Ana Maiques

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Ana Maiques
2021 - Behind the scenes SM0 6124 (51652423624) (cropped).jpg
Maiques in 2021
Born1972 (age 51–52)
Valencia, Spain
NationalitySpanish
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, Business Executive
SpouseGiulio Ruffini

Ana Maiques (born 1972 in Valencia, Spain) is a Spanish entrepreneur and business executive. She is the CEO and co-founder of Neuroelectrics, a company based in Barcelona that develops non-invasive brain stimulation devices to treat neurological disorders. [1] [2] Maiques is also the President of EsTech, a platform for high-growth technology companies in Spain, and a member of the European Innovation Council Advisory Board. [3] [4] She is a prominent advocate for gender diversity in STEM fields, promoting women's representation in tech and business. [5] [6] Ana Maiques was named as one of the Most Inspiring Fifty Women in Europe. [7]

Contents

Education

Maiques studied economics at the University of Barcelona and has an MBA from London Metropolitan University. [8] She has also completed IESE Business School's advanced management program. [9]

Business

Early career

Maiques began working in Barcelona for Belgian-owned company Starlab in 1999, where she worked with her husband Giulio Ruffini (they had met in Barcelona a couple of years before). [9] In 2001, when Starlab declared bankruptcy, they took over the company's Barcelona-based research division with Manel Adell. Starlab went on to develop revolutionary technologies in the fields of space and neuroscience. [2] [10]

In 2014, Maiques won third prize in the European Woman Innovator of the Year awards, for her entrepreneurial vision in promoting Starlab as an innovative company of scientific excellence. [11]

Neuroelectrics

Maiques founded Starlab spin-off Neuroelectrics in Barcelona, Spain, in 2011, and also established offices in Boston, United States in 2014. [12] Focused on developing medical devices for the brain, Maiques describes Neuroelectrics as a "digital brain health company" that aims to treat brain disease in a non-invasive, personalized way through the use of technology. [9]

The devices Neuroelectrics develops record brain activity and stimulate the brain by administering small currents, while brain models and algorithms enable treatments to be customized to the needs of individual patients. [12] Its brain reading and electro-stimulation headgear has been used to measure brain fatigue in NASA pilots and may have applications in the treatment of epilepsy. Other areas of research include applications in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and in anxiety and depression. [12]

Notably, Neuroelectrics has developed the Starstim device, a non-invasive brain stimulation technology that combines transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) and electroencephalography (EEG) to simultaneously stimulate and monitor brain activity. [13] [14] In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Neuroelectrics adapted Starstim for home use, receiving FDA approval for treating major depressive disorder s remotely. [15] In 2021, Maiques secured $17.5 million in funding to advance clinical trials for epilepsy and depression, further enhancing the device's capabilities and expanding its applications in telemedicine​. [16]

Under Maiques' leadership at Neuroelectrics, the company has achieved recognition as one of the Best Entrepreneurial Companies in 2016 in the United States, awarded by Entrepreneur magazine. [17]

EsTech

Ana Maiques is a co-founder and the President of EsTech, a platform launched in March 2022 by nine leading Spanish high-growth technology companies, including Neuroelectrics, Cabify, and Glovo. [3] EsTech aims to increase visibility and support for technology-based scale-ups in Spain, emphasizing their contributions to the economy, environment, and job market. The organization focuses on talent acquisition and training, access to financing, public education about the new economy, and public policy advocacy. Maiques believes these companies will significantly impact the Spanish economy in the coming years​​. [3]

Additional Roles and Recognition

In addition to her significant role at Neuroelectrics, Ana Maiques is an active figure in the innovation scene, both in Europe and the United States. She is a permanent member of the European Innovation Council Advisory Board and became a Termeer Fellow at the Henri Termeer Foundation in 2018. [4] [5] Maiques' career has been acknowledged on multiple occasions, including Most Exceptional Entrepreneurs award by Goldman Sachs at the 2022 Builders and Innovators Summit and the title of Most Inspiring Women on the Inspiring Fifty list in Europe for two consecutive years in 2015 and 2016. [18] [19]

Advocacy

Ana Maiques is a passionate advocate for gender equality in STEM fields. [5] She is vocal about the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in the tech industry and is committed to creating opportunities for more women to participate in these fields. [6]

Personal life

Ana Maiques is married to physicist Giulio Ruffini. [20] She has four children, and spends her time between Barcelona and Boston. [21]

Awards and recognition

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starlab</span> A multidisciplinary blue sky research institute

Starlab NV/SA was a multidisciplinary, blue sky research institute established to serve as an incubator for long-term and basic research in the spirit of Bell Labs, MIT Media Lab, Xerox PARC, and Interval Research. Its primary headquarters was based in Brussels, Belgium from 1996 to 2001. A second base of operations, Starlab Barcelona, was established in 2000 and remains in operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vagus nerve stimulation</span> Medical treatment that involves delivering electrical impulses to the vagus nerve.

