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In the fast-paced world of startups, only a few events capture as much attention from around the world as the Startup Battlefield, held as part of TechCrunch Disrupt.
This year, after a rigorous selection process among thousands of applications from around the world, a Colombian startup has secured its place among the 20 finalists, a milestone that shines a light on the burgeoning innovation scene in Latin America. The finalists compete this week in a pitch competition on the Disrupt Stage at the San Francisco event, vying for the $100,000 prize and the prestigious Disrupt Cup.
The list of finalists was revealed on Monday by TechCrunch, and Salva Health is the only Latin American startup this year on the list. The startup, co-founded by Valentina Agudelo and Cristina García, has developed a wearable device called “Soy Julieta,” which combines the analysis of breast tissue with artificial intelligence (AI) to identify the risk of developing breast cancer, a disease that affects one in six women worldwide.
The road to this elite stage has not been easy. TechCrunch vetted a record number of applicants from diverse industries, narrowing it down to the exclusive Startup Battlefield 200, a group representing the brightest minds and most disruptive ideas in cleantech, financial technology, health tech, SaaS and more. From this group, only 20 startups – less than 1% of all original applicants – were named to the top 20 finalists, underscoring the exclusivity of the competition and the remarkable achievement of the Colombian startup.
In preparation for the Startup Battlefield competition, selected founders participated in a comprehensive virtual program with intense pitch coaching and entrepreneur-oriented programming.
This year, the program included talks with industry icons such as Kevin Ryan of AlleyCorp and Marcelo Lebre of Remote, as well as venture capital panels from leaders such as Sara Deshpande of Maven Ventures and Ishani Thakur of Index Ventures. These interactions and preparatory sessions prepare the finalists to shine when they take the stage in front of influential judges and a packed audience of investors and industry leaders.
Salva Health joins the ranks of renowned alumni from previous years-including now-household names such as Dropbox, Discord and Cloudflare — who used their Battlefield success to propel themselves to global recognition and collectively raised more than $29 billion, according to TechCrunch. With this high-profile opportunity, the startup will present its vision and product on the same stage as these established giants, each vying for a spot in the final round.
From solving environmental problems to pioneering breakthroughs for industry, the 20 finalists are a testament to the power of technological innovation in addressing complex societal challenges. Salva Health is expected to bring a unique perspective in the healthtech industry to address challenges related to breast cancer prevention, and potentially inspire other high-potential startups in the region.
Throughout the week, the finalist startups will be asked to showcase their visions by presenting live on stage with a six-minute demo, followed by a six-minute Q&A session with a panel of expert venture capital judges, including Mayfield’s Navin Chaddha, Construct Capital’s Dayna Grayson, and Notable Capital’s Hans Tung. Following the semi-finals, the top five will advance to Wednesday’s finals, where the ultimate winner will be announced.
This year’s event will undoubtedly be one to remember, with fierce competition, innovative ideas and the possibility of life-changing moments on stage. For the Colombian startup and its entire team, TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 will be the entry onto the global innovation stage.
Last year the company was chosen as the winner of the XXII edition of the Global eAwards, winning a prize of €100,000 and an intensive and personalized acceleration program, after beating technology entrepreneurs from 14 countries in the final of the international awards of NTT DATA FOUNDATION; which shows the impact that their innovative solution is having.
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