How is success measured? “Each person defines what it symbolizes. Also what it means to achieve it. Therefore, only you can judge whether you’ve reached it.”

Judith Bayés (Blanes, 1976) has succeeded in creating AppTramit, a tool that is changing the way we interact with public administration: less friction, less bureaucracy, more simplicity. She has overcome cancer, marking a turning point in how she understands work, life, and purpose. She has received recognitions such as EAE’s Top 10 Women and Santander W50, among others.

If success were a tiger, Judith has learned how to tame it [you’ll understand the reference later].

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

JB: To improve the relationship between citizens and local administration through simplification, plain language and mobile technology.

TB: At what stage is your project and where do you see it in two years?

JB: We are in a growth stage. We already have numerous clients and are in the process of creating new products that simplify work and redistribute resources within local government bureaucracy.

TB: A key decision that has shaped your project.

JB: Not giving up when things got tough.

TB: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced and what has it taught you?

JB: Going through (and overcoming) cancer while building a company.

TB: The best advice you’ve received.

JB: Listen to your intuition and trust.

TB: We all change over time. Have you changed your mind about anything?

JB: Success is very relative. Each person defines what success symbolizes and what it takes to achieve it. Therefore, only you can judge whether you’ve reached it.

TB: A professional role model who inspires you.

JB: Jordi Priu. Through his humility, he has taught me how to build a company, to become the best version of myself, and that no matter how difficult things get, I should always trust and keep smiling.

TB: What do you value most in the people you work with?

JB: Honesty. If someone lies to me, betrays me, or messes me around, it’s very hard to come back from that.

TB: A startup or company you admire and why.

JB: There are many. Most healthtech companies—I admire them deeply. However, in this case I’ll go with one whose social impact is outstanding… BlindStairs, led by Marta Rodríguez-Tobalo. I love their anonymized hiring processes that highlight talent while fighting ageism and gender discrimination, among others.

TB: What do you do to disconnect?

JB: Strength training, meditating…

TB: A book you recommend.

JB: It depends on what you’re looking for. A thriller like The Girl (La nena) by Carmen Mola can be a great option. If, on the other hand, you want to work on yourself, Taming the Tiger by Akong Tulku Rinpoche is my go-to book.

TB: A song that defines your current moment.

JB: ‘Rising from within’, by sIA.

TB: A recipe, a dish, a restaurant.

JB: Stuffed sea urchins at Es Blanc in Blanes—but honestly, nothing beats my husband’s wood-fired rice in the countryside.

TB: A place in the world.

JB: Manhattan. 

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

JB: In my daughter’s education.

TB: If you weren’t an entrepreneur…

JB: I’d like to dedicate myself to clinical hypnosis and past-life regression hypnosis.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona to you?

JB: A meeting point for knowledge and professional growth for entrepreneurs and the tech sector in Barcelona—a community that supports us and makes us visible throughout the entrepreneurial journey.

Friday night, no plans. You download Mate. Problem solved. Dinner with strangers—but carefully selected so you click. A tailored match between 6 people, with no swipes, no ghosting, and no screens in between.

Behind these gatherings is Guillermo Correa (Barcelona, 2002), co-founder and co-CEO.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

GC: To connect ambitious and interesting people through curated, real-life gatherings. Because your circle defines how far you can go.

TB: Where is your project now, and where do you see it in two years?

GC: We’ve just launched the new concept, with a strong core group of founding members who already come back every week. In two years, I see us established in several global capitals as the go-to reference for meeting high-quality people offline.

TB: A key decision that shaped your project.

GC: Killing an app with over 200K downloads and starting from scratch with a curated model. We had volume, but not value. It was the hardest decision—and the right one.

TB: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced, and what did it teach you?

GC: Raising capital is about understanding that consistency pays off, and that 30 “no’s” mean nothing.

TB: The best advice you’ve received.

GC: If you try to serve everyone, you end up serving no one.

TB: We all change over time. Have you changed your mind about anything?

GC: I used to think scaling fast was the most important thing. Now I know that scaling something that doesn’t work only multiplies problems. I’d rather build something 80 people love than an app 200,000 people download and forget.

