20% of Spain’s population is over 64 years old. Many of these people live alone or in rural areas, and their homes become accident-prone environments. Ángel Puertas (Barcelona, 1983) brings technology to those who are less digitally savvy to make ageing at home easier.

A business-oriented engineer, he co-founded and runs SeniorDomo. The start-up has developed an advanced smartwatch that detects situations of risk of falls, unusual inactivity and heart problems, and includes an SOS button, hands-free system and GPS tracking, so that older people can maintain their independence and their families can have peace of mind.

TB: What is the aim of your project?

AP: To enable older people to age at home thanks to our technology, which is the most advanced and affordable on the market.

TB: What stage is the project at and where do you see it in two years’ time?

AP: We have served 10,000 families and, after reaching breakeven, our goal is now to scale up more quickly.

TB: A good idea you’ve had.

AP: Setting up a company with my partners so that our team can be happy helping older people.

TB: What has been your biggest challenge?

AP: Making an aggressive and successful pivot with very few weeks of cash flow.

TB: The best advice you’ve ever received.

AP: Not to become obsessed with the project. It has allowed me to balance my professional life with my family and friends. It’s not trivial; entrepreneurship is demanding, but it’s not everything in life, and you have to know how to balance it. It can be done.

TB: A role model.

AP: My former boss, Paco Vargas, a “10” guy. I always carry him in my heart. I’ve learned a lot from him.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

AP: I believe that one day the digital will merge with the real. It will be crazy to walk down the street and see superimposed elements that our brain, connected to a global network, will interpret. We won’t need to carry laptops; we’ll have them in our brains, and just by thinking about it, an interface will appear for us to interact with. I don’t know if I’ll see it, but that’s how I imagine the future.

TB: What helps you disconnect?

AP: Padel tennis, friends, family and mini side projects.

TB: A book to recommend.

AP: ‘The Hard Thing About Hard Things’ by Ben Horowitz. You have to be prepared for the worst.

TB: A series, film or song that defines your life right now.

AP: I think Coldplay’s ‘Fix You has accompanied me throughout my entrepreneurial journey and even before that. There will always be tough times, but we have to see the glass as half full in all of them.

TB: A recipe, a restaurant.

AP: Arroz a la cubana (Cuban rice) has been my favourite dish since I was a child. As for restaurants, La Flauta is good, nice and cheap. I love it.

TB: A place in the world.

AP: My home.

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

AP: In SeniorDomo 🙂

TB: If you weren’t an entrepreneur…

AP: I’d blow a fuse. It’s a lifestyle.

TB: What does Tech Barcelona mean to you?

AP: An emblem of the ecosystem.