ERREKA joins forces with the startup DARWIN Biomed to promote its Health line.

With this agreement, the Gipuzkoa-based co-operative, which belongs to the MONDRAGON Corporation’s Components Division, is acquiring engineering assets for the future development of new mechatronic solutions equipped with artificial intelligence and advanced software.

DARWIN Biomed is a biomedical engineering company from Navarre, specialising in the creation of innovative medical devices to improve quality of life. In 2024, it proudly announces the launch of MICHELANGELO, an intelligent and differential walker, designed for the active prevention of falls, especially aimed at the senior population. In addition to its advanced technology, which makes it possible to anticipate and provide support in real time in the event of possible incidents, Michelangelo is presented as a safety tool that promotes the autonomy and independence of its users.

Erreka and Darwin a positive alliance for both companies

Erreka is convinced that it will continue to develop its portfolio and capabilities based on an open innovation model. Erreka’s contribution within this model is based on 3 fundamental pillars such as financial support, the capacity for industrialization and product scaling and, finally, a commercial and service infrastructure for those products aligned with Erreka’s reality.

According to Lander Sagarna, Director of Innovation and New Business at Erreka, “we believe this are good news for startups like Darwin, given that, in addition to being a financial partner, we can provide support in areas such as product optimization, reducing their time-to-market or providing after-sales infrastructure. All this from a perspective of acquiring part of the risk and working together not only from the management, but also from operational areas such as the contribution of technological and process knowledge”.

ERREKA is committed to the Health sector

As part of its diversification strategy, Erreka is clearly committed to the Health area, both in the field of mobility aids for people and in the medtech field in terms of the development of components for medical devices.

In the field of mobility aids for people, different solutions are being analyzed to complete a portfolio of products and solutions.

“Through this new collaboration, Erreka strengthens its position in the field of solutions to ensure people’s mobility and acquires engineering assets for the future development of new mechatronic solutions equipped with artificial intelligence and advanced software” says Gorka Mendiaraz (Erreka Health Business Director)

MONDRAGON Business Promotion

This new investment operation in Darwin Biomed is part of the corporate strategy of activating entrepreneurial capacities and promoting new businesses among the co-operatives, with a commitment to young companies with the capacity for growth. For the last five years, MONDRAGON has been investing in around twenty recently formed companies, involving the co-operatives in their capital and supporting them when necessary with Corporate Venture Capital Funds to compensate for the assumption of risk in the initial stages.

About ERREKA

ERREKA is today an asset of our territory, an open, agile, multi-localized innovation platform that promotes the creation of new businesses and the transformation of existing ones, faithful to cooperative principles.

Integrated within the MONDRAGON Corporation, Erreka currently employs over 500 people and generated a revenue of over 75 million euros in the last fiscal year. Erreka has 6 production facilities across 3 continents and currently 71.4% of its total sales are international.

With its four business lines, ERREKA Plastics, Smart Fastening, Health (Medical + Care) and Connected Access, Erreka has diversified its range of services and products, basing its diversification strategy on open innovation. It is currently immersed in inorganic growth projects, with the aim of investing in companies, initiatives and startups for the future.