TB: A professional role model who inspires you.

GC: Marc Förster, founder of Karisma. I think he has a sense of balance and inner peace with himself and his purpose that I really relate to.

TB: What do you value most in the people you work with?

GC: Proactivity, honesty, and kindness.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

GC: AI agents, without a doubt. They’ll replace many roles and handle tasks end-to-end.

TB: A startup or company you admire and why. 

GC: Vicio. They’ve built such a strong brand that they could sell anything. It’s a masterclass in branding and community, and a big inspiration for us.

TB: What do you do to disconnect?

GC: Spend weekends with friends or family, avoiding screens as much as possible.

TB: A book to recommend.
GC: ‘The Cold Start Problem’ by Andrew Chen. If you’re building anything with network effects, it’s a must-read.

TB: A song that defines your current moment.

GC: ‘Moth to a Flame’ by Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd.

TB: A recipe, a dish, a restaurant.

GC: My mother’s ‘arroz a banda’, no doubt. A restaurant? El Malparit.

TB: A place in the world.

GC: El Rayo Verde, in Cantabria.

TB: Where would you invest €100K?

GC: In training young people in vibe-coding in a developing country.

TB: If you weren’t an entrepreneur…

GC: I’d like to be a social connector—connecting people with projects, or projects with each other.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona to you?

GC: A place where people with projects meet and help each other—which, in the end, is what we all need.

On the website of the consultancy Rational Sparks, you can read: “We help you find creative solutions based on data, but also on the team’s emotion, energy, and creativity. Using cutting-edge technology or post-its, but always with imagination, enthusiasm, and proven data.”

Data and emotions. Analysis and sensitivity. Creating projects that combine these dimensions requires versatility. And Arantxa Acosta (Barcelona, 1977), its founder, has it: a chemical engineer, EMBA from ESADE… and a master’s degree in film criticism. “Three” sides of the same coin.

She defines herself as a “Strategic Designer, Applied Thinker, and Organizational Agitator.” And she explains why.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

AA: To help organizations (startups or large, established companies) become self-sufficient in turning complex and ambiguous challenges into action plans in record time, activating internal talent through disruptive methodologies, traditional tools, and AI.

TB: Where is your project now and where do you see it in two years?

AA: Growing as a boutique transformation consultancy based on preferred futures. In two years, consolidated as a benchmark in exploring emerging signals and patterns together with our clients, connecting them with tools, imagination, and sensitivity to move forward with clarity and enthusiasm.

TB: A key decision that has shaped your project.

AA: Combining data and emotions. Committing to Futures Thinking and creating the Future Sparks Lab to integrate vision, perception, and possibilities.

TB: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced and what has it taught you?

AA: Translating strategic, operational, and emotional complexity into clarity for founders and executives. It has taught me that the best solutions emerge when everyone involved actively participates in the process.

TB: The best advice you’ve received.

AA: “Everyone in a meeting has something to say, regardless of their role or experience.”

TB: We all change over time. Have you changed your mind about anything?

AA: I used to think strategies were designed by leaders. Today, I believe they emerge when the organization thinks together.

TB: A professional role model who inspires you and why.

AA: I’ll mention two: Dr. José Ignacio Latorre, a quantum physicist and author of Ethics for Machines, because he raises the question of what values we will program into them, and Ignacio Martínez Mendizábal, a paleontologist who reflects on what makes us human in these times. These are conversations that apply to the future of organizations.

TB: What do you value most in the people you work with?

AA: Honesty, curiosity, and the courage to question the status quo.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

AA: Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) are already being researched, enabling direct collaboration between human brains through digital neural networks—something that could transform how we learn, decide, and collaborate within organizations.

TB: A startup or company you admire and why.

AA: For example, Hanson Robotics, which explores how we will interact with AI.

TB: What do you do to disconnect?

AA: Lots of cinema, lots of reading and lots of walking.

TB: A book to recommend.

AA: The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester. Visionary about organizations, power, and telepathy in a hyperconnected society.

TB: A song that defines your current moment.

