> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://blog.inacademy.eu/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Top Startups @ European Innovation Academy Portugal 2019 - URL: https://blog.inacademy.eu/top-teams-eia-portugal/ - Published: 2019-08-05T08:30:31.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-02T11:47:55.000Z - Author: adina@inacademy.eu - Tags: EIA Portugal, Innovation Academy, #Migrated-1790941373356, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-10-02 11:43 Creating a startup in 15 days. This was the challenge that nearly 500 participants faced at the European Innovation Academy in Cascais, Portugal. After three weeks of teamwork, collaboration and thinking outside the box, it's time to know who are the Top Teams of the program. From day 1 to the last minutes, each participant had to get out of the comfort zone to come up with valuable insights in order to find solutions to the world's biggest problems. In this article, you'll find out more about the top teams, members and what problem each startup is working on. ## EIA Top Teams | Portugal 2019 ### [AME](https://dominguezvalderram.wixsite.com/amecompany?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) AME's team was formed through like-mindedness in search of a huge problem requiring a revolutionary solution. Because the maritime industry is one of the largest contributors of carbon emissions in the world and the ever-pressing IMO Sulfur Cap will soon be implemented, we saw an opportunity to make an impact. Supplemented by NASA patented technology, our research has culminated to a hydrophobic antifoulant applicable to ship hulls of the maritime industry in order to increase fuel efficiency and maintain normal speeds. ![AME Team - EIA Portugal](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4b/2e/4b2e60fe-b9cf-488a-8edf-a799c911f4cb/content/images/2026/10/day-15-02-08-2019-awards-jpeg-7.jpg) **Team:** Clayton Adelizzi | [Eckerd College](https://www.eckerd.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Desirée Dominguez Valderrama |[University of Seville](http://www.us.es/eng?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Spain) Garrett Kay | [UC Berkeley](https://www.berkeley.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Macey Shirah | [University of Alabama](https://www.ua.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Michael Maguire |[James Madison University](https://www.jmu.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) **Award:** [Funny Money Training Course in Greece](https://funnymoney.pt/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) --- ### [APTIC](https://myaptic.com/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) Building a navigation and situational awareness mobile app for those who are visually impaired. The phone will be fitted into a necklace or helmet, along with intracranial headphones to preserve hearing. ![Top Teams - Portugal](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4b/2e/4b2e60fe-b9cf-488a-8edf-a799c911f4cb/content/images/2026/10/day-15-02-08-2019-awards-jpeg-2.jpg) **Team:** Eric Lian | [University of Michigan](https://umich.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Isaiah Harvin | [Virginia Commonwealth University](https://www.vcu.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Marta Cunha Grilo | Portugal Miguel Esteban | [University of Seville](http://www.us.es/eng?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Spain) Rebeca Sarai Gonzalez Guerra | [University of Seville](http://www.us.es/eng?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Spain) **Award:** [HAG Venture Building Program](https://www.hag.group/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) --- ### [Biotimix](https://biotimix.wixsite.com/biotimix?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) Through the power of bioprinting human tissue, we will transform research and pharmaceutical institutions. ![Biotimix Team EIA Portugal](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4b/2e/4b2e60fe-b9cf-488a-8edf-a799c911f4cb/content/images/2026/10/day-15-02-08-2019-awards-jpeg-1.jpg) **Team:** Carolina Ochoa Rodrigues | [Lisbon School of Economics and Management ISEG](https://www.iseg.ulisboa.pt/aquila/instituicao/ISEG/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Portugal) Elina Shoshina | [University of Coimbra](https://www.uc.pt/en?