The Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) has held the second edition of the Vall d’Hebron Ventures Summit, a gathering that brought together more than 70 participants, including companies, investors, and representatives from the biomedical innovation ecosystem. The event, sponsored by Genesis Biomed and Asabys, highlighted the importance of creating spaces for connection between research, entrepreneurship, and capital.

The summit served as a platform to connect innovation projects, spin-offs, and start-ups from VHIR with investors interested in supporting new initiatives in the health sector. This year, the program combined presentations and discussions on investment opportunities, ecosystem trends, and strategies to drive the growth of these companies.

The session began with an institutional welcome by Rafael Navajo, Director of Innovation and Business Development at VHIR, who emphasized that “the Vall d'Hebron Ventures Summit is a great opportunity to build a community among VHIR, our companies, and the investment ecosystem, strengthening these links to promote the transfer and investment in future innovation projects and facilitate the internationalization of our companies.” Following this, Mariona Esquerdo, Head of the Innovation Unit, kicked off the event with a presentation on VHIR’s innovation model and the value of investing in companies linked to our institution.

Next, it was the turn of the CEOs of our spin-offs and investors to discuss experiences and investment strategies both nationally and internationally. The roundtable included Laura Lizama, Founder and CEO of Heecap; Sergi Valverde, Founder and CEO of Tensormedical; Joël Jean-Mairet, Managing Partner at Ysios Capital; and Clive Seymour, CEO of Canterbury Sc., moderated by Daniel Oliver, CEO of Capital Cell and Partner at Nara Capital.

The second roundtable focused on discussing the future hotspots of biomedical investment and emphasized the importance of fostering public-private collaboration with companies in the pharmaceutical and medical technology sectors to drive co-creation as an engine of innovation. Participants included Anna Bellmunt, Senior Associate at Asabys Partners; Antonio Herce, Investment Director at Inveready; Maria Isabel Hernández, Strategic Account Manager at Siemens Healthineers; and Frédéric Tétard, IT Director R&D at Alexion, with moderation by Josep Lluís Falcó, Managing Partner and CEO of Genesis Biomed.

Finally, the event offered a dynamic networking space, fostering new strategic connections.

VHIR’s Leadership in Innovation

In recent months, VHIR has implemented a new innovation model that transforms the way biomedical research impacts society. The goal is to identify and support projects with the greatest potential, facilitating knowledge transfer and maximizing their chances of success in clinical application and commercialization.

In parallel, VHIR is promoting the creation of an Innovation Hub, a pioneering space aimed at fostering new public-private partnerships and supporting the development of high-value projects. This future Hub will attract investors and biotech and pharmaceutical companies, further strengthening VHIR’s role as a driver of innovation in healthcare.

This commitment to innovation positions VHIR as a national reference. According to the Botín Foundation, it is the hospital-linked research center that has created the most health-related spin-offs in Spain in the 21st century so far. Currently, VHIR has 42 ongoing innovation projects and 14 active spin-offs, a clear indicator of its strategic commitment to knowledge transfer and the social impact of research.