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Forced Normalization (FN) is a psychiatric phenomenon in which a long term episodic epilepsy or migraine disorder is treated, and, although the electroencephalogram (EEG) appears to have stabilized, acute behavioral, mood, and psychological disturbances begin to manifest. If, or when, treatment for the disorder is halted, the disturbances go away, but the episodic spikes on the EEG reappear. H. Landolt coined the term 'Forced Normalization' in 1953 in response to a change he witnessed in epileptic EEGs, which monitor electrical activity in the brain. These changes were followed by abrupt behavioral changes in the patient. Landolt concluded that forced normalization is "the phenomenon characterized by the fact that, with the occurrence of psychotic states, the electroencephalography becomes more normal or entirely normal, as compared with previous and subsequent EEG findings." Forced normalization, as described by Landolt, was therefore an electrophysiological phenomenon with the electroencephalograph at its helm.

Neuromodulation is "the alteration of nerve activity through targeted delivery of a stimulus, such as electrical stimulation or chemical agents, to specific neurological sites in the body". It is carried out to normalize – or modulate – nervous tissue function. Neuromodulation is an evolving therapy that can involve a range of electromagnetic stimuli such as a magnetic field (rTMS), an electric current, or a drug instilled directly in the subdural space. Emerging applications involve targeted introduction of genes or gene regulators and light (optogenetics), and by 2014, these had been at minimum demonstrated in mammalian models, or first-in-human data had been acquired. The most clinical experience has been with electrical stimulation.

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References

  1. ↑ "About us". Neuroelectronics. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Dirigir y abrirse al mundo: Ana Maiques: Cofundadora de Starlab" (PDF) (in Spanish). CEDE. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "EsTech · España es Tecnología" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  4. 1 2 "EIC pilot Advisory Board - European Commission". eic.ec.europa.eu. 2021-05-18. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  5. 1 2 3 "Ana Maiques". AI for Good. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  6. 1 2 Smith, Tim. "Neuroelectrics raises $17.5m to transform epilepsy treatment". Sifted. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  7. ↑ "Ana Maiques". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  8. ↑ "017 – Ana Maiques". Loup Ventures. 2019-01-09. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  9. 1 2 3 Moules, Jonathan (2017-05-14). "The brain-science entrepreneur who is mindreading for real". Financial Times. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  10. ↑ "About us". Starlab. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  11. 1 2 "Ana Maiques, woman innovator 2014". biocat. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  12. 1 2 3 "The businesswoman who wants to cure brains from home / Interview / SINC - Servicio de Información y Noticias Científicas". www.agenciasinc.es. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  13. ↑ "Starstim® tES-EEG systems". Neuroelectrics. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  14. ↑ Vinluan, Frank. "Neuroelectrics gets $17M for new take on electrical therapy for epilepsy, depression". MedCity News. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  15. ↑ Smith, Tim. "Neuroelectrics raises $17.5m to transform epilepsy treatment". Sifted. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  16. ↑ Burke, Matt. "Neuroelectrics Raises $17.5M to Advance Clinical Trials for the Treatment of Epilepsy and Major Depressive Disorder with a New Platform for Treating Brain Dysfunction". Business WIre. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  17. ↑ "MIT SUMMIT SPOTLIGHT ENTREPRENEURS". BrainMind. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  18. 1 2 "Ana Maiques". AI for Good.
  19. 1 2 "Team". Neuroelectrics. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  20. ↑ "Ana Maiques (Neuroelectrics)". www.startupgrind.com. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  21. ↑ "Ana Maiques". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  22. 1 2 "Ana Maiques". Inspiring Fifty: Europe. Archived from the original on 2019-02-14. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  23. 1 2 "About us: our team". Neuroelectrics. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  24. ↑ Culpan, Daniel (30 April 2015). "Neuroelectrics wants to be Fitbit for the brain". Wired. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  25. ↑ "Europe's most inspiring female tech leaders named". The Drum. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  26. ↑ "These are Europe's most inspiring women in tech". Improve Digital. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  27. ↑ "Finalistas". Women's Startup Awards.
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