Richi Entrepreneurs Challenge 2021

Through a collaboration agreement between the Richi Childhood Cancer Foundation (Boston, Massachusetts) and Andorra Research+Innovation, this innovation challenge has been created to allow entrepreneurs to have a tool to help them face the changes that our society has to make in relation to health, wellness and sports, and to become real agents of change.  

The Richi Childhood Cancer Foundation is a non-profit foundation, born in 2013 in Boston, with the purpose of promoting research into new treatments for childhood cancer, providing support to families and patients, and to promote equitable access to the most advanced knowledge in the lines of research, diagnosis and therapy, in order to improve their prognosis and survival. 

Richi Entrepreneurs is an initiative promoted by the Richi Foundation, aimed at companies around the world that develop high-impact solutions in innovative sectors in the area of health, such as biotechnology, medical technologies or digital health. The five previous editions have allowed to create a community that already has more than 400 applicants, more than 61 selected companies established in 12 different countries and more than 300 local communities connected.  

The challenge

This is an opportunity to participate in an internationally prestigious program that will allow you to improve aspects of your business by learning from other entrepreneurs located in the Boston ecosystem in order to foster long-term relationships with startups that are also developing entrepreneurial projects of high added value.  

Participation in the Richi Entrepreneurs Boston Immersion Program lasts two weeks, during which the winners will enjoy a series of events and training that will allow them to connect with the ecosystem: investors, sector experts, public and private institutions, consultants and other related actors, in order to learn first-hand about the existing opportunities, the improvements they can incorporate into their business and to take advantage of an international environment with experts in the health innovation sector.  

Candidates will have to present an innovative solution to current challenges in the field of health, wellness and sport.  

In the current context, after the impact of the pandemic caused by COVID 19, with an increasingly overcrowded population and a declining birth rate, it is essential to start finding ways that allow us to enjoy a good quality of life, which also help to promote better health, healthy practices and innovations that generate greater efficiency of our resources.  

In addition, the ability to generate talent that can generate the solution will be valued, as well as the ability to create an ecosystem through a sustained vision over time.  

Requirements

• Candidate companies must demonstrate that their solution is applicable to our country. 
• Companies must be established in Andorra or, if not, be part of a working team with an Andorran partner. 
• Companies must be interested in exploring the Boston ecosystem. 
• The sectors of activity must be related to the life sciences area (Biotech, Medtech, Diagnostics or Digital Health). 
• The applications shall have an impact on different areas: health, quality of life, sports, etc. 
• The company should have a clear growth potential and a defined intellectual property protection strategy.  
• The team must have English language skills. 
• The developed solution must already have a prototype or proof of concept. 
• Scientific or technological evidence of its technical approach is required. 
• The company meets an unmet global need of interest to the target market and industry. 
• The solution must comply with the regulations in force in the Principality of Andorra. 

The award 

The winning company will receive an economic aid of up to 10.000 € that will be used to: 

• Participate in the Richi Entrepeneurs Boston Immersion Program, for two weeks (2021 edition: from November 29 to December 10).
• The participation of one or two team members (usually senior managers: CEO, CTO, CSO). 
• Travel and accommodation expenses.