11 teams from Mexico and Chile join the fourth edition of Know Hub Ignition

Know Hub Chile’s acceleration program for science- and technology-based ventures, run in collaboration with Mexico’s Tec de Monterrey, received 150 proposals from science-based startups in Latin America and Europe, and eleven were selected to join the program.

For its fourth edition, Know Hub Ignition, developed by Know Hub Chile, held an open call across Latin America and received a positive response in Chile, elsewhere in the region and in Europe, with 150 applications from science-based startups in a wide range of fields. Of these, 41 were selected for the pitch stage, after which eleven teams were chosen to take part in the experience to strengthen their value proposition and accelerate their early and global growth.

The program, run in collaboration with Mexico’s Tec de Monterrey and with support from Chile’s National Research and Development Agency (ANID), and with Lockheed Martin as a partner company, accelerates the progress of the technology solutions of science-based startups (EBCTs) using the i-Corps methodology and input from partner companies.

The selected teams work in a variety of fields. Alba and Exohand, for example, specialize in health. Acquora, Redocean and Rovisen focus on developing analytics software. Quempin, Soquimat, Breakpet, Lighthub and WheelTech are oriented toward sustainability and the environment. And LifeNanoTechnologies works in nanotechnology.

Call for applications

Óscar Astudillo, innovation coordinator at Know Hub Chile, highlights the high quality of this year’s projects, “which is a very promising scenario that has been repeating over the last five years. We also received 150 applications in this call, with projects from Chile as well as Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Ireland and Spain.”

This time, most of the selected projects are mature science-based ventures above TRL 4 (Technology Readiness Levels), Astudillo notes, “with fairly consolidated teams, largely reflected in the projects they have carried out, and with baseline knowledge of relevant aspects such as intellectual property, market and competitors.”

“Programs like this are a great contribution to the national ecosystem because they showcase science-based ventures in key development areas for specific industrial sectors that are looking for technology solutions they cannot develop on their own. They undoubtedly contribute to the national economy through the introduction and creation of new products, processes and services, as well as new jobs. In addition, they attract international ventures seeking to get closer to our country, while our own ventures will have the opportunity to go through internationalization processes, undoubtedly improving their commercial prospects,” says Astudillo.

Silvia Mora, associate director of Engagement, Market Strategy and Fund Management at Tec de Monterrey, emphasizes that joining Know Hub Ignition 04 is very important “because with this training, through our mentors, we will be able to identify and guide Latin American entrepreneurial talent so they can create their EBCTs and connect with the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Mexico and our softlanding program EBCTec-Bridge.”

Next steps

The next phase of Know Hub Ignition includes a training stage based on the Customer Discovery Methodology, in which each team will be supported by mentors from Chile and Mexico. It will run until September 10 and conclude with a final selection bootcamp on Friday, September 13, 2024, when the program’s three winners will be chosen to move on to an international immersion phase.