AA: ‘Feel Good Inc.’ by Gorillaz.

TB: A recipe, a restaurant.

AA: Any creation from Somodó Bá.

TB: A place in the world.

AA: Tokyo.

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

AA: In neurotechnology. Synchron, for example.

TB: If you weren’t an entrepreneur…

AA: I would probably be writing science fiction. Entrepreneurship is a way of “prototyping” those stories in real life.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona to you?

AA: A “future accelerator”: the interconnection of talent, technology, and entrepreneurship to imagine and build, starting now, what once seemed like distant dreams.

Tell me where you come from and I’ll tell you who you are.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Estabanell y Pahisa built a hydroelectric facility on the Ter river to supply electricity to its textile factory. With the surplus energy production, it began providing service to nearby towns, driving the electrification of the territory and its economic development. More than a century later, the company continued to innovate and, in 2015, entered the telecommunications sector with the deployment of fiber optics.

In 2024, it took a step further with the launch of ERIA, its open innovation vehicle to accelerate startups in the energy sector. Leading the project is its director, Josep Solé (Caldes de Montbui, 1975), a telecommunications engineer with more than 25 years of experience in energy and telecommunications. We spoke with him on the occasion of the opening of the third call for applications to its acceleration program.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

JS: To bring innovation closer to real business. There is often a lot of promising technology, but little connection to companies’ actual problems. We aim to reduce that gap: identify solutions with potential, test them in real contexts, and turn innovation into tangible impact.

TB: At what stage is your project, and where do you see it in two years?

JS: It’s in a phase of building and consolidation, defining how to make it scalable and recurring.
Recently, at ERIA we launched the third edition of the acceleration program for startups in the energy sector, with the call now open. In two years, I’d like to see it as a solid model: pilots turned into real projects, a trusted startup network, and a way of working fully integrated into the organization.

TB: A key decision that has shaped your project.

JS: Understanding that innovation is not about doing many things, but about choosing where to focus your energy. A key decision has been prioritizing very specific challenges and working with startups that bring a clear value proposition, instead of pursuing innovation in an overly broad way.

TB: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced, and what has it taught you?

JS: Managing the gap between the pace of innovation and that of organizations. Startups need speed; large companies need trust and rigor. Innovation is not just about spotting good ideas, but about creating the conditions for them to thrive within a complex environment.

TB: The best advice you’ve received.

JS: One idea I strongly believe in is that to achieve results, you need to work hard and always have a clear purpose, know why you’re doing things. And when that purpose becomes blurred, the most honest and smart thing to do is to refocus and look for new challenges.

TB: We all change over time. Have you changed your mind about something?

JS: At the beginning of my career, I had a very techno-centric view, shaped by my engineering background. Over time, I’ve learned that technology alone doesn’t transform anything. What really matters is how it responds to a real need, how it fits into a specific context, and how people are able to put it into action.

TB: What do you value most in the people you work with?

JS: Honesty, transparency and proactivity. I always try to surround myself with people who take initiative, move things forward, and don’t just wait to be told what to do.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

JS: Beyond AI: quantum and nuclear fusion. Quantum technology can radically transform our computing capabilities and open new frontiers across multiple sectors. And nuclear fusion, if it becomes viable at scale, could completely change the global energy paradigm.

TB: A startup or company you admire and why.

JS: La Fageda and Relats—this latter from my hometown—share values I admire: territory, sustainability, people, and meaningful innovation. La Fageda stands out as a solid and human company focused on social impact; Relats for combining local roots with a global vision and a commitment to sustainable innovation.

TB: A book to recommend.

JS: ‘Sapiens’, by Yuval Noah Harari, because it helps understand the major changes in humanity with a broad perspective.

TB: A song that defines your current moment in life.

JS: ‘Working on a Dream’ and ‘Waiting on a Sunny Day’, by Bruce Springsteen. The first speaks about effort, perseverance, and purpose; the second brings optimism and energy to look ahead. Together, they describe my current moment quite well.

TB: A place in the world.

