Teresa Mendes and Irina de Sousa Moreira honoured with the Female Entrepreneurship Award 2024
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The Female Entrepreneurship Award 2024 was presented on 19 November 2024, World Female Entrepreneurship Day, in the Salão Nobre of Coimbra City Hall, awarding Teresa Mendes, former president of Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN) with the Career Award, and Irina de Sousa Moreira, co-founder of the startup PURR.AI, incubated at IPN, with the Project Award for the Ageless platform, designed to combat neurological diseases associated with ageing.
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The Career Award, unanimously awarded to Teresa Mendes, was designed to recognise a female personality of clear value in her professional field, who has distinguished herself in the last ten years, in an unequivocal way, as a catalyst or protagonist of entrepreneurial actions, implemented and developed in the municipality, supporting inclusive and sustainable growth in society.
Teresa Mendes, a retired university professor, was president of the IPN board between 1999 and 2022 and of its Incubator from 2003 to 2022. In recent years, IPN has welcomed more than 400 technology-based companies, promoting and fostering economic development and employment in the region, making an unequivocal contribution to entrepreneurship and innovation in the municipality of Coimbra, as well as to the city's national and international profile.
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The Project Prize, worth three thousand euros, was awarded to Irina de Sousa Moreira, who competed with the platform to combat neurological diseases associated with ageing, Ageless, developed by the startup PURR.AI. The award was given taking into account the platform's impact on society and its contribution to the projection of the municipality in the field of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, as well as the criteria of creativity, originality and quality of the project, sustainability and value creation for Coimbra and clarity and quality of the description. It should be noted that, for this category, the City Council received 25 applications, 21 of which made it through to the evaluation stage.
The Ageless platform is a project promoted by the Coimbra-based startup PURR.AI, founded by two female entrepreneurs, including Irina de Sousa Moreira. Its focus is on drug discovery for age-related neurological diseases, using an approach based on state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI). PURR.AI offers an efficient solution that reduces the time it takes to discover new treatments by up to 50 per cent. The startup is thus at the forefront of neurotherapies biotechnology by solving a critical gap in the market and making a significant contribution to increasing the well-being of ageing populations.
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PURR.AI has already secured more than 400,000 euros in funding and has been highlighted at major international events. The aim is to expand partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry and research centres, strengthening the innovation ecosystem in Coimbra and projecting the city as a pole of excellence in neurotherapy, with a positive impact on the local economy, reinforced by job creation and partnerships with academic institutions and research centres. Inclusion is central to PURR.AI, with 80 percent of the team made up of women. This commitment inspires new generations and strengthens Coimbra's reputation as a collaborative environment.
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The competition jury was chaired by José Manuel Silva and comprised Carla Duarte, innovation manager at Instituto Pedro Nunes | ESA Business Applications Ambassador Portugal; Gabriela Fernandes, pro-rector of the University of Coimbra for Entrepreneurship; Maria Manuel Leitão Marques, full professor at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra; Sara Proença, director of the Entrepreneurship Academy of the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra - INOPOL; Sónia Pinto, director of the Employment and Vocational Training Centre of Coimbra; and Brígida Silva Mateus, senior technician in the Entrepreneurship and Economic Activities Division.
The Female Entrepreneurship Award aims to recognise and honour outstanding personalities and to value and stimulate innovative initiatives conceived, developed and implemented by female promoters/entrepreneurs in the municipality of Coimbra. In this way, Coimbra City Council is also marking World Women's Entrepreneurship Day.
The Female Entrepreneurship Award 2024 was presented on 19 November 2024, World Female Entrepreneurship Day, in the Salão Nobre of Coimbra City Hall, awarding Teresa Mendes, former president of Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN) with the Career Award, and Irina de Sousa Moreira, co-founder of the startup PURR.AI, incubated at IPN, with the Project Award for the Ageless platform, designed to combat neurological diseases associated with ageing.
The Career Award, unanimously awarded to Teresa Mendes, was designed to recognise a female personality of clear value in her professional field, who has distinguished herself in the last ten years, in an unequivocal way, as a catalyst or protagonist of entrepreneurial actions, implemented and developed in the municipality, supporting inclusive and sustainable growth in society.
Teresa Mendes, a retired university professor, was president of the IPN board between 1999 and 2022 and of its Incubator from 2003 to 2022. In recent years, IPN has welcomed more than 400 technology-based companies, promoting and fostering economic development and employment in the region, making an unequivocal contribution to entrepreneurship and innovation in the municipality of Coimbra, as well as to the city's national and international profile.
The Project Prize, worth three thousand euros, was awarded to Irina de Sousa Moreira, who competed with the platform to combat neurological diseases associated with ageing, Ageless, developed by the startup PURR.AI. The award was given taking into account the platform's impact on society and its contribution to the projection of the municipality in the field of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, as well as the criteria of creativity, originality and quality of the project, sustainability and value creation for Coimbra and clarity and quality of the description. It should be noted that, for this category, the City Council received 25 applications, 21 of which made it through to the evaluation stage.
The Ageless platform is a project promoted by the Coimbra-based startup PURR.AI, founded by two female entrepreneurs, including Irina de Sousa Moreira. Its focus is on drug discovery for age-related neurological diseases, using an approach based on state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI). PURR.AI offers an efficient solution that reduces the time it takes to discover new treatments by up to 50 per cent. The startup is thus at the forefront of neurotherapies biotechnology by solving a critical gap in the market and making a significant contribution to increasing the well-being of ageing populations.
PURR.AI has already secured more than 400,000 euros in funding and has been highlighted at major international events. The aim is to expand partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry and research centres, strengthening the innovation ecosystem in Coimbra and projecting the city as a pole of excellence in neurotherapy, with a positive impact on the local economy, reinforced by job creation and partnerships with academic institutions and research centres. Inclusion is central to PURR.AI, with 80 percent of the team made up of women. This commitment inspires new generations and strengthens Coimbra's reputation as a collaborative environment.
The competition jury was chaired by José Manuel Silva and comprised Carla Duarte, innovation manager at Instituto Pedro Nunes | ESA Business Applications Ambassador Portugal; Gabriela Fernandes, pro-rector of the University of Coimbra for Entrepreneurship; Maria Manuel Leitão Marques, full professor at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra; Sara Proença, director of the Entrepreneurship Academy of the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra - INOPOL; Sónia Pinto, director of the Employment and Vocational Training Centre of Coimbra; and Brígida Silva Mateus, senior technician in the Entrepreneurship and Economic Activities Division.
The Female Entrepreneurship Award aims to recognise and honour outstanding personalities and to value and stimulate innovative initiatives conceived, developed and implemented by female promoters/entrepreneurs in the municipality of Coimbra. In this way, Coimbra City Council is also marking World Women's Entrepreneurship Day.
