Over a span of three weeks, 100 innovative start-up teams embarked on an electrifying journey. They formed international five-member squads, pinpointed problems, validated them with potential customers, and then meticulously constructed prototypes and minimum viable products (MVPs). These fledgling businesses launched marketing campaigns, secured their initial customers, and finally presented their ideas to an expert panel of investors.

To be eligible to pitch, the teams needed to have certain essentials in place: a landing page, updated EpiProdux, a validated target market, confirmed customers (300+ sign-ups for B2C or 3+ letters of intent for B2B), and an established business model. On pitch day, investors assessed the teams on a 5-point scale, evaluating opportunity, traction, scalability, execution, and presentation. The top 10 teams were distinguished by not only the highest investor scores but also glowing reviews from their mentors.

These elite 10 teams were given the opportunity to present to a wider audience and were honored with special prizes. These accolades included additional mentoring and coaching in design and go-to-market strategies by iBTIQUAR Innovation Lab, brand identity creation by Codehouse, technical guidance by Paladin, marketing support by Suurem Pilt, and a fast-track application process for esteemed accelerators like Alchemist and Antler.

Our valued long-time partner, Nixon Peabody, contributed three special awards: the Trademark Artisan Award, Innovation Award, and The Ed Quinones Spark Award.

Continue reading to discover the details about the top 10 teams, their members, the unique problems each startup is tackling, and the awards they’ve earned.

EIA Top Teams | Portugal 2023

Canary

Awards: 

Problem: High death rate and big financial losses in the mining industry.

Solution: A network of IoT sensor nodes to collect data from mines to be able to predict future mining conditions.

Team:

  • Petar Huska, University of Novi Sad, OSCE scholarship
  • Lok ki Yeung, Centennial College
  • Scott Sonnier, University of Alabama
  • Carolina Busch, North Greenville University
  • Mehdi Kouhihabibi, Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulu

 

LeGut

Awards: 

    • Design or Go-to-Market Mentoring Sessions, from iBTIQUAR Innovation Lab by Ali Amrani.
    • Fast-track for Antler Iberia as individuals or as a team – with or without an existing idea.

Problem: Lack of reliable food intolerance testing on the market.

Solution: A personalized bio-engineered gut device for local intolerance response.

Team:

  • Pedro Miguel Torres Barros, Instituto Politécnico do Cávado e do Ave
  • Matthew Tomlinson, Texas A&M University
  • Patricia Barros da Silva, Universidade do Porto
  • Ciara Mace, North Greenville University
  • José Alexandre Brandão Duarte Justo, Didimo

 

BoomTickets

Awards: 

    • Establishing brand identity from Codehouse.
    • Fast-track for Antler Iberia as individuals or as a team – with or without an existing idea.

Problem: Lack of connection between social media and ticketing.

Solution: Boost user ticketing and partying experience by offering a direct social marketplace. 

Team:

  • Caitlin McCarthy, Mount Royal University
  • John Nicolas Leon Kabarity, Sevilla University
  • Alexita Velasco, UC Berkeley
  • Diogo Michel Henriques Falcão, Instituto Superior Técnico
  • Rodrigo Romero Zamorano, Sevilla University

 

CarbonLX

Awards: 

    • Paladin Technical Mentoring Sessions.
    • Fast-track for Antler Iberia as individuals or as a team – with or without an existing idea.

Problem: It’s a headache for companies to report their carbon footprint in a timely, accurate, and cost-efficient way.

Solution: A B2B Saas-based ERP system that enables companies to take action.

Team:

  • Yang Meng, Singapore University of Social Sciences
  • Howard Chen, Wilfrid Laurier University
  • Maggie Chen, UC Berkeley
  • Hanna Zhang, UC Berkeley
  • Esteban Ibarzabal, Galp

 

BreastScreening-AI

Awards:

    • Bigger Picture Consulting
    • Fast-track for Antler Iberia as individuals or as a team – with or without an existing idea.

Problem: High rates of medical errors and time-consuming medical imaging.

Solution: AI-based clinician-centered and patient-centered agents to aid radiologists during diagnosis, while informing patients of their next treatment results in faster speed and providing understandable decisions.

Team:

  • Francisco Maria Calisto, Instituto Superior Técnico
  • Kyle Lee, Villanova University
  • André Fadiga, Universidade de Coimbra
  • Livia Ferreira, Instituto Superior da Maia
  • Masoumeh Vejdannia, Southampton Solent University

 

SmartGarden Coffee

Awards:

    • Anna de Stefano Mentoring Sessions
    • Fast-track for Antler Iberia as individuals or as a team – with or without an existing idea.

Problem: The impact of climate change on the coffee supply.

Solution: Bring coffee closer to home; IoT indoor coffee farms using abandoned spaces.

