Mitiga, a startup that uses AI and supercomputing to mitigate the risks of climate change, winner of South Summit Madrid 2026
· Based in Barcelona, this startup has created the EarthScan platform that, through the combination of supercomputing, Artificial Intelligence and its own climate models, is capable of analyzing and minimizing the risks that climate change poses to companies.
· At the closing ceremony of the 15th edition, four other startups were also recognized: Madrid's Floatech as the 'Most Disruptive', Barcelona's Macadam as the 'Most Sustainable', Argentina's Wise CX as the 'Most Scalable' and Italy's Xplora as the startup with the 'Best Team'.
· Anna Hartvigsen, co-founder of Female Invest and one of the headliners of this edition: "if 7% of the world's private capital were invested in sustainable impact, all the Sustainable Development Goals would be met in a few years".
· South Summit Madrid closes its 15th edition with more than 18,000 attendees from 141 different countries, including more than 7,000 startups, 2,100 investors and 5,000 corporate representatives, as well as 150 scaleup founders and 32 unicorns.
· #SouthSummit26 was held with the institutional support of the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, the Community of Madrid and the Madrid City Council, as well as Mutua Madrileña, Google for Startups, BBVA Spark, Wayra – Telefónica Innovation and BStartup of Banco Sabadell.
· Download all the information and photographs of this latest edition here.
Madrid, June 5, 2026 – Over the last three days, Madrid has become the global epicenter of entrepreneurship, innovation and Artificial Intelligence thanks to South Summit Madrid 2026. Co-organized by IE University, its 15th edition concluded today at La Nave with the announcement of the winning projects of the Startup Competition.
The Catalan startup Mitiga, from Barcelona, has emerged as the big winner of #SouthSummit26 thanks to its EarthScan platform, which aims to help organizations understand and reduce the physical risks associated with climate change in a context marked by the increasing frequency of extreme events.
The tool developed by Mitiga combines supercomputing with Artificial Intelligence and proprietary climate models to provide accurate analysis of asset and infrastructure exposure, allowing companies to make more accurate decisions on adaptation, investment and mitigation.
In addition, four more awards were presented, corresponding to the startup 'Más Sostenible', which went to Macadam, also from Barcelona; the startup 'Más Disruptiva' for Madrid's Floatech; the startup 'Más Escalacal', which has been won by the Argentinian Wise CX, and the startup with 'Best Team', which is going to Italy with Xplora.
During the awards ceremony, María Benjumea, president and founder of South Summit, wanted to address all the entrepreneurs with these words: "His Majesty King Felipe VI had the opportunity to see some of the pitches of the finalists and was impressed with the quality of the projects presented. You are all the winners of this edition. Thank you for participating and for contributing to the growth of startups, funds and, together, a better society".
The Minister of Economy, Finance and Employment of the Community of Madrid, Rocío Albert, also participated in the closing, who pointed out that "Madrid already has 2,100 startups, with a turnover of 3,500 million euros a year, and concentrates 63% of the foreign investment that arrives in Spain. Since 2017, the value of our entrepreneurial ecosystem has multiplied by seven: it is the best proof that ideas are growing in Madrid".
For his part , Santiago Íñiguez de Onzoño, Executive President of IE University, pointed out that "South Summit consolidates its position as an essential space where the future of global entrepreneurship is articulated. Today more than ever, we need leadership capable of transforming innovation into sustainable and competitive progress. At IE University, we understand that true impact comes when talent, knowledge and vision are aligned with a clear purpose. Strengthening and actively participating in these collaborative spaces is essential to promote a solid, international entrepreneurial ecosystem prepared to transform innovation into a real and sustainable impact".
Before the awards ceremony, Anna Hartvigsen, co-founder of Female Invest and one of the headliners of South Summit Madrid 2026, reflected to the Arena Stage audience on the transformative power of investment and the role that capital can play in driving social, environmental and economic change. "With 1% of global military investment we could end hunger in the world. If 7% of the world's private capital were invested in sustainable impact, all the Sustainable Development Goals would be met in a few years," he said.
Hartvigsen has also defended a more active vision of the role of citizens in the economy. "Money is power. Although people are scared of this phrase, we have to start feeling comfortable with it," he said, before recalling that investment decisions have a considerable capacity for influence. In addition, the co-founder of Female Invest addressed the gender gap in this area: "women can have their own money and have been free to move it for just 50 years. We invest less than men because we haven't seen our mothers or grandmothers doing it."
During the closing of #SouthSummit26 the prize of the South Summit Kids Competition was also presented, organized together with Genyus School, the pioneering company and methodology® in entrepreneurial education for children and young people and whose objective is to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit from an early age and value the innovative talent of projects developed by children and educational centers. The award went to the Alcaste – Las Fuentes school in La Rioja, which already won last year and this year it has done so with its Bioward project: an intelligent camera that uses AI and air sensors to detect viruses quickly.
South Summit Madrid has closed its fifteenth edition with more than 18,000 attendees from 141 different countries at La Nave, including more than 7,000 startups, more than 2,100 investors and more than 5,000 corporate representatives, as well as 150 scaleup founders and 32 unicorns.
#SouthSummit26 was held with the institutional support of the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, the Community of Madrid and the Madrid City Council, as well as Mutua Madrileña, Google for Startups, BBVA Spark, Wayra – Telefónica Innovation and BStartup of Banco Sabadell.
About South Summit
South Summit is the global platform that brings together all the actors in the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem to promote the development of business opportunities among all of them. Its main meeting is South Summit Madrid, co-organized by IE University, which will hold its next edition between June 3 and 5 at La Nave. Throughout its fourteen previous editions, South Summit has brought together more than 42,500 startups, while the Startup Competition has resulted in more than 1,500 finalist startups, with a survival rate of 85% and more than 20,500 million dollars in investment raised.
After passing through Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Argentina, South Summit held its fifth edition in Brazil, also co-organized by IE University, in March 2026. This latest edition brought together more than 24,000 attendees from 70 countries, as well as more than 800 global leaders of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, 7,000 corporations, 3,000 startups and more than 1,000 investors with an investment portfolio of 250,000 million euros.
For more information: https://www.southsummit.io/e/madrid/
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