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Portugal) Francisco Horak | Portugal Rodrigo Valdoleiros e Silva | [University of Porto](https://www.up.pt/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Portugal) Valentin Santa | [Dublin Institute of Technology](https://www.dit.ie/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Ireland) **Award:** [Funny Money Webinar](https://funnymoney.pt/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) --- ### [Bippy](http://amititech.ch/OS/?utm=scoro-link&ref=blog.inacademy.eu) Too often drivers face difficulty finding parking in desired locations. The solution is OpenSpace, a quick and easy solution to help locate parking in locations across town while allowing hotels and private property owners to utilize their available space ![Bippy Team - EIA Portugal](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4b/2e/4b2e60fe-b9cf-488a-8edf-a799c911f4cb/content/images/2026/10/day-15-02-08-2019-awards-jpeg-11.jpg) **Team:** Gzim Amiti | [Universität Bern](https://www.unibe.ch/index%5Feng.html?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Switzerland) Johannes Dinesen | Denmark Miguel Escobar | [University of Michigan](https://umich.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Paige Harris | [University of Alabama](https://www.ua.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Ying Sheng Lam |[Singapore University of Technology and Design](https://www.sutd.edu.sg/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Singapore) **Award:** [HAG Venture Building Program](https://www.hag.group/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) & [Expedited Interview with Alchemist Accelerator](https://alchemistaccelerator.com/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) --- ### [GroupPay](https://grouppay.wixsite.com/grouppay?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) We make group payments easy by allowing our users to pool money together and pay for those tedious group expenses through a virtual card. ![GroupPay EIA Team Portugal](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4b/2e/4b2e60fe-b9cf-488a-8edf-a799c911f4cb/content/images/2026/10/day-15-02-08-2019-awards-jpeg-6.jpg) **Team:** Daniel Vasconcelos Cardoso | [University of Porto](https://sigarra.up.pt/up/pt/web%5Fbase.gera%5Fpagina?p%5Fpagina=home&ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Portugal) Dylan Kilbride | [Dublin Institute of Technology](https://www.dit.ie/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Ireland) Fernanda Pino Gatica | Tampereen Yliopisto (Finland) Mohamed Amin | [University of Michigan](https://umich.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Ross Long |[ Dublin Institute of Technology](https://www.dit.ie/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Ireland) **Award:** [HAG Venture Building Program](https://www.hag.group/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) --- ### HustleAPP To provide a marketplace for producers and musicians to network and get discovered. ![HustleApp Team EIA Portugal](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4b/2e/4b2e60fe-b9cf-488a-8edf-a799c911f4cb/content/images/2026/10/day-15-02-08-2019-awards-jpeg-17.jpg) **Team:** Arjun Sarkar | [UC Berkeley](https://www.berkeley.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Connor Chase | Nova Southeastern University (USA) Kameron Truesdale | [Morehouse College](https://www.morehouse.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Nikolas Steed | [Morehouse College](https://www.morehouse.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Ruth Galindo | [University of Calgary](https://www.ucalgary.ca/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Canada) **Award:** [HAG Venture Building Program](https://www.hag.group/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) and [The Nixon Peabody Quinones Team Spark Award](https://www.nixonpeabody.com/en?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) --- ### [IliakíSolutions](https://iliakisolutions.wixsite.com/iliakisol-landing?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) Can you imagine a world where all the energy came from solar energy? Can you imagine a world where we didn't use fossil fuels and other harmful processes to obtain energy? Well, it's possible, and it'll be our world in the future. IliakíSolutions wants to make renewable energy the standard energy source in the world. We are developing technologies to make this possible, not in the future, but now! ![IliakíSolutions EIA Portugal 2019](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4b/2e/4b2e60fe-b9cf-488a-8edf-a799c911f4cb/content/images/2026/10/day-15-02-08-2019-awards-jpeg-5.jpg) **Team:** Carlotta Micale | Instituto Superior Técnico (Portugal) Eric Van der Sluis | [De Haagse Hogeschool](https://www.thehagueuniversity.com/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Netherlands) Gabriel Dalmolim | HAG Group (Brazil) Harsh Sha | [University of Calgary](https://www.ucalgary.ca/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Canada) Sara Barbosa Bairinhas | The Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave (Portugal) **Award:** [Post-mentoring from CG Consulting](http://www.cgconsultinggroup.com/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) --- ### [MyfriendObi](https://mailchi.mp/d50e030d29f8/myfriendobi?