Team:

  • Rúben Sousa, Instituto Superior Técnico
  • Mariana De Castro Santiago Pinto, Instituto Superior Técnico
  • Marta Alexandra Candeias Passos, Universidade de Coimbra
  • Christopher Rodgers, Wilfrid Laurier University
  • Pedro Antonio Benito Rojano, Málaga University

 

Re:public

Awards: 

    • FStage Advisory mentoring sessions
    • Fast-track for Antler Iberia as individuals or as a team – with or without an existing idea.

Problem: 91% of packaging ends up in landfill and the environment, so it’s time for the future of packaging.

Solution: A redesign of air cushion packaging to facilitate reuse and a democratic way to manage waste.

Team:

  • Vanessa Hsu, UC Berkeley
  • Katie Fujikawa, UC Berkeley
  • Dinis Henriques, Instituto Superior Técnico
  • Jackson Burke, Franklin College
  • Carmen To, TU Dublin

 

Blastica Solutions

Awards: 

    • Mentoring sessions from Marina Petrakova & Riga Innovation Academy
    • Fast-track for Antler Iberia as individuals or as a team – with or without an existing idea.

Problem: Plastic waste and CO2 emissions.

Solution: An eco-friendly fuel using non-recyclable plastics.

Team:

  • Sophia Wallnoefer, Forward College
  • Ian Farmer, Shippensburg University
  • Bailey Arensmeyer, Shippensburg University
  • João Almeida, IP Setúbal
  • João Gegaloto, IP Setúbal

 

Beacon

Awards: 

    • Finalist interviews into the Alchemist program (fast-track)
    • Rodrigo de Alvarenga mentoring
    • Fast-track for Antler Iberia as individuals or as a team – with or without an existing idea.

Problem: Mass events have trouble locating and accessing people in emergencies due to crowding.

Solution: A tool to help track attendees who need urgent medical attention in crowds.

Team:

  • Shay Cohen, UC Berkeley
  • Tobey Steiner, UC Berkeley
  • Ayush Garg, Richmond University
  • Sophia Cavallari, Bournemouth University
  • Aurora Nunes, Instituto Politécnico do Cávado e do Ave

 

Wiso

Awards: 

    • Finalist interviews into the Alchemist program (fast-track)
    • Rodrigo de Alvarenga mentoring
    • Fast-track for Antler Iberia as individuals or as a team – with or without an existing idea.

Problem: Absence of real-life experience in the business field for young entrepreneurs and waste of expertise and knowledge amongst retired specialists.

Solution: A platform that will connect retired specialists with entrepreneurs who seek their expertise.

Team:

  • Daniils Jakovlevs, Southampton Solent University
  • Daniel Cobos, Málaga University
  • Surta Lathidadia, TU Dublin
  • Ryyan Khan, Centennial College
  • Elizaveta Trofimova, Southampton Solent University

 

Special Prizes by Nixon Peabody

LinguaCity

Award: The Nixon Peabody Patent Innovation Award

Problem: Language teaching apps are ineffective at providing meaningful learning experiences.

Solution: A social simulation mobile game that teaches languages with RPG elements in an immersive way.

Team:

  • Icaro Pereira, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro
  • Dane Nielson, Virginia Commonwealth University
  • Calvin Lee, Bob Jones University
  • Diala Budeir, Carnegie Mellon Qatar

 

GoRound

Award: Nixon Peabody The Ed Quinones Spark Award

Problem: The lack of a platform that allows budget/student travelers to search for ground transportation at different rates and dates.

Solution: An application that enables students and budget travelers to plug in their departing location and generates destinations at different price points.

Team:

  • Kaitlyn Page, University of Texas at San Antonio
  • Frances Kim, UC Berkeley
  • Kirstyn Valentine, Mount Royal University
  • Ying Wei Lin, Feng Chia University
  • Afrah Athasha Aman Shah, Singapore University of Social Sciences

 

Pillminder

Award: Nixon Peabody The Ed Quinones Spark Award

Problem: People are forgetting to take their medicine at the right time.

Solution: Using physical hardware such as a physical medication dispenser and an app to work together to dispense the correct medication at the correct time.

Team:

  • Glenna Soh, Singapore University of Social Sciences
  • Robert Antaluca, University of Technology of Compiègne
  • Rita Gaspar, University of Aveiro + University of Porto
  • Sarah Kiefer, UC Berkeley
  • James Yahya, Mount Royal University

 

Prizes for everyone

All participants

  • Opportunity to showcase their profiles to Antler Iberia portfolio companies to become their employees or to get an internship with them.
  • Business2abroad offers a 50% discount for company formation worldwide until August 24th, 2024.

 

Do you want to be part of the Top Teams next year? Apply now for EIA 2024!