Leaders, Pere Rosales (Terrassa, 1966) has answers to your questions. After more than ten years specialising in leadership and innovation, including teaching at various universities and business schools, he is the CEO and founder of INUSUAL, a training and coaching company with a presence in Barcelona and Boston, expert in the development of innovation and leadership skills.

“Through a learning club, we prepare leaders, teams and organisations: big ones and those that think big.”.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

PR: To prepare leaders who are aware of their ability to influence the world and are committed to creating a positive impact wherever they are.

TB: A good idea you have had.

PR: We created a professional community in 1997 for innovative people, which is still going strong. Today it is a learning club that proposes a new leadership model from which we serve individuals, teams and organisations that want to develop their own innovative capacity.

TB: A bad professional experience.

PR: Getting saturated by selling something I didn’t believe in and ending up surrounded by toxic people, who took away my sleep and eventually affected my personal environment. A period I remember with gratitude for everything I learned, but I wouldn’t go back to it for all the money in the world.

TB: The best advice you’ve ever been given.

PR: To lead is to be at the service of people, and not the other way round. Teresa of Calcutta summed it up very well in a phrase that I always keep in mind: “He who does not live to serve, does not serve to live”.

TB: A professional reference that inspires you.

PR: Simon Sinek, for his ability to convey complex ideas in a simple way. And his humanistic view of work. I like not only what he says, but how he says it.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

PR: The whole AI movement that is bursting onto the market: ChatGPT, Midjourney, etc. Robots will take care of everything predictable and reproducible, while humans will take care of everything sensitive.

TB: What are you worried about?

PR: The dehumanisation of society. That we are unable to take advantage of technological advances without losing the essence of what makes us human. Technology is neither good nor bad, the use we make of it is. And that has more to do with leadership than with technology.

TB: A startup.

PR: Typeform. I love them and have been following them since they started. We are customers and heavy users of both Typeform and VideoAsk. I admire their minimalist approach and global positioning from Barcelona.

TB: A book to recommend.

PR: A classic, “How to win friends and influence people” by Dale Carnegie; and “Get Together” by Bailey Richardson, Kevin Huynth and Kai Elmer. Both deal with interpersonal relationships from two very different angles, but based on the same essence.

TB: A series or film or song that defines your moment in life.

PR: The first one that comes to mind is “Life is beautiful”. It seems to me to be a brutal lesson in a positive attitude in the face of adversity. The important thing is not what happens to us, but what we do with it for others.

TB: A recipe, a meal, a restaurant.

PR: Cooking is not my forte, but everyone who tastes my chips falls in love with them 🙂 My favourite meal is very simple: crispy toast with tomato and Iberian ham. My second favourite is bluefin tuna tataki, with whatever and wherever.

TB: A city, a journey.

PR: As a city, without a doubt New York, although I would never change it for Barcelona. The best trip of my life so far has been to visit French Polynesia, especially Bora Bora, a natural paradise where I wouldn’t mind spending the last days of my life.

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

PR: In INUSUAL to keep growing. I would focus it mainly on the development of the products we are already making, but it would allow us to save a lot of time.

TB: And a million euros?

PR: Exactly the same project, but with one million. In addition, I would accelerate business development in the USA from our company in Boston.

TB: If you were not an entrepreneur…

PR: I would not be me. I guess I would be an intrapreneur, or probably a board member of some company unusual enough to hire me.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona for you?

PR: An essential association to improve the entrepreneurial ecosystem of our city. From Barcelona, to the world. A vehicle for real change for all the people committed to putting and keeping Barcelona at the top of the list of innovative cities.

Germán Porras (1986, Bogotá) is COO and co-founder of Raiil together with Miguel Ángel Moncayo (CEO) and Mariano Enrique Diz (CTO). They define Raiil as “the startup that is revolutionising communication between the food industry and its suppliers”.

