Announcing the five startups selected for Catalyzing Health Innovations in Mexico 2020

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We’re excited to announce the five startups that have been selected to participate in our upcoming acceleration program with MetLife Foundation Mexico, Catalyzing Health Innovations in Mexico 2020.

The program will train and finance early-stage Mexican startups that are working to prevent and treat the most concerning chronic-degenerative diseases in the country: obesity, diabetes and hypertension.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 24 million Mexicans suffer from obesity, one of the highest rates in the world. On the other hand, Mexico spends approximately $3,872 million dollars treating diabetes, as stated by the National Survey of Health and Nutrition. And according to the Mexican Social Security Institute, up to 80% of the Mexican population has hypertension even if it is silent.

Our accelerator has become crucial to generate an initiative that creates widely-available solutions to encourage a healthier lifestyle and support Mexicans to stop the serious consequences these diseases cause. These challenges are greater than ever as COVID-19 spreads across Mexico and puts a strain on healthcare systems. Because of this urgency, we decided to provide grant capital to all the startups that participate in our program, and not only the two top ranked. 

In response to challenges created by COVID-19, this accelerator will be held online, we will also be holding workshops virtually, adapting our curriculum to offer all the same investment-readiness training and 1:1 mentorship opportunities online via remote learning. 

We received more than two dozen applications from eight different Mexican states, and more than half of the applicants were from outside of Mexico City, which receives the majority of venture capital in the country. After an intentional selection process involving MetLife Foundation leaders and other Selection Committee members, we selected five startups for the cohort:

1. Diabesmart provides accompaniment and follow-up services for diabetes and pre-diabetes patients, all in one place, in order to avoid the disease’s evolution and increase treatment retention.
2. Griyum cultivates grillos (crickets) to put an end to nutritional poverty in Mexico. The process uses eco-friendly technology and it is the only one in Mexico that has a FSSC 2200 certification.  
3. Nanotutt develops nanotechnological treatments in its laboratory to treat infected wounds that are difficult to heal. They created the antiseptic gel, NanoGelTM, with nanotechnological healing capable of catalyzing the breakdown of genetic bonds, which is especially relevant to treat diabetic foot, the first cause of amputation in Mexico.
4. Xilinat produces a substitute for sugar derived from the xylitol, a component that is obtained from agricultural waste. This substitute tastes just like sugar, is low on calories, and can be safely consumed by diabetics. 
5. Deli Life Wellness offers personalized health programs to companies in order to reduce employee stress levels and the physical effects of long working hours, with the goal to improve workers’ quality of life through physical and emotional care.

For more information on the program and each startup, visit our webpage, or contact Daniela Guerrero at daniela.guerrero@vilcap.com.