The entire medical technology value chain has been represented at the MedtecLIVE exhibition on 21-23th May 2019, in Nuremberg, Germany. This top-level event attracted about 400 exhibitors from 27 countries, with two packed exhibition halls. Half of the exhibition area at the event has been taken up by companies in the fields of processing, manufacturing and mechanical engineering, while the other half has been split evenly between all other fields, from research to packaging and logistics in the medical technology sector. MedtecLIVE is a leading networking platform for the international medical technology community.

Last week, Aortyx took part in MedtecLIVE as a start-up exhibitor, thanks to EIT Health and EIT Health Alumni Network. Noemí Balà and Júlia López Guimet have introduced Aortyx’s latest developments at the Innovation Market Place section of MedtecLIVE, which was jointly supported by EIT Health and Medical Valley EMN, and VCLS Neighborhood from France. Additionally, Aortyx was selected as finalist in the MedtecLIVE start-up contest, organized by Kurt Höller and Laura Suhlrie both from EIT Health. In the final round, Noemí presented our company’s latest innovation and business model to an expert jury and several investors, apart from a general audience. 

Aortyx found great opportunities for developing business at MedtecLIVE and MedTech Summit Congress & Partnering. It has been an excellent chance to meet potential investors, suppliers and end-users. Being at this event, has also helped us to monitor the market, and be in contact with the current leading companies and institutions, as well as with other medtech start-ups. Moreover, Júlia has been able to attend a half-day workshop on the CE mark certification pathway, only intended for EIT Health alumni, and presented by Célia Cruz (EIT Health Alumni Network), Florian Coppers and Kilian Reuβ (Medical Magnesium) and Paul Malinovski (NAMSA). This workshop has offered Aortyx valuable knowledge and plenty of practical tips drawn from experience.

We thank EIT Health and EIT Health Alumni Network for granting us the exhibition stand at MedtecLIVE and the access to the “CE Mark workshop – Survival in Death Valley”.

Thanks to our convertible loans program, we have raised more than 550.000 € and will close at 600.000 €. Our initial goal was to raise 300,000€, but, thanks to our family and friends and the support by angel funds like Genesis Ventures, Progilva Inversiones or Cirugia Vascular Integral, we will be more independent of larger and more restrictive venture capital. The objective of this round is to fund in vivo experimentation and to secure the industrial property of the company.

The Barcelona Healthcare Investment Forum is a meeting point for Biotech and Medtech entrepreneurs and investors, hosted by the Official Medical Association from Barcelona (COMB). After more than 20 editions, this forum has positioned itself as a benchmark in the Catalan biomedical ecosystem, promoting innovation and entrepreneurship among the medical community.

Aortyx presented for the first time to a broad audience who was excited to learn about the technology. Many meetings with potential investors and industrial partner have succeeded the presentation, with new to come from those meetings in 2019.

Aortyx has recently incorporated one senior and two junior members to the technical staff.

Dr. Júlia López Guimet, is a vascular biologist with vast experience in the biology of Marfan disease and aortic dissection. She is in charge of optimizing the patch surface coating to promote cellular colonization. She will also be responsible of the animal studies.

Mr. Alex Aranda, MSc, is an Industrial Engineer and PhD Candidate with experience in mechanical devices development. He is in charge of the design and scale-up of the endovascular patch deployment system.

Mr. Pau Teixidó, MSc, is a Pharmaceutical Chemist and PhD Candidate with experience in chemical formulation for biological applications. He is in charge of the optimization of the adhesive side of the patch.

The combined expertise of our new hires guarantees the rapid progression of our product development. Check the Team section for more information.

The Barcelona Local Final for the IMAGINE! IF Pitching Competition took place on March 5^th. Aortyx was selected as one of the 15 worldwide finalists in the Health Horizons conference in Cambridge on June 26^th and 27^th. This implies the opportunity to win a non-dilutive cash prize of £ 10.000, access to a crowdfunding campaign, and further mentoring from industry leaders.

Aortyx was invited to share their experience at the Fòrum de Startups Biomèdiques, a meeting organized by the Official Medical Association from Barcelona (COMB) and the Official Engineers Association (EIC). The goal of this forum was to learn about the experience of healthcare and engineering professionals who have founded successful startups of high economic and social value. Aortyx was presented as a model of a successful startup in the medical devices sector, and Noemí Balà participated in a round table moderated by Jordi Naval, director of Biocat, jointly with representatives of the startups Able and Aniling. She introduced Aortyx and then shared her personal story through the entrepreneurial path. Her contribution was very well received by the young professionals in the audience.

The project “Endovascular Repair Patch” was awarded with a 100.000 € PRODUCTE grant by the Generalitat de Catalunya to support the development of the technology on which Aortyx pivots. This grant will fund the salary of one PhD student, part of the legal work and part of the animal work required in our development plan. The project was ranked 4^th amongst more than 150 proposals received. We are very proud of this grant and will use it to bring our product one step closer to the market.

IMAGINE IF! is an Innovation Forum’s pre-accelerator pitch competition for science-based ventures that aims to boast a truly global reach. On January, Aortyx was selected as one of the nine participants for the program’s third edition, as well as Angiotheragnostics, Biel Glasses, Flomics, Galactica Biotech, Loop Dx, Mimark, Rheo Dx and TargetRANK.

This year’s program included 11 workshops where national and international leaders have acted as mentors in their fields of expertise, such as pitching for investors, business valuation, technology transfer, business development or financial and marketing strategy. We would like to thank all the mentors that have helped Aortyx during the program: Mike Doherty, Salomé de Cambra, Maribel Bergés, Laura Rodriguez, Cecilia López, Clara Nascimento, Julia Pardo, Carlos Martínez, Juan R. García, Oscar Pérez and Esther Riambau.

Aside from the workshops, 2019 was the first edition of the IMAGINE IF! Program to include the Pitch in a Pub session, an activity where 3 speakers had 5 minutes to pitch their start-ups in a distended Pub atmosphere. Noemí, CTO and Co-Founder of Aortyx, was one of the speakers and the winner of this first session of pitching, which served as a training for the IMAGINE IF! final, that will take place on March 5^th.

Aortyx has officially opened the Seed Round by presenting the project to friends and family and eager to join the founders in their venture as early-stage investors. The goal of this Seed Round is to raise 300.000 € to start the in vivo experimentation and secure the industrial property of the company. It has been a very emotional day in which the founders felt the support of those who have been along them since the very beginning. The team explained the project for 20 minutes and then answered questions from the audience (more than 70 people present), mostly regarding technicalities of the project and doubts on the return of the investment. The event ended with an informal cocktail where investors could interact closely with the members of our team.

Aortyx participated in the second edition of the IQS Tech Fest, organized by IQS Tech Factory at the Damm Factory in Barcelona. This festival is a European meeting point for the next generation of industrial startups. Aortyx presented at the Investment Forum and held meetings with a number of angel investors, and used the opportunity to interact with other startups in similar development points.