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) More than a companion, Obi is a friend to support children with chronic illness to share their feelings, help them follow their treatment, and empower them to improve their health ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4b/2e/4b2e60fe-b9cf-488a-8edf-a799c911f4cb/content/images/2026/10/day-15-02-08-2019-awards-jpeg-16.jpg) **Team:** André Pita | [Nova FCT](https://www.fct.unl.pt/en?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Portugal Arda Daglaroglu | [UC Berkeley ](https://www.berkeley.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu)(USA) Giovanna Colin Zeny | [HAG Group](https://www.hag.group/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Brazil) Hareem Noor | [James Madison University](https://www.jmu.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Maria João de Azinheira Reguenga | [University of Coimbra](https://www.uc.pt/en?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Portugal) **Award:** [HAG Venture Building Program](https://www.hag.group/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) and [The Nixon Peabody Quinones Team Spark Award](https://www.nixonpeabody.com/en?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) --- ### [Safe Seat](https://safebikeseat.com/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) We're developing a smart lightweight airbag that protects a child in the backseat of a bike while riding on a bicycle in case of a falling accident or a collision. ![Safe Seat EIA Team Portugal](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4b/2e/4b2e60fe-b9cf-488a-8edf-a799c911f4cb/content/images/2026/10/day-15-02-08-2019-awards-jpeg-9.jpg) **Team:** Atharv Wairagade | [University of Washington-Seattle Campus](https://www.washington.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Bob Swinkels | [De Haagse Hogeschool](https://www.thehagueuniversity.com/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Netherlands) Erenus Tapici | Çimser (Turkey) Paula Wabeke | [Universiteit Leiden](https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Netherlands) Renata Zampollo | [University of Porto](https://sigarra.up.pt/up/pt/web%5Fbase.gera%5Fpagina?p%5Fpagina=home&ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Portugal) **Award:** [3-Phase Launch Package from NeoReach](https://neoreach.com/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) and [The Nixon Peabody Patent Innovation Award](https://www.nixonpeabody.com/en?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) --- ### [TAICHE](https://joannazhang6039.wixsite.com/taiche?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) TAICHE wants to clean up plastic waste and repurpose them for your everyday use. Offering sustainable paper packaging solutions is what we do. No more waste. ![TAICHE Team - EIA Portugal 19](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4b/2e/4b2e60fe-b9cf-488a-8edf-a799c911f4cb/content/images/2026/10/day-15-02-08-2019-awards-jpeg-10.jpg) **Team:** Edward Sun | [University of Michigan](https://umich.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Hayden Lawrence | [University of Alabama ](https://www.ua.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu)(USA) Joanna Zhang | [University of Michigan](https://umich.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Ross Thompson | [Morehouse College](https://www.morehouse.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Tia-Marie Vo | [UC Berkeley](https://www.berkeley.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) **Award:** [HAG Venture Building Program](https://www.hag.group/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) & [Expedited Interview with Alchemist Accelerator](https://alchemistaccelerator.com/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) --- ### [UrbanBee](https://urbanbee.webflow.io/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) A sensor integrated beehive designed to be smaller for urban beekeeping, linked with an application designed to mentor the new beekeepers while also providing a service where experienced beekeepers can 'service' the smart hives to ensure responsibility. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4b/2e/4b2e60fe-b9cf-488a-8edf-a799c911f4cb/content/images/2026/10/day-15-02-08-2019-awards-jpeg-3.jpg) **Team:** Drew Dougherty | [University of Calgary](https://www.ucalgary.ca/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Canada) Larissa Saffanah Arif | [De Haagse Hogeschool](https://www.thehagueuniversity.com/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Netherlands) Richard Guan | [University of Michigan](https://umich.