings. Being a public sector where it is difficult to implement an innovative solution, we have managed to advance, despite the barriers, thanks to the consented work of our team. We have several products in the pipeline. We will close 2024 with good news that we will announce shortly, and we are working on an international development plan for the future. All the efforts we have invested in making ourselves known have allowed us to get to where we are today and we are proud to be a finalist in an initiative such as the ‘Women Startup Awards’ for the boost and visibility it gives to women in the path of entrepreneurship.
9th New-Aquitaine Euskadi Navarra Bio-Health Meetings – Bordeaux (France)
This event is aimed at companies, startups, entrepreneurs, researchers, investors and, in short, all those working in research and innovation in the health sector in the Euroregion. Co-organised by the Alliance Innovation Santé Nouvelle-Aquitaine ALLIS-NA, Navarra Health Cluster and Basque Health Cluster, the 9RNAEN offers the possibility to visit innovation centres in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, conferences on the latest trends in the health sector and networking opportunities.
Programme and inscriptions: Agenda – Navarra Health Cluster
