BNEW 2024 recognizes key startups for the new economy

• The Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, presided over the event last night, accompanied by the Government delegate in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto, the special delegate of the State in the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona, Pere Navarro, the delegate president of the Area of Economic Development and Tourism of the Diputació de Barcelona, Ana Maria Martínez and the general director of the CZFB, Blanca Sorigué.

• Joltech Solutions won the award in the BNEW Sustainability vertical; Vaivé Logistics obtained recognition in BNEW Mobility; BIPO at BNEW Talent; Time is Brain at BNEW Health; Grasshopper Air Mobility at BNEW Aviation; and Omnios Cognitive Solutions at BNEW Digital Industry.

Barcelona, October 10, 2024.- As part of the fifth edition of the Barcelona New Economy Week (BNEW), the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB) organized a gala dinner yesterday at the DFactory Barcelona facilities, in which the BNEW Best Startups Awards 2024 ceremony was held recognizing the best emerging company in each of the verticals that make up the event: Digital Industry, Proptech, Mobility, Talent, Health and Sustainability.

Jaume Collboni, Mayor of Barcelona City Council, presided over the event, accompanied by the Government Delegate in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto, the Special State Delegate in the Barcelona Free Trade Zone Consortium, Pere Navarro, the Delegate President of the Economic Development and Tourism Area of the Barcelona Provincial Council, Ana Maria Martínez, and the General Director of the CZFB,  Blanca Sorigué.

This event served to recognize the best startups in each of the verticals hosted this year by BNEW 2024. A total of 170 startups submitted their applications to be eligible for these awards through the BNEW Startup Innovation Hub, a unique meeting point to share the latest technological advances in industry 4.0 and connect companies with potential partners and investors. From these 170 startups, the jury selected a total of 30 finalists, assessing aspects such as the impact they have on the industry, the capacity of management teams and high-value technological solutions that provide sustainable competitive advantages. Likewise, the sustainable growth potential of these, their ability to influence the economy and society, and their innovation component have been assessed.

During his speech, Jaume Collboni, mayor of Barcelona, stressed that “the future of Barcelona’s local economy has three factors: talent, as the ability to attract, retain and create knowledge; technology, which companies and startups use intensively; and industry 4.0, as a strategy also to develop the new economy. I think it is very important that in each of the projects we have heard, the words purpose and impact are incorporated into their business core, something that we want in the creative fabric of Barcelona, its metropolitan region and Catalonia”.

For his part, Pere Navarro, special delegate of the State at the CZFB, addressed the award-winning startups, congratulating them and highlighting that “it is not only about having a good idea but it is about having the determination to make it a reality, not to give up when there are barriers because the most important thing is to fight for your vision. Your ideas have led you here, but your impetus will be what will move you forward. BNEW, and the world needs brave people who dare to break the mold, irreverent who want to change the rules and don’t take anything for granted”.

 Finally, Blanca Sorigué, general director of the CZFB, stressed that “each of the initiatives that have participated in the BNEW Startup Innovation Hub are a clear example of how we can take advantage of the infinite opportunities offered by new technologies and industry 4.0, thus moving towards the new economy. And it is precisely this transgressive spirit that we want to promote from the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona with this great event that has already established itself as the great international benchmark of the new economy“.

Best BNEW Startups 2024

Among the 170 national and international startups participating in this edition, 6 emerging companies have been recognized, one for each of the vertical sectors of BNEW 2024. The winners were as follows:

Award for the best BNEW Mobility startup for Vaivé Logistics: a company that responds to the needs of companies in the logistics sector by offering a last-mile transport alternative with a fleet of autonomous, electric and intelligent vehicles called Ona. Clément Lemardelé, founder and CEO of Vaivé Logistics, collected the award.

BNEW Aviation’s Best Startup Award for Grasshopper Air Mobility, a startup that develops eVTOL electric drones with flight and autonomous driving capabilities for industrial logistics. Grasshopper Air Mobility’s flagship drone transports loads of up to 350 kg over a distance of 200 km, integrating with Industry 4.0 logistics systems through autonomous loading and unloading. Jakob Saalfrank, Co-founder & CEO of Grasshopper Air Mobility, received the award.

BNEW Talent‘s Best Startup Award for BIPO: Comprehensive HR solutions including human capital management, global payroll outsourcing, and employer of record service in more than 160 global markets. Laurent Pierre Sans, BIPO’s regional director for Europe, oversaw receiving this recognition.

BNEW Sustainability Best Startup Award for Joltech Solutions: Company that manufactures activated electrodes for alkaline water electrolyzers (AWEs) and anion exchange membrane electrolyzers (AEMs). Leon Rizzi, CEO of Joltech Solutions,, COO of the company, received the award.

BNEW Health‘s Best Startup Award for Time is Brain. It is a class IIb medical device that allows rapid registration and automatic analysis of the new N20 biomarker, validated and patented.  Alicia Martinez Piñeiro, CEO of Time is Brain collected the award on behalf of the company.

BNEW Digital Industry Best Startup Award for Omnios Cognitive Solutions: a company that through cutting-edge technology, develops products to filter and analyze large amounts of data, ultimately improving the work experience of its customers by improving efficiency, productivity and satisfaction in their daily tasks. Albert Iruela, Co-founder of Omnios Cognitive Solutions, was in charge of collecting this distinction.