The National Auditorium, in Ordino, hosted on Monday the second edition of the Innovation Summit in winter sports, mountain and cycling, the Andorra Sports Innovation Summit, organized by Andorra Business, Andorra Research + Innovation and the Global Sports Innovation Center powered by Microsoft (GSIC). Eva Choy, vice mayor of Ordino, welcomed the around 70 attendees to the event.
The Minister for Presidency, Economy and Enterprise, Jordi Gallardo, contextualized Andorra´s position as a sports tourism destination and research engine in this field. The sports sector, he stated, provides 7,7% of the country´s GDP with around 215 million Euros generated and employs over 2250 people.
The award ceremony for the startups who won the Andorra Startup Challenge 2022 followed. First place went to EVIX, which promotes safety for cyclists and have developed an airbag integrated into helmets. The other two finalists were CityLegends and Fanprime. The first has developed a digital solution for urbans ports and the latter, to aid in the connection between different sports and their fans. There was also a special mention for LogMeal, dedicated to the field of nutrition. The winning startups have the option of carrying out a pilot test, with the support of Andorra Research + Innovation, under the umbrella of Andorra Living Lab.
The event also served to renew the collaboration between Andorra Business, Andorra Research + Innovation and the Global Sports Innovation Center de Microsoft for two more years.
The Andorra Sports Innovations Summit also included three roundtables: ‘Cities hosting winter sports competitions’, moderated and lead by Carlos Cantó, CEO SPSG Consulting, along with the participation of Isto Vanhämaki, director of Lahti Region Development (LADEC). ‘Financing, investment and trends in sport’, moderated by Iris Córdoba, general director of GSIC powered by Microsoft Innovation, with the presence of Luis Vicente, president APEX Capital, Alberto S.Bichi, executive director of EPSI (The European Platform for Sport Innovation) and Javier Sobrino, partner-director in Aser Ventures.
And the last roundtable, ‘Sustainable impact of sport’, moderated by Guillermo Marín, director of Offices and Services in GSIC and with the participation of Denis Mustonen, head of Foreign Affairs in Lahti Region Development (LADEC), Katia Juaréz, Cofounder, director of sustainability at Win&Green and Pedro Morán, marketing director of Pal Arinsal Grandvalira Resorts Andorra.
