Entrepreneurship in search of solutions that help people

Joaquín de Carlos Artajo (MED'16) has not had to "abandon his scientist's coat" to combine his new entrepreneurial facet. After his daily experience treating patients with subject 2 diabetes at the University Hospital of Navarra, where he works as an endocrinologist, he identified a need in the clinical management of the disease. She set out to find a regulatory solution to a condition suffered by 1 in 9 adults in Navarra. From the fusion of medical records and artificial intelligence came Diabyuda, a computer application that financial aid the healthcare professional in choosing the most effective and efficient therapeutic plan for each patient. 

Diabyuda is a technological innovation of the Endocrinology Department of the University Hospital of Navarra managed by the biomedical research center Navarrabiomed-Fundación Miguel Servet. A partnership that demonstrates "the capacity of the academic community and healthcare in our region to provide cutting-edge solutions to global challenges", acknowledges Joaquín.

In his case, Xabier Hernández (ECO'25) already enjoyed as a child looking for practical solutions to real problems. So when his friend Iñigo Alkorta, a double Degree student in Telecommunications Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at UPNA, suggested he join Pribait, he didn't hesitate. Full Professor Eduardo Magaña had identified an opportunity to develop an innovative solution to a growing problem: the vulnerability of companies to phishing and data exfiltration. From this starting point, Pribait was born, a cybersecurity software that is installed on the Username workstation and protects the Username s interactions with any application to report and block any risky activity.

Pribait was born from the synergy between the two universities, a partnership "fundamental to carry out innovative projects and face the great challenges that affect society. Iñigo brings his engineering knowledge , Eduardo the vision and the product approach , and I contribute from the business and strategic field", says Xabier. 

Projects with a social vocation

Both Joaquín and Xabier have developed projects with a clear social vocation, applying effective remedies to global challenges. "Diabyuda is an ally for the doctor, the patient and the healthcare system. We go as co-pilot to help facilitate personalized decisions," explains Joaquín. Diabetes is "one of the great epidemics of our time, it is still on the rise and affects at least 5 million people in Spain, which represents an annual healthcare expense of more than 8 billion euros," he explains. Diabyuda provides a way to improve the management of patient treatments and allows the physician to "manage complex clinical scenarios with the most up-to-date scientific evidence".

What motivated Xabier and the other creators of Pribait was to"protect and help people to make safer decisions in their day-to-day work on the network". Faced with the cyberthreats suffered by companies and the lack of cybersecurity awareness among employees, "we focus on preventing information exfiltration by blocking the different ways in which information can be leaked," he explains. Due to constant technological advances and the confidence generated by certain tools, "it is becoming easier and easier to expose sensitive information without realizing it.

Looking to the future

With an eye on the future, both projects continue their course. "Our energy is focused on continuing to grow and providing solutions in the cybersecurity sector," confesses Xabier, who devotes himself full-time to nurturing the project now that he doesn't have to combine it with his classes. Pribait is currently used in several companies of different sectors and sizes. The launch of Diabyuda, however, will have to wait a little longer, as it is still in "incubation" and awaiting the corresponding security certificates. To date, Joaquín and the rest of the team continue to work to "ensure that the clinical benefit reaches the community" with the intention of implementing the application "in the regional public and private healthcare network of Navarra".

Joaquín received the Iníciate 2025 award for best scientific-technological business idea, news that made him feel "a huge honor and an injection of energy". Xabier acknowledges that he felt "joy, gratitude and responsibility" when he received the award for best university scientific-technological business idea. This recognition symbolizes a lever that drives them to "open new doors and continue growing".