JS: Passeig d’Empúries in L’Escala. It has a very special combination of pine trees, sea, and memory—one of those places where landscape and history naturally coexist.

TB: Where would you invest €100k?

JS: I wouldn’t concentrate the entire investment in a single bet. On one hand, I would invest in Alphabet for its strength and positioning in future technologies; on the other, in a company linked to quantum chips, as I believe it’s one of the most disruptive fields in the coming decades.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona to you?

JS: For me, Tech Barcelona is a community that connects talent, technology, and initiative to create new projects and opportunities. I especially value its ability to build an ecosystem, share visions, and grow innovation from the territory.

When the world went remote during COVID, something started to disappear: engagement. Meetings moved online, teams appeared as rows of muted faces on video calls, and real connection began to fade. With an MSc in Social Psychology and 14 years leading international HR at Boston Consulting Group, Bumble and high-growth tech companies, Elena Zangeeva (Angarsk, 1991) decided to experiment with that. She built an interactive quiz to reconnect teams. And that small idea would eventually grow into Kvistly, an AI-powered platform designed to make learning interactive, efficient and fun.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

EZ: To make learning interactive, efficient and fun in every classroom in the world.

TB: Where’s your project at and where do you see it in two years?

EZ: We are scaling globally with corporate clients like Perk, L’Oréal, DHL and 2,000+ school teachers across multiple countries. In two years, I see Kvistly as a category-defining engagement layer for learning and live events worldwide.

TB: A key decision that has shaped your project.

EZ: The idea for Kvistly was born during COVID, when teams went fully remote and engagement collapsed. I designed an interactive and personalized game about our own company—inside jokes, stories and culture. That experiment proved that learning and connection can be both meaningful and fun, and it shaped Kvistly into what it is today.

TB: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced, and what has it taught you?

EZ: Building Kvistly as a bootstrapped founder. I’ve made many mistakes, and without external capital it’s harder to accelerate quickly. It taught me resilience, sharper prioritization and how to grow through real traction, not vanity metrics.

TB: The best advice you’ve ever received.

EZ: When I started my career in 2012, our Sales Director told me: “You never get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate”

TB: We all change over time. What have you changed your mind about?

EZ: I used to think pushing harder solved everything. Now I believe inner peace is the real advantage. When you stay calm, protect your boundaries and don’t react to every trigger, you make better decisions and build better companies.

TB: A professional role model who inspires you and why.

EZ: To be honest, I want to mention many people here, but I really admire Tanya Van Gastel, CEO of Rankingonai.com. She is a brilliant and intelligent entrepreneur. I also love the way she treats people with respect and dignity—it’s always inspiring.

TB: What do you value most in the people you work with?

EZ: Curiosity, accountability and kindness.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

EZ: AI. The backbone of nearly every other emerging technology. From automation and drug discovery to creative work and scientific research: AI is accelerating everything.

TB: A startup or company you admire, and why.

EZ: Brunello Cucinelli. I admire the idea of humanistic capitalism, where profit and dignity coexist. Building a successful global company while protecting craftsmanship, community and humane working conditions proves that business can scale without losing its values.

TB: What do you do to disconnect?

EZ: Sport. I work out five times a week: strength training, cardio and long walks by the sea. Also cooking.

TB: A book to recommend.

EZ: ‘The Culture Map’ by Erin Meyer.

TB: A song that defines your moment in life.

EZ: ‘Thunder’ by Imagine Dragons.

TB: A recipe, a meal or a restaurant.

EZ: Simple Italian pasta done perfectly.

TB: A place in the world.

EZ: Lake Baikal. Raw, powerful—a frozen and serene paradise.

TB: Where would you invest €100k?

EZ: In early-stage founders who sell before they fundraise.

TB: If you weren’t an entrepreneur…

EZ: I’d be a People & Culture leader in a great scale-up, building A-player teams.

TB: What does Tech Barcelona mean to you?

EZ: It’s a place to connect.

How many of you would be able to say what blockchain is and what it’s used for?

