The sweat of each person is a sign of identity. Most of us are not aware of it, but this substance that our body produces can provide great information that is unique and different from the others. Starting from this idea, the entrepreneurs Laura Ortega and Anna Llorella, with the accompaniment and support of Neus Sabaté and Juan Pablo Esquivel, have developed an intelligent patch that works from the analysis of sweat.
His company, Sweanty, was born as a spin-off of the CSIC with the aim of bringing to market and commercially exploiting a technology developed at the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona, where the four founders of the spin-off worked together.
The name of Sweanty arises from the concepts "sweat" and "identity", that is, sweat and identity. This is meant to express how each person's sweat is different and how it defines us. Based on a patented method, their devices work with the energy generated from the ionic content of sweat.
Specifically, the patch analyzes the ionic composition of sweat, which allows the athlete's physical activity to be monitored and their hydration levels to be detected. The objective is to ensure that athletes reach their maximum sports performance by providing them with personalized hydration guidelines, which prevent them from suffering from heat, dizziness and injuries.
On the other hand, from Sweanty they are also developing another function of the patches related to health, and that consists of detecting cases of cystic fibrosis through the analysis of sweat.
Sweanty has participated in the Reimagine Textile business innovation program promoted by the TecnoCampus together with the Mataró City Council and Eurecat. And last June they also participated in an investment forum held in the same technology park. Currently, "we are working on the development of the solution to be able to reach the final product in mid-2023", explains Anna Llorella.
To do this, the next step will be to open, between August and September, a financing round of 150,000 euros. The round will close in November. In this way, they will be able to develop the product so that potential users of the patch can validate the solution.
The next step will be to carry out a clinical study to validate the product, a necessary step as it is a medical device.
In parallel, Sweanty is developing another application of the technology to detect cystic fibrosis. However, this facet of the project requires more funding. "It is a rare disease, so the market is very small for such a high investment," explains Llorella, who adds that his company's desire is to seek public funding to develop it. In this case, the product must also undergo a much more complex clinical trial, so in this case, the prototype will be developed later.