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Shadden Elfiky | [James Madison University](https://www.jmu.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Spencer Kieran Gowin | [UC Berkeley](https://www.berkeley.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) **Award:** [Post-mentoring from rumberg.digital](https://www.rumberg.digital/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) --- ## Special Prizes ### [Techromancer](http://techromancer.ml/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) Data recovery software that allows users to keep their money and data in the event of a ransomware attack. ![Techromancer EIA Team Portugal 19](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4b/2e/4b2e60fe-b9cf-488a-8edf-a799c911f4cb/content/images/2026/10/day-15-02-08-2019-awards-jpeg-12.jpg) **Team:** Adam Schreck | [University of Michigan](https://umich.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Ana Rivelli | [UC Berkeley](https://www.berkeley.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Ari Pickar | [UC Berkeley](https://www.berkeley.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) José Ruiz | [Universidad del Desarrollo](https://www.udd.cl/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Chile) Nik Hut | [University of Calgary](https://www.ucalgary.ca/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Canada) **Award:** [Nixon Peabody Trademark Artisan Award](https://www.nixonpeabody.com/en?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) ### [unlockWRK](https://unlockwrk.wixsite.com/landingpage?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) An online platform for ex-convicts that will provide educational services to teach employability skills, have a certification process to prove they have the skills required to be a successful employee and guarantee employment to certified users. ![unlockWRK Team EIA Portugal 19](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4b/2e/4b2e60fe-b9cf-488a-8edf-a799c911f4cb/content/images/2026/10/day-15-02-08-2019-awards-jpeg-13.jpg) **Team:** Jacqueline Dowhanik | [University of Calgary](https://www.ucalgary.ca/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Canada) Rafael Baganha | [University of Coimbra](https://www.uc.pt/en?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Portugal) Styliana Baghdhadie | [University of Cyprus](http://www.ucy.ac.cy/en/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Cyprus) Thomas B Wilson | [Eckerd College](https://www.eckerd.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Tomas Munoz | [Universidad Adolfo Ibañez](https://www.uai.cl/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Chile) **Award:** [The Nixon Peabody Patent Innovation Award](https://www.nixonpeabody.com/en?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) ### [Velox AI](https://www.velox-ai.com/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) Each year 2.1 Million people get diagnosed with breast cancer, and that is only in the US. We have been collecting data with years of experience to have a system today, that can identify breast cancer in a 70% quicker detection time. Velox AI has proven to be recommending the most efficient treatment to doctors for treating breast cancer patients. ![Velox AI Team EIA Portugal19](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4b/2e/4b2e60fe-b9cf-488a-8edf-a799c911f4cb/content/images/2026/10/day-15-02-08-2019-awards-jpeg-14.jpg) **Team:** Barbara Bernardino | [UC Berkeley](https://www.berkeley.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) Calil Makhoul | [University of Coimbra](https://www.uc.pt/en?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Portugal) David Teng | [De Haagse Hogeschool](https://www.thehagueuniversity.com/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Netherlands) Katia Kyriakoudes | [University of Cyprus](http://www.ucy.ac.cy/en/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (Cyprus) Laura Gisela Villarreal Perez | [UC Berkeley](https://www.berkeley.edu/?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) (USA) **Award:** [The Nixon Peabody Patent Innovation Award](https://www.nixonpeabody.com/en?ref=blog.inacademy.eu) --- ## Special Campaigns ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4b/2e/4b2e60fe-b9cf-488a-8edf-a799c911f4cb/content/images/2026/10/day-15-02-08-2019-awards-jpeg-18.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4b/2e/4b2e60fe-b9cf-488a-8edf-a799c911f4cb/content/images/2026/10/day-15-02-08-2019-awards-jpeg-19.jpg) Do you want to be part of the Top Teams next year? [Apply now for EIA 2020!](https://blog.inacademy.eu/content/files/2026/10/portugal-26.html)