Xavier Armengol (Barcelona, 2001) is part of a generation that has closely witnessed the rise of this technology and has known how to turn it into an opportunity. A graduate in International Business, he discovered the Web3 world five years ago and since then has focused his efforts on education and training in this field. As founder of CAAS Live & CAAS Community, a private investment program in decentralized finance, he teaches people how to generate returns within the DeFi ecosystem in a sustainable and secure way.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

XA: We teach adults (between 30 and 60 years old) how to generate returns through decentralized finance (DeFi) in a sustainable and secure way.

TB: At what stage is your project now and where do you see it in two years?

XA: We are currently in an expansion phase, focused on reaching more people and increasing awareness of the program. We want to consolidate the community and expand our impact. In five years [not two], I see myself stepping away from training to focus on managing a DeFi fund.

TB: A key decision that has shaped your project.

XA: Learning to say no and to focus on what truly matters. The Eisenhower Matrix [a productivity tool that prioritizes tasks by classifying them into four quadrants based on urgency and importance].

TB: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced and what has it taught you?

XA: Leaving my previous job to start my own venture and follow my own path. It taught me to be brave and to take action.

TB: The best advice you’ve ever received.

XA: “Less is more.” Simplifying, focusing, and avoiding overcomplication is often the key to moving forward with clarity.

TB: We all change over time. Have you changed your mind about anything?

XA: Of course. Every entrepreneur starts out doing one thing and ends up doing something different. The process transforms you.

TB: A professional role model who inspires you.

XA: Pablo Gil. He speaks from a deep knowledge of the markets and does so with honesty and clarity.

TB: What do you value most in the people you work with?

XA: Proactivity and the willingness to work thoroughly.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

XA: Artificial intelligence and blockchain technology. I believe the combination of both will transform the world we live in.

TB: A startup or company you admire and why.

XA: Revolut. They’ve intelligently penetrated the market, clearly differentiated themselves from competitors, and built a very attractive value proposition for the end user.

TB: What do you do to disconnect?

XA: Go for a run, although not as often as I’d like.

TB: A book you’d recommend.

XA: Many! Right now, I’d say ‘$100M Deals’ by Alex Hormozi.

TB: A recipe, a dish, or a restaurant.

XA: The carbonara made by Gonzalo, your Membership Coordinator at Tech Barcelona and a good friend of mine.

TB: A place in the world.

XA: Australia.

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

XA: In Bitcoin, clearly.

TB: If you weren’t an entrepreneur…

XA: I’d like to work at a family office.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona to you?

XA: Support and a space for connection.

As an art historian, Sònia López (Barcelona, 1972) spent nearly 20 years leading the digital media department at MACBA before launching Deckard Cultura Digital, a consultancy that supports museums and cultural institutions in the conceptualization of digital projects and the curation of content.

For the past few months, she has also been working from the BSC AI Factory, the European artificial intelligence hub located at Pier07 of Tech Barcelona. “We believe innovation happens at the margins: when different disciplines meet, when an unexpected conversation opens a new thread. That’s why we especially value being in an environment where artificial intelligence, creativity, engineering, and strategy intertwine and engage in dialogue,” she wrote on LinkedIn when announcing her office move.

Listening, flexibility, and presence: values that shape her way of leading creative and complex projects. They also define her vision of the future—one in which innovation makes it possible to connect culture with everyone.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

SL: Deckard’s purpose is to help museums remain relevant in society’s everyday life.

TB: At what stage is your project now, and where do you see it in two years?

SL: Increasingly, we work on complex projects where coordination, translation between teams, and clear decision-making are essential. In two years, I’d like Deckard to be even more established as a boutique partner in digital curatorship and strategic support, with more scalable processes without losing craftsmanship.

TB: A key decision that has shaped your project.

SL: Naming and defending our work as digital curatorship—a transversal task that mediates between academia and technology—and building the studio around that role of conceptual design and technological mediation.

TB: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced, and what has it taught you?

SL: It may sound cliché, but the biggest challenge I’ve experienced is personal, and I mention it because it has impacted everything I do. Becoming a mother taught me to listen, to be firm, and to be present—that shapes everything I do. Motherhood affects the kind of professional you become.

