This article was originally published by Bianca Damiano on Novobrief, an Espacio partner publication.

MadBlue, the international event of innovation, culture, and science towards sustainable development, which will take place from 20 to 31 April, has already selected the first startups that will participate in the third edition of the Impact Global Summit 2023. 

At the upcoming event, the selected startups in search of sustainable development will be able to present their projects to the public and come into contact with investment funds, companies in their sector, and organizations and institutions that support entrepreneurship. 

In addition, these startups will have an exhibition area at their disposal to present their solutions and will have a coworking space for entrepreneurs to continue working on their projects during the summit.

The selected startups specialize in energy transition, food security and access to water, smart cities, and people and social impact. MadBlue focuses especially on those capable of solving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The selected startups

  • FlexSea Ltd, is a manufacturer of algae-based bio-based plastics. 
  • Arrecife Systems, is a provider of tidal energy through floating turbines.
  • Coolx, offers satellite and AI-powered software to streamline the analysis and monitoring of forestry offset projects.
  • Ficosterra, transforms algae into fertilizers, bio-stimulants, and bio-fertilizers that promote the maximum development of crops and plants.
  • Flobers, is a crowdfunding platform that uses technology to democratize investment in renewable energy projects through crowdfunding and crowdlending projects.
  • Gravity Wave, extracts plastics from the sea and turns them into furniture and other products.
  • MadBlue Marine, is leading the green revolution in the oceans with its hydrogen boats. 
  • Urban Air Purifier, which applies the latest technology to provide healthy air through its purifiers for large spaces.
  • Mimic Sea Food, creates delicious and healthy seafood from vegetable protein. 
  • Oasis Analítica, has software capable of optimizing agricultural management.
  • Quasar, which provides software consulting and systems engineering services for scientific and innovation projects. 
  • Reforestum, whose Artificial Intelligence-based monitoring tools analyze satellite images of forests and allow the evolution of their carbon sequestration to be monitored in almost real-time.
  • U4impact, which connects companies and organizations with university students from all over Spain to create impact projects.
  • BcasAPP, promotes equitable, sustainable, and quality education by facilitating students’ access to scholarships.

Selection process open

After this first expedition, the organization is preparing to receive more startups dedicated to the search for a sustainable world. Those capable of contributing in a relevant way to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. 

In addition, they are also waiting for new investment funds that want to materialize these ideas, with the aim of boosting the economy of the regions through innovation and sustainable development, smart cities, the circular economy, and investment in new technologies.