Meet the 5 Winners of LinktoStart 2014

Yesterday, the Inlea Foundation, following a jury-based elimination evaluation, saw 5 of its remaining startups crowned winners of its 6^th annual linktoStart program. The program began on January with 29 technology-based business ideas from all around Spain. Only 8 reached July to present in front of the final jury. Those received online and in person training, as well as mentoring with tutors, experts, and established entrepreneurs for a duration of 6 months, estimated at a total value of €20.000.

At this stage of their startup life, the winners have already developed a product, entered their markets, incorporated customer feedback into their product design, and expanded their teams.

About 30 international experts from the entrepreneurship, investment, and business sectors had already assessed the advancement of the business models and team execution capacity.

The 8 teams gave their pitches yesterday at Barcelona Activa’s Almogavers Business Factory in front of the final jury formed by Oscar Alegre (Partner at RCD Abogados), Josep M. Gastó (Tech Transfer Manager at URV), Lenka Kolarova (Senior Investment Analyst at Cabiedes & Partners), Guillermo Marqueta-Siibert (Director at Inlea Foundation), Miquel Martí (Ecommerce & Tech Barcelona Cluster Director), José M. Pina (VP-Entrepreneurship Keiretsu Forum Spain) and Xavier Simó (INLEA CEO and Founder), who selected the 5 winners who will enter the 4^th Stage: Consolidation & Growth.

The winner startups are:

Autoescuela Super Express (Palma de Mallorca): Online driving school for the theory exams letting the established schools focus on their profitable business, the practical part. @EleSuperExpress

 

 

 

 

 

Booxy (Malaga): Online second hand book retail community consisting of readers who can sell, exchange, and buy used books to each other. @Booxy_co

 

 

 

Gradsapp (Barcelona): Tool for schools and event organizers for the creation of interactive group pictures. @Gradsapp

 

 

 

 

PetterLife (Barcelona): Mobile App for people with special education needs that offers the therapists and families continuous information for the learning monitoring. @PetterLife

 

 

 

 

RealFunding (Madrid): Crowdlending platform for the financing of social or sustainability themed enterprises through saving individuals. @TheRealFunding

 

The next stage will take physically place in Barcelona as the winners will be granted access to offices as well as to a strengthened training with ad-hoc mentors. This final stage will oversee every project in order for them to start their growth period and continuous upscaling climaxing in a Demo Day that will be held in Barcelona in November.

The INLEA Foundation is the Corporate Social Responsibility of INLEA Corporation. It is a non-profit that seeks to promote technological knowledge as well as human capital within the entrepreneurial sphere.

LinktoStart is the training and support program of the INLEA foundation that aims to support the evolution of business ideas in the TIC sector Spain-wide. The program seeks people with tech-based business ideas with a very fast growth potential. Started in 2008, the program has oriented more than 1300 future entrepreneurs across all Spain. After 6 editions, the 26 winning startups have created more than 180 jobs and raised over 10 million euros of funding.

Watch the video of the 5 years anniversary of linktoStart.

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