How can chemists’ shops be empowered in healthcare? Looking for answers at La Nave Innovation Week

On 21 February, we actively participated in La Nave Health Innovation Week via our open innovation platform CinfaNext. The event, held in partnership with the Madrid City Council’s Innovation Centre, aimed to showcase projects and startups with the potential to revolutionise the healthcare industry through innovative solutions that benefit patients, professionals, and healthcare administrations.

Innovation Week featured a full programme of activities, such as the Demo Day eHealth, where the healthcare startups of the VI La Nave Acceleration Programme presented their business models to a jury of experts. Our Corporate Development & Innovation Director at Cinfa, Julio Sánchez, took part in the event alongside Ana Álvaro, Associate at DraperB1; Chema Pina, Managing Partner at APTKI, and Diego Velasco, Head of Innovation at IRYCIS.

The winning startup was Phenyx eHealthfor its project focused on optimising the organisation of complex healthcare processes and improving resources in hospitals.

Another highlight of the meeting was the barbac0d1ng hackathon, in which pharmacy and nutrition students from the University of Navarra and the European University, as well as students from the 4Geeks Academy, took part. The competition participants showcased creative solutions aimed at enhancing the healthcare services provided by the 22,000 chemists’ shops in Spain. These shops form one of the largest healthcare networks, serving over two million individuals daily. The goal of the challenge initiated by Cinfa is to promote the figure of pharmacists working in chemists’ shops as accessible and approachable professionals, highlighting the personalised healthcare services they offer. This includes improving medication management, providing specialised advice, and conducting thorough patient monitoring, particularly in rural areas or for individuals facing challenges in accessing other healthcare services.

The challenge of this hackathon was approached from different perspectives, such as medication adherence programmes, measurement of health parameters or telemedicine services, information and health education.

Cinfa is firmly committed to backing and engaging in such events, offering a chance to explore fresh perspectives that present unique opportunities for innovation and modernisation.