The first edition of the UP Innovation Awards (UPIA) received projects from national and international entrepreneurs, which were divided into different sections: internet of things, urban mobility, education, creative industry, biotechnology and health, renewable energies and new materials or software (TICS).
ZAPOPAN, Jalisco; May 18, 2021.
With the aim of recognizing, promoting and consolidating innovative projects that benefit society, the Universidad Panamericana Campus Guadalajara held the first edition of the UP Innovation Awards (UPIA), whose mission was to be a platform to promote entrepreneurship, as well as to help micro, small and medium-sized Mexican companies to position themselves in the national and international market.
"For us, participating in the UP Innovation Awards was a very enriching experience, because in addition to meeting other entrepreneurs, the UP helped us to improve our pitch to present our project and win [...] we are sure that this will change the lives of many people with spinal cord injury by improving mobility and rehabilitation," said Norberto Velázquez, creator and winner in the category of Traction in the Market, with his innovation "Roki Wheels", an electric skateboard designed especially for people with motor disabilities.
A total of 1,200 projects were received, which were divided into three categories according to their progress and maturity: validated idea, working prototype and market traction. Of the total number of participants, only 128 passed to the next stage of evaluation and finally 15 projects were selected to move on to the final rounds.
"My experience at the UPIAs has been very rewarding because with the support of mentors who are experts in innovation and communication, it always allowed me to overcome the way the story behind Greenfluidics was presented, and meeting all the great projects that represent Mexico is an inspiration to move forward," said Adán Ramírez, winner of first place in the Validated Idea category with his project "Greenfluidics", a biotech start-up that seeks to accelerate the transition to sustainable cities.
It is worth mentioning that being the first edition of UPIA, a great participation and national presence was achieved, in which innovative projects were highlighted that will be applied or carried out in reality for their effective and correct positioning within the market according to their industry; society will benefit from those creations that were presented in the corresponding selection.
"Being part of the first edition of UPIA was a very enriching experience, as we had the opportunity to be advised by expert mentors from the entrepreneurial ecosystem and thus prepare ourselves for the approach with large companies from different industrial sectors [...].We had great interest from these industries to insert our technology into their processes, to team up and generate solutions compatible with nature," said Ricardo Muttio, winner of first place in the Functional Prototype category, with his innovation "Radial", a biomaterial that works like unicell but in a sustainable way.
For Panamericana it represents a great achievement to carry out an innovation competition at national level, which generates a great impact within the community and above all encourages the development of entrepreneurs who seek to provide optimal and comprehensive solutions for the population and become points of reference for adverse situations that arise.