Jordi Solé Tuyá (Vilafranca del Penedés, 1973), with an extensive background in business management and financial management, has been – for more than 13 years – executive director at Kreedit, a company that has provided debt financing solutions to more than 1,600 medium-sized companies.
He is also executive director of Atoomico Venture Builder, member of the Business Financing Commission of the Cambra de Comerç de Barcelona, advisor to the UPF Barcelona School of Management, trustee of the Pinnae Foundation and advisor to numerous industrial companies. And the list goes on… He has been president of ADEPG and member of the Executive Committee of Foment del Treball, among others, as well as business angel in more than 20 startups. An extensive curriculum.
TB: What is the purpose of your project?
JST: At Kreedit, our obsession is to make it possible for all companies to access the necessary financing to develop their activity and preserve their viability in the medium and long term.
TB: A good idea you have had.
JST: I admit that I am not at all creative and find it difficult to come up with innovative ideas. Rather, I am a pragmatic professional who tries to execute efficiently, managing the resources at my disposal in a way that generates as much value as possible.
TB: A bad professional experience.
JST: When I was barely 20 years old, I took on a position of responsibility in the financial area of an industrial company that involved taking on functions for which I was not yet prepared. It was a bad experience that, with time, allowed me to understand how important it is to match the right moment in time and the right personal skills to take on any challenge.
TB: The best advice you’ve ever been given.
JST: Worrying does not help. The focus should be on dealing with the problems and managing the difficulties with all our might, trying to leave worry aside. Worry should not distract us from what is really important, which is managing the situation.
TB: A professional reference that inspires you.
JST: Elon Musk or any other successful entrepreneur who, because of his ambition, and despite having already reached a relevant economic position, continues to dedicate many more hours and efforts to his projects than the rest. This shows that a strong commitment and dedication increases the chances of success in any project.
TB: A technology that will shape the future.
JST: Human intelligence. It is irreplaceable by artificial intelligence. The ability to manage teams and the emotions of their members, empathy, tone of voice, the look in their eyes…. This is the technology that will continue to advance the world in the future.
TB: What are you worried about?
JST: That life is not eternal. I am obsessed with trying to make the most of every moment, savouring small everyday experiences and being aware that one day we will no longer be able to do so. To live a full life is to be aware of the role we play in each moment.
TB: A startup.
JST: Typeform. When you try this solution, you realise that you can no longer live without it. It’s a feeling similar to when you first used an iPhone.
TB: A book to recommend.
JST: Without a doubt, I recommend ‘Sapiens, A Brief History of Humankind’, a work by Yuyal Noah Harari that describes the history of humanity from its beginnings to the modern era. Reading it allows you to put into perspective the problems we currently have as individuals, to relativise them and, therefore, to take away the transcendence of small daily inconveniences that we must manage, but which are far from being a real problem. Internalising this thinking allows you to live with less stress.
TB: A series, film or song that defines your moment in life.
JST: One song that still inspires me is “My way” by Paul Anka. Listening to it reminds me of some critical points in my professional career that required inner strength and the support of my family to face them. It comforts me to listen to the song and remember those stepping stones that, fortunately, I overcame and that have made me who I am today.
TB: A recipe, a meal, a restaurant.
JST: My recipe is “Macarrones del Cardenal”, made with a tasty sauce based on veal, aromatic herbs and a few other secrets. On the other hand, I’m a fan of oriental food, of which miso ramen stands out (in Barcelona there are several places where they make it in a sublime way, such as the Tonkotsu restaurant).
TB: A city, a journey.
JST: New York and San Francisco; although very different from each other, both captivated me. The former for its extreme cosmopolitan character, because when you are there you feel like you are in ‘the capital of the world’. And the latter for its Mediterranean-like climate and atmosphere.
TB: Where would you invest 100k?
JST: In a company that has a humble management team, capable of efficiently managing scarce resources and, in doing so, is able to generate value. It is difficult to find it in an environment dominated by loud talk, grandiloquence and, in the end, little ability to make a profitable startup that survives on its own generation and without one round of investment after another. If I find it, I would invest there.
TB: And a million euros?
JST: In ten companies like the one described in the previous point 🙂 Nothing is more motivating than having a humble, efficient management team capable of generating profitability in a company with scarce resources.
TB: If you were not an entrepreneur…
JST: I can’t imagine not being an entrepreneur. My life would be so boring that I would have been in a depression for years. To live a full life, you have to be in charge of your life and being an entrepreneur allows you to do that. Moreover, I believe that everyone becomes an ‘entrepreneur of his or her own life’ at birth.
TB: What is Tech Barcelona for you?
JST: An association that has already become a great community, representative of Barcelona’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, and that multiplies its value thanks to the synergies it generates for all the individuals, organisations and communities that form part of it.
