Marie Curie Tech Incubator

Success stories

Companies that have thrived in the tech incubator

Novayre

“Victor Ayllon and Juan Manuel Reina founded Novayre Solutions in 2008, and were the first company to be housed in the Marie Curie Tech Incubator. Both founders highlight what great help they got from PCT Cartuja in the early years of their activity, especially in terms of networking and participation in R&D projects. After a long trajectory, during which it remained connected to PCT Cartuja, Novayre Solutions was acquired by the American company Appian (listed on Nasdaq) in January 2020”.

Briefly describe your experience in the Marie Curie Tech Incubator's business incubation programme

We arrived at the Marie Curie Tech Incubator in 2009 as the first tenants of the building. As a technology company, the PCT Cartuja and its innovation ecosystem was our natural environment, and the Tech Incubator was the ideal place to grow our projects and team. Once the incubation phase was finished, we moved to another building in the park, although we still feel like an active part of the community that has been created around the Tech Incubator.

How has participating in an incubation programme helped your company to succeed?

In the Tech Incubator we found not only facilities that were suitable for what we needed at all times, but also a community where we could live together with entrepreneurs and innovation support organisations, which have been a constant stimulus for the growth of the company. We received support and advice in different areas: participation in R&D&I projects, programmes to promote entrepreneurship, European exchange programmes for the incorporation of talent, etc.

Do you have any advice for entrepreneurs who are thinking about taking part in an incubation programme?

What I take away from our time in the Tech Incubator is the relationships we have established with both the management team and other entrepreneurs. My advice is to seek out and nurture these relationships. The sense of community, synergies between entrepreneurs, networking, and mutual inspiration are resources that require no investment and that are essential during the tough start-up phase of a business.

Víctor Ayllón & Juan Manuel Reina
Founders of Novayre

Virtualmech

“Virtualmech belongs to what we could call the first promotion of the Tech Incubator. We were both very excited when we started back in February 2010. For a startup company, having the services and facilities provided by the Tech Incubator was a key advantage for the viability of the company, otherwise we could not have got access to such high quality offices and support staff. Having first-class business support professionals at the start of a business is virtually impossible for micro-SMEs with little financial capacity and is very important. In addition to this, Luis Pérez and his team became like colleagues, giving us not only support from a business point of view, but also affection and human warmth, which is perhaps even more important. Thank you very much.’’

Pedro Fdez-Palacios
Managing director

SOLAR MEMS

“Our experience was very positive, as in addition to meeting other companies to evaluate synergies with, share business experiences and establish alliances, the Tech Incubator gave us the opportunity to participate in courses, training activities and events of interest, such as investment forums, where startups were helped to prepare business plans, investment proposals, etc. In our case, it allowed us to focus on our business and be part of a very enriching entrepreneurial environment, where we could share ideas, projects and experiences with other similar companies. They shouldn’t hesitate: setting up and consolidating a company is a great challenge full of uncertainty and requires a lot of effort, so if you can take this route with guidance and advice, so much the better. Incubation programmes such as the Marie Curie Tech Incubator offer precisely that, so it is an extraordinary opportunity.”

José Manuel Quero
CEO & Co-founder