The 4YFN Nestlé Stage hosted for the fourth consecutive year the closing ceremony of Imagine Express 2017, a disruptive innovation program organized by Imagine Creativity Center, aimed at promoting and developing innovative and creative mobile applications. During a 5,000-minute journey between the cities of Barcelona, Paris and London, 36 participants, divided into 12 multi-disciplinary teams consisting of a creative mind, a software developer and an entrepreneur, have developed apps to respond to four challenges launched in the categories FinTech, Health, Smart Cities and Open by the main partners of this 4th edition of Imagine Express 2017: Banco Sabadell, Otsuka and Biocat, SUEZ and Imagine Foundation.

Imagine Express’s dreamers have worked intensively for four days, following the Lombard Method, created by Imagine CC and which has been internationally certified this year and consists of four phases: rethinking the problem, generating ideas, prototyping and communication to turn the challenges into tangible proposals. The objective of this work methodology is to advise and accompany the creation of a project: from the business plan to the presentation of the idea through a public pitch.

Ikigai, btrust, ArtUp, Mealing and Smartdog, winning apps

The team that won the health challenge launched by Otsuka and Biocat has developed Ikigai, an application to preserve the intergenerational medical legacy, which consists of putting retired doctors in contact with younger professionals. The creative dreamers of Ikigai have been: Cristina Coll (from Otsuka), Xavi Terradellas (from ShaRing & hippo technologies) and Marcos Real (from VidaCaixa).

As for the FinTech challenge, launched by Banco Sabadell, the winning app has been btrust, a platform that offers a verified identification service and associated financial information by a trusted third party. Its aim is to empower users about the data they share and secure their digital transactions. The dreamers who created btrust were: José Ignacio Delgado (from Banco Sabadell), Juan Antonio Núñez (from i2cat) and Liseth Monticone (from Sabadell Foundation & Valencialab).

The winning team of the Smart Cities challenge, proposed by SUEZ, has devised an app called ArtUp with which, when moving the mobile to an urban infrastructure, in this case a sewer cap, will show a work of art in reality augmented. In this way, Artup will allow ordinary citizens to contemplate a digital art gallery exhibited in the cities themselves and that will complement urban art. The creative dreamers of ArtUp have been: Viviane Beiró (from SUEZ), Héctor Paz (from imascono) and Paquita Puig (from VidaCaixa).

In the Open category, the winning team of dreamers has developed Mealing, a platform that delivers «tailor-made» food, according to the tastes and habits of each person. Thus, using different sources to obtain information on the preferences of users and through the application of algorithms of machine learning, this app identifies what type of food you like and what your nutritional needs. Mealing dreamers have been: Óscar Rovira (from Sabadell Foundation), Nicolas Grenie (from CDmon) and Gemma Ferrer (from Imagine Foundation).

The latest winning app was Smartdog, whose goal is for pets to help seniors or dependents through an application that will be used by the family doctor or family members to monitor their health or medication intakes, in other aspects. This app is complemented by a smart watch that will carry the older person and a necklace for the pet and their function is to synchronize them. Smartdog’s purpose is to restore autonomy to older people. Smartdog dreamers have been the youngest of this 4th edition: Joe Kirby, Esteve Pla and Marina Figueras (from Catalonia Emprèn and selected to participate in the Imagine Express 2017 during the iFest celebration on December 20th).

Thanks to everyone for an unforgettable trip! See you on Imagine Express 2018!