The CBR Genomics was one of the national winners of the third edition of the Zurich Innovation Championship, a “startup competition that promotes transformation, innovation and disruption in the insurance sector, an initiative of the Zurich Group”.
But she wasn’t the only one. Portuguese Automaise also won the competition, in the Simplification and Reimagining Insurance categories, and is prepared for the “global presentation in March that will select 12 startups for a three-month acceleration programme,” as outlined. to the editing rooms.
The project, presented by CBR Genomics, a MedTech start-up founded in 2012 and headquartered in Cantanhead, “answers a problem that has an enormous but under-publicized impact: one in six people has a genetic change responsible for the development of diseases. Knowing it in time has tremendous health benefits.”
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The medical technology company’s mission is “to put genomics at the service of medicine, and in this sense, it has developed a suite of DNA profiles services, and clinical decision support tools based on information from patients’ DNA.”
“From a simple saliva sample, the information written in the DNA is ‘read’ and, after being analyzed, is transmitted to the clinician in a very simple and clinical procedure focused way. This approach, backed by knowledge of DNA, is to change the way people’s health is managed, as it allows Disease prevention or mitigation through early clinical interventions,” they described in the statement.
CBR Genomics aims to “improve people’s quality of life based on their DNA information and halt the development of genetic diseases.” The company “develops an innovative approach to genetic solutions – DNA profiles – that track hundreds of diseases of high clinical importance, from newborns to adults, both asymptomatic and asymptomatic, allowing the practice of true and effective preventive and predictive medicine.”
It should be noted that Braga-based Automaise, in turn, provided a “solution for processing and managing requests and requests made daily to insurance companies, by clients, partners or service providers”. “These processes involve different dimensions of analysis, multiple levels of consent, direct involvement of specialized professionals, and for these reasons, are time-consuming and costly. Using artificial intelligence (deep learning), Automaise’s solution introduces automation into these analysis and decision-making processes,” they explained. It makes it faster and has a direct positive impact on the quality of service provided to the customer.”
Antonio Pico, CEO of Zurich in Portugal said: “We chose two very different projects, but with huge potential on a global scale. The two start-ups presented very interesting and innovative solutions that could not only improve people’s quality of life, but also the efficiency of the insurance sector. We are pleased to be able to learn and collaborate with these projects that can greatly impact the future of businesses and society.”
Carlos Fonseca, COO of Zurich, Portugal added: “We are witnessing with great enthusiasm the most competitive edition of the Zurich Innovation Championship ever. It is a sign that, with each edition, we are succeeding in creating a global innovation movement that gives us the possibility to collaborate with outside talent, which ends up having an impact on our culture and our innovation strategy.”
According to the same note, this edition of the Zurich Innovation Championship “was the most competitive ever, with 2,672 applications submitted globally”.
“The 42 startups that have submitted applications to Zurich in Portugal come from Germany, Brazil, Spain, USA, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Portugal and the UK. Among these, Zurich Portugal selected seven startups to pitch the national team, with Portugal’s Automaise and CBR Genomics winning. They also highlighted in the statement.
Next February, Zurich Portugal will work with each of the winning startups “in preparation for the global presentation”, which will take place next March. In the “global phase, 12 startups will be selected for a three-month acceleration phase (from April to June), where each startup will work with Zurich experts to develop an operational plan, with financial support of up to 100,000 thousand dollars (about 90 thousand euros). )”. Finally, until September, the “implementation phase” reaches and in October, the twelve selected solutions will be “presented to the public”.
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