- The startup, which specialises in artificial intelligence applied to medical imaging, will work with AstraZeneca and Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona to explore new technological tools that could help improve the detection and diagnosis of liver tumours.
- The first edition of ACCIÓN attracted more than 100 registered healthcare professionals and startups.
AstraZeneca Spain, in collaboration with Wayra, Telefónica’s corporate venture capital, and Kunsen, an investor specialising in digital health and startup acceleration, has announced the selection of the startup Sycai Medical to carry out the hospital pilot of ACCIÓN, the accelerator for innovative healthcare initiatives that the three companies launched in November 2025.
Sycai Medical, one of the eight technology-based companies that took part in ACCIÓN’s six-month acceleration programme, will now explore, together with AstraZeneca Spain and Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona, the potential of artificial intelligence applied to the diagnosis of liver tumours.
The startup develops AI-based technology to analyse medical images, detect and monitor pancreatic and liver lesions at an early stage, and integrate with hospital systems. The planned project will make it possible to evaluate new tools that could help improve the detection and diagnosis processes for these liver tumours.
Laura Colón, President of AstraZeneca Spain, says: “The ACCIÓN initiative embodies the kind of innovation we believe in at AstraZeneca: innovation that stems from real clinical needs and is subjected to rigorous evaluation. Through collaboration with the entrepreneurial ecosystem, we drive tangible solutions with a very clear purpose: for innovation to reach patients, further strengthening access and equity, and ensuring that technological and biomedical potential translates into a lasting improvement in people’s health.”
“ACCIÓN demonstrates the value of connecting entrepreneurial talent with the real needs of the healthcare system. At Wayra we have contributed our technological and acceleration expertise to support eight startups, and now Sycai Medical has the opportunity to take a further step with a hospital pilot. Through initiatives like this, we also contribute to Telefónica’s goal of becoming the best gateway for citizens to digital technologies,” says Andrés Saborido, CEO of Wayra.
The selection was announced on 28 October during the first edition of Health Revolution Congress Madrid. The event, organised by Barcelona & Madrid Health Hub with the support of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau Foundation, was held in the Spanish capital for the first time and also served to present the results of ACCIÓN. The congress brings together startups, major pharmaceutical companies, investors, hospitals and public administrations around topics such as personalised medicine, AI applied to health, new diagnostic and treatment technologies, mental health and the future of healthcare systems.
The selection of Sycai Medical for the pilot at Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau is the next step in this first edition, designed to connect the needs of clinical practice with technologies developed by the entrepreneurial ecosystem and to facilitate their evaluation in healthcare settings.
“Being selected by ACCIÓN from more than 60 startups is an extraordinary validation of our work. The collaboration with Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau allows us to demonstrate in a real clinical setting what our technology can bring to the early diagnosis of liver tumours. This pilot is a key step in our mission to turn every abdominal CT scan into an opportunity for early detection,” says Alfonso Martínez, CEO of Sycai Medical.
“ACCIÓN has brought together startups, healthcare professionals, industry and partners around four challenges. This first edition ends with Sycai Medical’s pilot at Sant Pau, an opportunity to demonstrate what artificial intelligence can bring to early diagnosis,” says Adrián Gorritxo, Director of Strategy at Kunsen.
An accelerator for disruptive projects
ACCIÓN, an accelerator of disruptive projects to drive innovation in therapeutic areas with a high impact on health, received registrations from 60 startups and more than 40 healthcare professionals in this first edition, who submitted proposals addressing four major areas: oncology; cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases; respiratory and immunological conditions; and the technological and process challenges facing the healthcare system. Of the 60 registered startups, eight were selected to take part in a six-month acceleration programme.
During this period, the technology-based companies received specialised support through one-to-one business development mentoring, digital entrepreneurship masterclasses, and innovation and health economics workshops with experts, as well as visibility opportunities at industry events, among other benefits.
The healthcare professionals addressed needs such as identifying cardiovascular risk in patients with COPD, predicting exacerbations in severe asthma, assessing the progression of monoclonal gammopathies and improving the management of chronic kidney disease.
ACCIÓN has been recognised by El Mundo as one of the 100 most innovative ideas of 2026, and has received the 2025 National Health Informatics Award from the Spanish Health Informatics Society (SEIS) and the Ennova Health 2026 Award in the ‘Digital Transformation’ category, from Unidad Editorial.
Collaboration with more than 20 partners
The development of ACCIÓN has involved more than 20 organisations from the healthcare, technology and entrepreneurial ecosystem. These include 4 Years From Now (4YFN), Asociación Salud Digital, Barcelona & Madrid Health Hub, Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS), BStartup Banco Sabadell, Capital Cell, Clave, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, CRB Health Tech, Cuatrecasas, DKV, EIT Health, the Spanish Federation of Healthcare Technology Companies (FENIN), Futuro Perfecto, Google Cloud, Microsoft, Mutua Ventures, ITEMAS, the Patients’ Organisations Platform (POP), the Spanish Health Informatics Society (SEIS), South Summit and Spinoff.
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases, as well as respiratory conditions. It is headquartered in Cambridge (United Kingdom) and operates in more than 100 countries.
About Wayra
Wayra is Telefónica’s CVC, which drives innovation by investing in Artificial Intelligence, Connectivity and Cybersecurity startups to transform the business, in line with its purpose of being the best gateway to digital technologies. It also supports other organisations in raising the impact of open innovation in Europe. Wayra has invested more than €260 million in more than 1,200 startups and currently has an active portfolio of more than 520, of which more than 215 collaborate with Telefónica. It also drives open initiatives through its platforms Alaian and Open Future.
More information at wayra.com
About Kunsen
Kunsen is a firm specialising in digital health, dedicated to the acceleration, investment and validation of startups developing digital solutions with clinical and healthcare impact. It supports founders from early stages through acceleration programmes, access to hospital pilots and collaboration with corporations, insurers and hospitals.
About Sycai
Sycai Medical is a Barcelona-based medical technology company that develops artificial intelligence solutions for the analysis of abdominal medical images, with the aim of facilitating the early detection of lesions and improving diagnosis and follow-up processes. It currently has two CE-marked solutions for the detection and monitoring of pancreatic and liver lesions, designed to integrate into radiologists’ usual workflow and support clinical decision-making.