Break the Gap 2025: Summary of the Final Sessions

Break the Gap 2025, led by GooApps and Goo Ventures, has established itself as a benchmark event in the health and sports innovation ecosystem. More than just a startup competition, the program pursues a dual mission: to reduce the gender gap in technology by fostering female leadership, and to overcome the gap between research and real-world implementation in hospitals, sports centers, and people’s lives.

This year’s edition took a qualitative leap by dividing into two verticals: health and sports. The finals were held at iconic venues in Barcelona: on September 9 at the Barcelona Health Hub, located in the Sant Pau Modernist Complex, and on September 10 at The Venue Barcelona, inside the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium. At each event, four finalist projects presented their solutions after completing a six-week acceleration program worth €10,000, with top-level mentorship.

During the health final, the jury evaluated impactful projects such as CON-TACTO, a platform that enables anonymous notification of sexually transmitted infections; MyMind, focused on preventing mental health issues in young people; QGuard Med, which aims to optimize hospital waiting lists through artificial intelligence; and RheumaLink, a tool for remote monitoring of patients with rheumatologic diseases. CON-TACTO was ultimately awarded the €50,000 equity investment from Goo Ventures for its innovative, scalable, and easily implementable approach to clinical practice.

The sports final, held the next day, also showcased diverse and groundbreaking projects. Finalists included Sport For All, a training and certification platform for inclusive sports; 10Mets Longevity, which promotes active longevity through supervised clinical programs; TwinH, which creates a human digital twin to personalize training; and Oncologym, an initiative integrating exercise, nutrition, and emotional support for oncology patients. Oncologym won the sports vertical for its comprehensive vision and its direct impact on the quality of life of people undergoing cancer treatment.

Beyond the winners, the event was enriched with inspiring keynotes. In health, Martín León of ITEMAS–ISCIII highlighted the crucial role of hospitals as engines of innovation and the importance of bringing clinical developments to market. Alfonso Amado, founder of La Ruta Azul, in his talk From Award to MVP shared insights on how to develop a validated minimum viable product. In sports, Leonor Gallardo stressed the need for more visible female leadership and a commitment to sustainability in sports facilities, while Ela Goralska showcased the potential of public funding to accelerate early-stage startups.

Break the Gap 2025 demonstrated that the key to success lies in building a strong ecosystem connecting entrepreneurs, universities, hospitals, sports hubs, investors, and public institutions. As Eric García, CEO of GooApps and Goo Ventures, stated, the mission is to ensure every purposeful project has a clear pathway to market and improves people’s lives. With two independent verticals, eight finalist projects, and the support of leading institutions, the event reaffirmed its role as a strategic platform for applied innovation in health and sports.