CSR/Corporate social responsibility

Adamed Group Mentors 5 Polish Start-Ups

21 September 2017

The third accelerator programme that was organised with the know-how of one of the world’s leading technological universities — the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — attracted 117 start-up candidates. Based on, among others, marks given by nearly 60 Polish and foreign jurors, the best 23 have been selected, including 5 in the Health Path section, with Adamed Group as partner:

BBH Biotech Polska: organic anti-inflammatory and anti-wrinkle cosmetics using powdered honey bee venom.

  • Cancer Center: streamlining oncology diagnosis using machines and deep learning.
  • DEBN: a new biopsy needle covered with a polymer layer, with an optimal combination of antibiotics, which reduces the risk of infection after prostate biopsy.
  • Soma Healthcare: artificial intelligence as a tool to streamline work in medical imaging.
  • Sonoeletric: an intracranial implant powered by cordless technology to generate ultrasounds and therapeutic electric fields to treat brain tumours.

— Once again, the Health Path programme attracts extraordinary talents and exceptional, at least on a national scale, projects. Once again, here at Adamed Group, we are enthralled by the diversity of problems which the teams want to resolve and the broad spectrum of technologies they develop. This poses quite a challenge for us in terms of offering effective support for their activities. But seeing the passion and commitment of the teams, we take on the task with undisguised enthusiasm — says Marcin Szczeciński, Head of Capital Investment at Adamed Group.

The objective of the MIT Enterprise Forum Poland programme is to support the development of innovative Polish micro- and small enterprises which work on unique technologies by connecting their potential to the infrastructure, experience, and resources of large corporations.

— Young technology enterprises, in particular at the beginning of their operations, need tremendous support. This is not only about money, but also about knowledge on how and in which direction they should manage their businesses, so that they can flourish and generate profits. Apart from that, it is important to verify the chosen solution in real business conditions — argues Magdalena Jabłońska from MIT Enterprise Forum Poland — Together with the partners of the programme, we enable start-ups to organise their business knowledge and we teach them how to present a technological company and innovative solutions in a way which will be effective and understandable to customers, partners, and investors around the world. The accelerator programme also enables the business idea to be tested and validated, thanks to the involvement of experts and technical resources made available by the partners in the specific industry branches. The best start-ups will get a chance to present their technologies in the USA at a boot camp in Boston — she adds.

In addition to Adamed Group, the supporting partners of the programme are PKO Bank Polski, PGNiG Group, KGHM CUPRUM — R&D Centre, Intel, Visa, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Polska, Campus Warsaw, the Foundation for Polish Science, the Polish Business and Innovation Centres Association (SOOIPP) and the Cybersecurity Foundation. From the legal perspective, the start-ups will be supported by the law firm Wardyński i Wspólnicy, and as far as strategies for the protection of intellectual property are concerned, experts from the law firm JWP Rzecznicy Patentowi will be of assistance.

With regard to the programme funding from EU funds: 

The MIT EF Poland accelerator programme edition 2–3 is organised as part of the pilot project ScaleUP under the name ‘MIT Enterprise Forum Poland Accelerator Programme organised in cooperation with Large Enterprises for Start-ups from the energy, raw materials, healthcare, and finance industries’. 

The project is co-funded under the Operational Programme Smart Development 2014–2020, Measure 2.4. Cooperation within the national innovations system, Sub-measure 2.4.1. Centre for analyses and pilot implementations of new instruments inno_LAB ScaleUP.  

Amount of funding: PLN 5.9 million 

Beneficiary (grant operator): Fundacja Przedsiębiorczości Technologicznej [Technological Entrepreneurship Foundation], which is the licensed office of MIT Enterprise Forum Poland in Poland.