A business administrator by profession and “an enthusiast of technology as an enhancer of daily work”, Germán Porras has worked for more than eight years as a business consultant for the industrial and telecommunications sector, leading projects focused on the digitisation of B2B processes in Colombia, Chile and Peru.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

GP: Raiil’s purpose is to facilitate the relationship between suppliers of services and products for the food industry and their customers. Through our platform, we optimise your orders, digitise the payment process and offer a marketplace to find new suppliers.

TB: A good idea you have had.

GP: I think the best idea is the one you develop with your daily work. In that sense, I consider Raiil to be the greatest and most beautiful idea I have had the opportunity to co-create and develop. All this is easier when you work with a great team: Miguel, in his business vision, and Mariano in the development of all our crazy ideas. Thanks team!

TB: A bad professional experience.

GP: Early in my career I had trouble understanding the scope of a project or the responsibility I was committing myself to, resulting in duties that were difficult to fulfil.  Now, I try to take on challenges that I can execute, or rely on a team to help me overcome these new challenges.

TB: The best advice you’ve ever been given.

GP: Fall in love with the problem, not the solution. In this ecosystem many people tend to value the solution rather than the market problem, resulting in great tools that lack purpose.

TB: A professional reference that inspires you.

GP: The Itnig team and their podcast have been like a beacon in the midst of the darkness.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

GP: Artificial Intelligence. With the amount of data we now generate about every aspect of our lives, and the ability of neural networks to predict almost any event, I think AI is going to be the driver of the next big change we have as a human species.

TB: What are you worried about?

GP: Let capitalism without limits leave us without a planet to live on.

TB: A start-up.

GP: Tableau. Although it does not qualify as a startup, I highlight it because it has changed the way we visualise and work with data.

TB: A book to recommend.

GP: “Cien años de soledad”, by Gabriel García Márquez. If anyone wants to understand life in Latin America, this classic is a very good reference of our culture.

TB: A series or film or song that defines your moment in life.

GP: The Silicon Valley series. I see what we are, want to be and can’t be as a startup, all in one place.

TB: A recipe, a meal, a restaurant.

GP: One recipe, ‘bolognese’ works well for me; pizza is always going to be great; and as for the restaurant, I’m now a fan of Circus Pizza in the centre of Barcelona.

TB: A city, a journey.

GP: The Tayrona National Park in Colombia.

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

GP: In my family.

TB: And a million euros?

GP: In education to help disadvantaged communities.

TB: If you were not an entrepreneur…

GP: I would work for an NGO focused on the environment.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona for you?

GP: The place to be if you are an impact startup in Barcelona.

Blanca Serra (Barcelona, 1994) is the co-founder and CEO of UCloudStore, a Google Premier Partner that helps companies implement the Cupertino company’s tools and solutions.

A graduate in Business Administration, with two master’s degrees and a postgraduate degree specialising in business and digital marketing, she has been working for eight years at a Venture Builder that incubates technology start-ups, getting involved in four of them with the aim of helping them to become more innovative and intelligent through technology.

“My passion is working on digital projects and their internationalisation. I also consider myself a sports lover, keen to learn about other cultures and to know myself better”.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

BS: Our goal is to bring our customers to the cloud using Google Cloud technology. We work with companies that understand that technology is key to the growth of their business, and choose to adopt the cloud to simplify their work. We are located on four continents, operating in more than twenty countries, and have more than 1,000 customers thanks to our expertise in advising, integrating and adopting Google platforms.

TB: A good idea you have had.

BS: Betting on emerging markets with a lot of tech talent, as well as the rapid globalisation of uCloud in more than twenty countries in record time. We have talent in many parts of the world such as Argentina, Spain, Egypt, Colombia, El Salvador and Mexico. The cultural richness is incredible.

TB: A bad professional experience.

BS: I have had a bad experience in the administrative part of international management. With our expansion to so many countries, we had to manage more than ten different currencies and different tax systems, working with six different agencies. Until we had everything centralised and under strict control, it was a difficult time.