TB: The best advice you’ve been given.

SL: Setting boundaries is offering a space of safety.

TB: We all change over time. Have you changed your mind about anything?

SL: Yes, of course—about many things. I don’t trust people who never change their minds. Nor those who don’t understand that changing your mind is possible.

TB: A professional role model who inspires you.

SL: I have to make an effort because there are many people I look up to, each for different reasons. For this interview, I’ll choose Genís Roca, for his analytical and communication skills when it comes to technology.

TB: What do you value most in the people you work with?

SL: Their creativity—being surprised by them and pushed to say, “Wow, I hadn’t thought about this from that angle.”

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

SL: That’s a hard one! AI is already permeating our daily lives. I read in The New York Times about a journalist who tried to avoid it and found it impossible—even his home faucet depended on AI. In my sector, conversational interfaces built on knowledge graphs don’t just “generate”; they connect, contextualize, and provide intelligent access to archives. Personally, the technology I’d like to shape the future would be matter teleportation with zero carbon footprint.

TB: A startup or company you admire and why.

SL: Musa.Guide. They’re a small startup that has developed a simple, beautiful solution for audio guides in museum environments. They use AI to adapt content to users. It’s much better than I’m able to explain.

TB: What do you do to disconnect?

SL: Watch two or three films in a row—ones that have always been on my watchlist and that no one else at home wants to see.

TB: A book to recommend.

SL: The Volume of Time by Danish author Solvej Valle. It’s published in Catalan and Spanish by Anagrama. If they don’t release the third volume (and the following ones) soon, I’ll be forced to learn Danish.

TB: A song that defines your current moment in life.

SL: There are so many to choose from that I always go back to the foundations: I’ll say any piece played by John Coltrane.

TB: A recipe, a dish, a restaurant.

SL: Any Italian pasta made with wisdom—like the kind they prepare for you at Raffaelli Ristorante on Lluís Antúnez Street in Barcelona.

TB: A place in the world.

SL: Venice.

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

SL: In the development of teleportation, of course.

TB: If you weren’t an entrepreneur…

SL: I’d devote myself to a profession where I could use my hands to make or repair things.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona to you?

SL: It’s an opportunity to hybridize my practice with other innovation processes, to share experiences, and above all to connect my world—anchored in the slow, repetitive processes of museums—with innovation and more disruptive opportunities.

At just 15 and 16 years old, three high school classmates won the Audi Creativity Challenge with Sharge, an app that allowed sharing charging points for electric vehicles. That award took them to Silicon Valley, the global mecca of startups, where they were able to develop the platform and soak up new ideas.

Ten years later, David Andrés (Barcelona, 2000) still maintains his entrepreneurial spirit. Double graduate in Business Administration and Law from ESADE and former consultant at Deloitte, since 2024 he has been a founding partner of Two.Zero, an innovation agency specialized in designing and developing tailor-made digital solutions for companies.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

DA: To help companies implement technology intelligently, with real impact and aligned with their strategy, combining innovation, talent, and execution.

TB: Where is your project at now, and where do you see it in two years?

DA: We are a digital services company focused on developing mobile and web applications for businesses. Currently, 70% of our clients are from the United States. A year ago, we were managing 4 projects in parallel, and today more than 29. In two years, we see ourselves scaling the team, consolidating in the international market, and leading higher-impact projects.

TB: A key decision that has shaped your project.

DA: Strategically partnering with FlutterFlow. Betting heavily on this technology has allowed us to position ourselves today in the top 6 worldwide FlutterFlow partners, top 1 in Europe, and accelerate our growth.

TB: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced, and what has it taught you?

DA: Scaling with many more projects in parallel without losing quality. It has taught me the importance of attracting talent, creating solid processes, and trusting the team.

TB: The best advice you’ve received.

DA: Putting things into perspective is important; in entrepreneurship, not everything is as serious as it seems, and almost everything has a solution.

TB: We all change over time. Have you changed your mind about anything?

DA: Yes. I used to be more idealistic; today I’m much more executive. I haven’t lost the creative side, but I’ve understood that execution is key.

