South Summit 2025: a meeting point for driving innovation
From 4 to 6 June, Madrid hosted the 14th edition of the South Summit, one of the unmissable global events for the entrepreneurial, technological and innovation ecosystem. Under the motto “In Motion”, more than 20,000 attendees gathered at the innovation space La Nave, together with 600 speakers, 150 investment funds (70% of which were international) and 19 unicorn startupsfrom all over the world.
Organised by IE University and with the institutional support of the Community of Madrid, Madrid City Council and the Secretary of State for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence, this year’s edition revolved around four main themes: growth, sustainable action, humanity 2.0 and technological horizons. All of this, with a common goal: to boost the entrepreneurial economy in Europe.
Our participation in South Summit 2025
Once again, we were present at South Summit, not only as sponsors, but also as key actors for change.
We organised the round table “Driving the future of health – Success stories in open innovation”, where we shared experiences, lessons learned and challenges of our commitment to collaboration between corporations and startups.
Experts such as Jorge Pou (GSK), Antonio Martí (UpHill Health) and Andrea Cabanes (Fych Technologies), participated in a conversation moderated by Marta Pedrosa, our Innovation Analyst at Cinfa, who presented our CinfaNext open innovation verticals, with special emphasis on sustainability.
One of the examples we shared was our joint project with Fych for the recycling of medicine blister packs. A technical, regulatory and human challenge that demonstrates how, when people, ideas and values are aligned, it is possible to achieve real progress for the benefit of the environment and, of course, the patient.
The round table also addressed the main challenges that startups face when collaborating with large companies: technological integration, regulatory barriers or the acquisition of new knowledge. A path that, if travelled with trust and clear communication and a shared vision, can truly transform the health system.
Startup Competition
The Startup Competition, one of the cornerstones of the event, saw a record number of participants with more than 4,500 entries from 23 countries. The winner of this year’s edition was the Spanish startup Lain Tech, recognised for its innovative sustainable mining process.
Lain Tech also won the Industry 5.0 category, positioning itself as one of the great promises of the energy transition applied to mining. Its E-LIX technology proposes a hydrometallurgical leaching system capable of recovering complex metals – such as copper or zinc – without contamination. There is no cyanide or toxic waste; just electricity, innovation and a 94% reduction in carbon footprint. It also makes it possible to reactivate mines previously considered unviable and to extend the useful life of deposits.
During the closing day, other outstanding projects were also recognised with four more awards: the American Bankuish as the ‘Most Disruptive’; the Chilean Hera Materials as the ‘Most Sustainable’; and the Catalan NeuralTrust and Remuner, which won awards for the ‘Most Scalable’ and the startup with the ‘Best Team’, respectively.
Connecting ideas, people and opportunities
With more than 20,000 attendees, startups and investors, this edition was a space for reflection on the major challenges of the present and the future, connecting communities, promoting ideas and generating new opportunities for learning and collaboration.
