The 13th edition of the University Entrepreneurship Competition, organized by IDEAS UPV, has awarded 14,200 euros to innovative initiatives born from university talent.
Turning textile waste into acoustic treatment solutions, developing microorganisms with the potential to fight tumors, creating a card game inspired by stray cats, or designing smart misting systems for corridors. These are some of the proposals recognized in the 2K26 Awards from the University Entrepreneurship Competition at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV).
In this 13th edition, a total of 12 projects were awarded a total of 14,200 euros. This initiative, launched by IDEAS UPV, aims to recognize the entrepreneurial talent of students and graduates of the university and to support the development of ideas and projects with the potential to become new business ventures.
Business projects with growth potential
The Business Project category has recognized six initiatives across three areas:
- Technological Innovation: Ecocavi won first prize (€2,500) with a proposal that transforms textile waste into acoustic insulation materials. Second prize (€1,000) went to Ciosan.
- Scalability: Cubeando Tech won first prize (€2,000) with a phygital EdTech platform that turns the Rubik’s Cube into a learning tool. Keneh received second prize (€1,000).
- Environmental Impact: La meua Pesca won first prize (€2,000) thanks to an app designed for Peruvian fishermen that provides information on sea conditions and weather. Nomadart was awarded second prize (€1,000).
New Ideas for Addressing Current Challenges
The IDEA category, aimed at entrepreneurial proposals in their early stages of development, has recognized three projects:
- Oncobiotix, first prize (€900), develops microorganisms derived from probiotic strains, engineered to detect tumor markers and produce molecules capable of combating them.
- Agropoli, second prize (€600).
- Circupyme, third prize (€500).
For its part, the TFG/TFM/TESI program highlights the entrepreneurial potential of the knowledge generated at the university. In this edition, the first prize (€900) went to María Álvarez Ávila, for Purrhood, a strategy card game inspired by the behavior of stray cats. The second prize (€800) was awarded to Natalia Hidalgo Morán for Teach Path.
Finally, the MUJER EMPRENDE Award (€1,000), intended to promote women’s entrepreneurship, was awarded to Smart Water Arc, a smart misting arch designed for runners.
Entrepreneurship is also built by sharing experiences
The awards ceremony, held on November 5 at the Higher Technical School of Computer Engineering (ETSINF) at the UPV, featured Rafael Romero, a founding partner of Cosmos and winner of the 2K18 Awards, who shared his experience as an entrepreneur.
The gala will be hosted by Claudia Herrero and Jaume Ivars, founders of Mycrospace, a company that was also launched with the support of IDEAS UPV and is the winner of the 2K24 Award.
During the event, the Vice Rector for Students and Entrepreneurship, Alberto Conejero, highlighted the importance of the support and collaboration of the university community in promoting new business initiatives, encouraging the winning teams to become part of the UPV’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Fostering Entrepreneurial Talent at the UPV
Through the 2K26 Awards, IDEAS UPV continues to work to foster an entrepreneurial culture at the university and support students and graduates in the development of their projects.
Because many business initiatives begin with an idea, an academic project, or an opportunity identified in the surrounding environment. Recognizing them, raising their profile, and facilitating their development is part of IDEAS UPV’s commitment to university entrepreneurship.
Check out the Draft Resolution on the 2K26 University Entrepreneurship Competition.