TB: A professional role model who inspires you and why.

DA: Xavier Verdaguer. He has been a mentor and friend for years, and a clear reference in innovation, entrepreneurship, and global vision.

TB: What do you value most in the people you work with?

DA: Honesty, loyalty, commitment, transparency, and ambition.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

DA: Artificial intelligence, for its ability to transform processes, productivity, and decision-making across all sectors.

TB: A startup or company you admire and why.

DA: Vicio, for the powerful brand they have built and how they have connected product, community, and culture.

TB: How do you disconnect?

DA: Doing sports and watching sports. Very ‘perico’.

TB: A book you’d recommend.

DA: ‘Nexus’ by Yuval Noah Harari or ‘The Singularity Is Near’ by Ray Kurzweil.

TB: A song that defines your current stage in life.

DA: ‘Viva la Vida’ by Coldplay. 

TB: A recipe, a dish, a restaurant.

DA: The bravas of Tomás, in Sarrià (Barcelona).

TB: A place in the world.

DA: Sant Cugat or Calella de Palafrugell.

TB: ¿Dónde invertirías 100k?

DA: In one of my projects.

TB: If you weren’t an entrepreneur…

DA: A sports journalist or technology consultant, something linked to communication and technology.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona to you?

DA: A strong community to connect with top people, grow professionally, and, on top of that, have fun.

“I survived NATO bombings in Belgrade, raised my son as a single father in the UK, and rebuilt my career in Barcelona.” A solid introduction.

It’s clear that Cal Smyth (Bristol, 1975) knows how to tell a story. A screenwriter and video director, he co-founded Diigima Creative Studio to merge narrative and technology, creativity and innovation, with the goal of bringing more stories that deserve to be told to life. Among them, many that unfold at Tech Barcelona events.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

CS: We combine storytelling and technology to create videos that emotionally impact every audience.

TB: Where is your project now, and where do you see it in two years?

CS: Well, we just survived our first year! We’ve completed some really interesting projects, but now we’re focused on securing long-term clients. In two years, our goal is to be able to pay our salaries and keep our accountant happy.

TB: A key decision that shaped your project.

CS: It happened on a train ride from Barcelona to Madrid. Sitting with my future partner, the idea came up—we bought the domain and shook hands to become co-founders of Diigima Creative Studio.

TB: The biggest challenge you’ve faced and what it taught you.

CS: Raising my son as a single father while he had to overcome racism and bullying taught me to show love, resilience, and perseverance in the face of any obstacle.

TB: The best advice you’ve ever received.

CS: Probably from our accountant, who told us to always put everything in writing in a contract before starting any work. Countless times, I’ve wished I had listened.

TB: We all change over time. Have you changed your mind about anything?

CS: Phew, about many things. For a business to succeed, you have to be flexible. I think nowadays the word everyone uses is “pivot.”

TB: A professional figure who inspires you and why.

CS: I’ll choose someone local but also internationally minded. As owner of Blue Book Theatre Company, Aileen Kelly pours her soul into making it work: a passionate project that also needs to be financially viable. Plus, we have a lot of fun creating trailers and recording plays for her.

TB: What do you value most in the people you work with?

CS: Luca, my co-founder at Diigima Creative Studio, is incredible at learning and implementing new tech skills to fit all my crazy creative ideas—whether designing our website or filming and editing a dystopian romantic thriller with Barcelona as an empty urban landscape.

TB: One technology that will shape the future.

CS: AI, obviously, is what everyone talks about, but rather than letting it shape us, I think we should see it as an amazing tool for humans. Otherwise, we’re practically doomed.

TB: A startup or company you admire and why.

CS: From a distance, I admire Questo, an interactive walking exploration game app. I don’t know the ins and outs of their business model, but I love the mix of technology, storytelling, and physical experience.

TB: How do you disconnect?

CS: I’ve always found it hard to switch off my mind, but I take daily walks and go for a run once a week to clear my head.

TB: A book to recommend.

