The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) has reported that MediPrint and Energine, created by UNAM engineers, were selected for the final of the 12th edition of the Santander Award for Business Innovation, one of the most important recognitions of entrepreneurship in Mexico.

The contest included a total of 119 projects registered with 5,789 entrepreneurs from 137 universities throughout the Republic. MediPrint and Energine were selected along with 18 other finalists in the contest.

The 20 finalists were evaluated at the WeWork co-working facilities n Mexico City, where teams presented their projects before a jury made up of specialists from the National Institute of Entrepreneurs and Impulses, as well as representatives from incubators and some of the most important higher education institutes in the country.

Finalist Profiles

MediPrint is led by Zaid Musa Badwan Peralta and Andrés Souza Sosa, both graduates of the Faculty of Engineering (FI) and winners of the SPIN 2016 prize, organized in Spain by RedEmprendia. The company is supported by UNAM and provides high technology medical solutions through 3D printing. MediPrint’s main product, NovaCast, is a more comfortable alternative to plaster casts and ensures user rehabilitation. It offers adequate ventilation and inspection possibilities, and is placed easily and quickly, without being exposed to application errors.

Energine is led by Héctor Eduardo Cid Luna, who graduated from the FI of UNAM. Joining him on the team is Diego Raúl Martínez Velarde, Ana Cecilia Rojí Gómez, and Carlos Alfonso Rodríguez Ruvacalba, from other institutions. Energine is focused on the creation of a new system capable of capturing the wasted thermal energy of automobiles, and converting it into electrical energy through the implementation of a high-efficiency thermoelectric system.

Event Details

According to the organizers of the Santander Award for Business Innovation, young people can participate in two categories: “Business Innovation”, for the development of projects in the sectors of financial inclusion, industrial technologies, new businesses, information technologies, big data, mobile applications, and cybersecurity, or in “Business with Social Impact”, with proposals for projects on clean energy, health, education, digital divide, smart cities, sustainable housing, and home automation.

In recognition of the best projects, the top three places in each category will be credited with an economic stimulus. In addition, the top places in each category will receive a scholarship to study an exclusive entrepreneurship program in one of the major innovation ecosystems in the United States.