CRAASH Barcelona

In 2023, Biocat held the sixth edition of CRAASH Barcelona, the acceleration program to help researchers and entrepreneurs launch their innovations to market with support from CIMIT (Boston), the most experienced health accelerator in the world.

The program is for startups and projects by researchers and entrepreneurs who are from or based in Catalonia and have projects related to the fields of medical devices, digital health or diagnostics with TRL 3-5 (proof of concept/initial clinical trials).

The program lasts 12 weeks and 6 teams took part: Embryocure, Fecundis, Intelligent IDAM, MedBrain, Time is Brain, Ysotope Theranostics. The participants took part in training sessions focused on attracting investment, patient engagement and pitch skills, among other topics. In 2023, the training was a hybrid format, combining virtual and in-person sessions.

The sixth edition of CRAASH Barcelona had two important changes. On one hand, the program took into account the challenges posed by the Catalan Ministry of Health in selecting participants: mental health and emotional wellbeing, planetary health, healthy aging and reproductive and sexual health, represented by Fecundis (reproductive and sexual health) and Medbrain (planetary health). And, on the other, the collaboration agreement between Biocat and the European Innovation Council (EIC) for the “Ecosystem Partnership and co-investment support program”, which aims to promote acceleration and business growth in European ecosystems. The company Time is Brain, which has been awarded an EIC Accelerator grant, took part in the program thanks to this collaboration.

1. Embryocure
   Embryocure is a project from the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute that has developed an in ovo diagnostic solution that offers the earliest and most profitable assessment of a drug’s potential: between 50% and 66% faster and 100% more affordable than other technologies from the competition.
    
2. Fecundis
   This company has created the HyperSperm solution, a sperm activation lab kit that boosts the number and quality of embryos obtained in hospitals and fertility clinics, where doctors work to offer effective in vitro fertilization treatments for infertile patients. 
    
3. Intelligent IDAM
   This project from Giromed Institute offers a comprehensive solution to Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) that covers the whole value chain —from prescription to treatment and follow up, ensuring patient adherence— to promote better quality of life and healthy aging. 
    
4. MedBrain
   The startup has developed a diagnostic support system for healthcare professionals in settings with limited resources. MedBrain helps healthcare staff with limited machinery and primary care resources at every step of the diagnostic process and offers triage capacities to determine the severity of the disease, clinical urgency and type of action needed.
    
5. Time is Brain
   This company, a spinoff of Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, has developed a medical device called BraiN20® that monitors brain function to speed up access to and improve the results of endovascular treatment (EVT). The solution uses a technology that constantly monitors the probability of a positive outcome for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients from the beginning of the stroke, based on a new validated, patented biomarker. 
    
6. Ysotope Theranostics
   This spinoff of the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) bases its technology on non-invasive analysis of 100% of the tumor tissue in patients with advanced cancer using radiotracers that combine antibodies with radioactive isotopes and act like a GPS, tracking the location and concentration of antibodies through its exploration. YSOTOPE aims to offer the first radiotracer for neuroblastoma, an aggressive minority pediatric cancer, which promises to improve patient selection for immunotherapy and deliver more precise results.