CS: Well, there are some really cool novels written by a guy named Cal Smyth, but I guess I can’t recommend my own. So I’ll go with The Border by Don Winslow: a fantastic noir novel, a masterful portrayal of drug trafficking between Mexico and the U.S., and a powerful human story that hits you right in the gut.

TB: A song that defines your current moment in life.

CS: Right now I’m revisiting OK Computer by Radiohead because my son is learning to play it on guitar.

TB: A recipe, dish, or restaurant.

CS: Thai noodles. It’s my own creation. I also love Can Paixano, just around the corner from Pier01 at Tech Barcelona: cava and burgers for just a few euros. An amazing place.

TB: A place in the world.

CS: So many places. Barcelona and Belgrade are my favorite cities. For island getaways: Hvar, Elba, and Crete. Also the Path of the Gods in Amalfi. Oh, and being atop Montserrat on my fiftieth birthday.

TB: Where would you invest €100k?

CS: In Greenland’s military defense? I’m not sure €100,000 is enough to unite the world in harmony, but maybe more wind turbines should be built in Europe.

TB: If you weren’t an entrepreneur…

CS: Sometimes I still dream of playing for Liverpool, which honestly could use a defender lately. I’d say being creative and making films, but that’s already what I do. So I’d stick with living on a remote island, writing stories, and swimming every day.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona to you?

CS: A support network where you can meet incredible people. At one of the Afterworks, I met people who became great friends, and that’s how we landed our first job with Tech Barcelona itself. I’m very grateful for that—it shows Tech Barcelona works on both levels: social interaction and creating job opportunities in the tech sector.

Gabriela Margareto (Barcelona, 1989) is a telecommunications engineer with more than a decade of experience in the industry, leading mobile network deployment projects.

After working at Eurona and Cellnex Telecom, in 2024 she joined the team at APFutura, a company that helps businesses and public entities deploy connectivity solutions such as fiber optics, WiFi, IoT, FWA, and private networks. As Director of Business Development, she channels all her technical knowledge into a more strategic vision, leading the expansion and growth project in the industrial sector.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

GM: In an environment of constant change and service digitalization, at APFutura we help companies and public administrations deploy connectivity solutions that adapt to their needs, supporting them throughout the digitalization process in a secure, transparent, and reliable way.

TB: What stage is it at, and where do you see it in two years?

GM: We are in a growth stage and expect to see major results in two years.

TB: A key decision that has shaped your project.

GM: The decision to commit to the industrial B2B market was our turning point: a move that required us to completely reorient our commercial approach.

TB: What is the biggest challenge you have faced, and what has it taught you?

GM: Structuring the sales area and aligning all areas of the company toward the same growth objectives.

TB: The best advice you have been given.

GM: We must focus on the present, but if we want to move forward, we must always keep our eyes on the future.

TB: A professional role model who inspires you and why.

GM: I have been fortunate to work alongside highly talented professionals, but if I have to choose, I would go with all the women engineers who paved the way before me and from whom I have learned a great deal, both professionally and personally.

TB: What do you value most in the people you work with?

GM: I value people who know how to contribute as part of a team. In the end, that is what gives soul to what we do and what truly allows us to grow.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

GM: We are in the era of AI, and we are going to see extraordinary things.

TB: A startup or company you admire and why.

GM: Innovamat, for trying to rewrite the way mathematics is taught to boys and girls, and for fostering understanding and critical thinking.

TB: What do you do to disconnect?

GM: Meeting up with my friends and laughing with them.

TB: A book to recommend.

GM: “I Gave You Eyes and You Looked into the Darkness”, by Irene Solà.

TB: A song that defines your current moment in life.

GM: “Berghain”, by Rosalía. 

TB: A recipe, a restaurant. 

GM: The roasted red pepper escalivada from the Palo Verde restaurant.

TB: A place in the world.

GM: Ilha Grande, Brazil.

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

GM: In a cure for cancer.

TB: If you were not a business developer and engineer…

GM: I would like to lead a project that had a direct social impact on citizens and on the common good.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona to you?

GM: For me, Tech Barcelona is a way to meet other people with curiosities and concerns similar to mine, and with a desire to share experiences.