Cuatrecasas Acelera, an equity-free acceleration program integrated into Cuatrecasas Innova, is opening applications for its 11th edition. The program aims to support startups in the healthtech, energy, fintech, deeptech, and defense and aerospace sectors with complex legal and regulatory issues, a functional minimum viable product, a strong team, and an innovative market-oriented solution.
The participating startups will receive top-tier legal support from Cuatrecasas partners and experts to address their main legal and regulatory challenges, as well as practical training through group workshops and business mentoring tailored to their needs. They will also have access to the Cuatrecasas Innova ecosystem and its network of contacts.
After ten editions, Cuatrecasas Acelera has evolved to enhance the specialization of its offering and this year incorporates a preliminary study to identify the regulatory challenges in the various sectors targeted by the program. This analysis, conducted by the Firm’s specialist lawyers, has incorporated the technological and business insights of professionals from leading corporations in these fields, who have helped define the key areas and sub-areas on which this year’s program will focus.
“After a decade of Cuatrecasas Acelera, we have evolved edition after edition by listening to the ecosystem and better understanding which legal and regulatory challenges truly condition the growth of a startup. That is why, in this new call for applications, we are reinforcing that approach and broadening our focus to areas such as defense and aerospace, where regulatory complexity is especially crucial,” stated Francesc Muñoz, CIO of Cuatrecasas.
The registration period for interested startups will remain open until June 26. Prior to this, Legal Workshops will be held in Madrid, Barcelona, and Lisbon in June, providing a framework for understanding the regulatory needs of startups and offering valuable insights in key areas such as Intellectual Property and Venture Capital.
Once the registration period has ended, a selection committee, composed of Cuatrecasas partners, professionals, and external collaborators, will review the submitted proposals and select those that will make up the shortlist. In September, the shortlisted startups will present their projects to the committee, which, after evaluating them, will choose those that will ultimately participate in the 11th edition of Cuatrecasas Acelera.
Throughout the five months of the program, the selected startups will receive specialized legal support focused on those legal areas that allow them to face the challenges of their innovative models and the integration of emerging technologies in regulated sectors.
Additionally, bootcamps will be organized where startups can benefit from legal and business training sessions led by mentors from the Firm and external professionals with extensive experience in various areas and sectors of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Investment simulations will also be conducted. At the end of this period, and after an intensive work process, a closing event will be held in Madrid in February 2027. This event will be attended by the leaders of the participating startups, their mentors, investors, clients, and other key players in the ecosystem. At this event, the winning startup of the 11th edition of Cuatrecasas Acelera will be announced. The winning startup will continue to receive personalized legal advice to further develop its project.
Regarding the program’s approach, Alba Molina, Innovation Project Manager at the Firm, commented that “scaling a startup isn’t just about finding a good product-market fit; it also depends on how they manage legal and regulatory uncertainty and complexity. At Cuatrecasas Acelera, we support teams building on that edge, providing expert guidance and a clear framework for making sound decisions.”