TB: The best advice you’ve ever been given.

BS: Working with passion, enthusiasm, vocation and perseverance. This is something we work hard at Ucloud, where we recognise that our greatest asset is our people. The best way to develop talent is through challenges and being the best version of yourself, and this cannot be achieved without passion and enthusiasm. A phrase that identifies me: “leave your mark on what you do”.

TB: A professional reference that inspires you.

BS: My father, a self-made entrepreneur, has always wanted to grow professionally and personally and has focused his business on people. Being an entrepreneur is very demanding on an emotional level and he has helped me a lot to approach problems in a problem-solving way.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

BS: Cloud. Cloud is a technology that has enabled users and companies to share information, products and services in an efficient way, boosting the development of the world’s population. In recent years we have seen how the cloud has helped many entrepreneurs in emerging countries. We are committed to helping businesses in these countries create more opportunity and prosperity.

TB: What are you worried about?

BS: The rise of technology and having infinite amounts of information in the palm of your hand has had an impact on people’s relationships and habits. New technologies are just tools to make our lives easier, but they cannot be a substitute for our inner richness, be it family, friends or quality time with oneself. I am really worried that society will not connect with itself and turn us into robots.

TB: A start-up.

BS: I choose two! Vermut, a startup that promotes leisure for people over 55, because it helps to combat loneliness. And To good to go, because it uses technology for a very good cause: not wasting food.

TB: A book to recommend.

BS: “27 personajes en busca del ser” by Claudio Naranjo.

TB: A recipe, a meal, a restaurant.

BS: Seasonal vegetable risotto. And my favourite restaurant is Swagatan, an Indian place in Barcelona that has the best Indian food I’ve ever tasted. Plus, I love spicy food!

TB: A city, a journey.

BS: For nature lovers, Madagascar, for the variety of animal species, the jungle, the natural parks and wild beaches. It is not very touristy.

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

BS: In the creation of a hub to train, provide tools, guide and empower women managers.

TB: And a million euros?

BS: I would definitely invest in companies in the technology sector that have people at their core and that have an impact on society.

TB: If you were not an entrepreneur…

BS: I have a great concern for my personal growth. And, without a doubt, I see myself travelling, getting to know different cultures and working with something related to travel.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona for you?

BS: It is an entity that helps connect startups and entrepreneurs with corporations, investors and all the agents of the ecosystem and it has helped me a lot to promote the development of my talent and entrepreneurship.

Stefano Melchior (Udine, Italy, 1973), an industrial engineer with an MBA and Executive Master in Business Analytics from ESADE, is the CEO of BeChained, a platform that uses artificial intelligence to save energy costs and reduce the carbon footprint in industry.

“I am passionate about technology, especially technology that solves specific problems such as the climate crisis. In my spare time, I like to read and play sports (as a curiosity, I played basketball for 30 years).”

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

SM: We want to avoid 65 million tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2040. To achieve this goal, we help energy-intensive consumers to avoid recurring inefficiencies in their production processes, i.e. to avoid unnecessary consumption. This enables them to save costs and emissions.

TB: A good idea you have had.

SM: Setting up a startup with an impactful purpose that can help others. I am passionate about it and it allows me to enjoy my work.

TB: A bad professional experience.

SM: Many years ago I had an argument with a friend with whom I shared a professional experience. In the end, we decided to go our separate ways: I realised that his change of character had made him toxic to the project and that we were incompatible.

TB: A professional reference that inspires you.

SM: Steve Jobs, a person with a charisma and vision 20 years ahead of his time.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

SM: Nuclear fusion will provide clean energy in unimaginable quantities and on a small scale, with micro reactors.

TB: What are you worried about?

SM: I am concerned about the insensitivity of the political and business world to the climate drift to which we are leading the planet. Short-term economic solutions are being promoted. It is a short-sighted policy.

TB: A start-up.

SM: I really like the Go Zero Waste project, an app that promotes the elimination of single-use plastics. And also Recircular, a marketplace for recycling waste… Because “waste does not exist”.

TB: A book to recommend.

SM: Umberto Eco’s “The Name of the Rose” and Yuval Noah Harari’s “Homo deus”.

TB: A series or film or song that defines your moment in life.

SM: “Summertime” by Janis Joplin. It’s a timeless song, for all the beautiful seasons, like summer.

TB: A recipe, a meal, a restaurant.

SM: Salad with fresh tomatoes, green salad, cucumbers, cranberries and parmesan. I like it because it’s a fresh dish, and I like it both for lunch and dinner. And as a restaurant, I recommend “La tavernetta” in Udine.

TB: A city, a journey.

SM: I want to make a dream trip to Istanbul, the meeting point of Eastern and Western culture.

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

SM: In an education project, to promote reading. Because creating culture improves the world of tomorrow.

TB: And a million euros?

SM: In environmental education projects for young people and adults. We can all create sustainable consumption habits with minimal effort.

TB: If you were not an entrepreneur…

SM: I would like to have been a world traveller. Travelling, living outdoors and learning the best of other cultures.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona for you?

SM: It is the heart of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Barcelona. It has been the launching point for many success stories. And I love its policy of encouraging exchange to help colleagues (with a beer in hand).

Ana Aldea (Madrid, 1983) is the CEO and founder of Datasocial, HubSpot Elite Partner and agency that helps companies improve their revenue through automation, integration and strategic innovation in marketing and sales. However, Ana Aldea presents herself in a slightly different way…

“I am Gaspar’s granddaughter because my grandfather has been the person who has most determined my character and my way of being; from my daughter Ariadna, I have learned the magnitude of the word love and to look at the world as if it were new; from Lluvia, the pious mare I ride, to let myself go, to not have everything under control and, even so, to enjoy the journey; from the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation, the organisation of which I am a board member, that vulnerability is not a weakness, but a gift; and from Datasocial, the value of persistence, will and teamwork.”

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

AA: Helping our customers succeed in the business ecosystem, with technology, processes, data and people at the centre. Being a HubSpot Elite Partner consolidates us as specialists in technology ecosystems.

TB: A good idea you have had.

AA: The paleo-business concept. The company of the future will have values from the past: nomadic, flexible, horizontal and feminist. If you are curious to know more, this year I participated in a TEDx Talk where I explain it in detail.

TB: A bad professional experience.

AA: Working with clients who treat us with servility.

TB: The best advice you’ve ever been given.

AA: Never be brave and never be a coward.

TB: A professional reference that inspires you.

AA: Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia. Just a month ago he gave his company to the Earth: this is taking the company’s purpose to the extreme.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

AA: HubSpot and all that goes with it.

TB: What are your concerns?

AA: I want to create security for those around me.

TB: A startup.

AA: Minimalism Brand.

TB: A book to recommend.

AA: “Leaders Eat Last” by Simon Sinek.

TB: A series, film or song that defines your moment in life.

AA: “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles.

TB: A recipe, a meal, a restaurant.

AA: The paella that mum makes on Sundays.

TB: A city, a journey.

AA: The trip with Entrepreneurs’ Organization colleagues to Cappadocia, Turkey.

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

AA: In a company that cleans the sea of plastic.

TB: And a million euros?

AA: In Datasocial.

TB: If you weren’t an entrepreneur…

AA: I would be a writer.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona for you?

AA: An opportunity to meet other members of the ecosystem.

Check out TB Members Calling here.

Bharath Sankaran (Madras, India, 1985) is the CTO and co-founder of Scaled Robotics, a Barcelona-based construction startup and cloud-based platform that uses data captured on sites to automatically compare it against the project (BIM model) and schedule.

As a computer scientist and roboticist, with experitise in Computer Vision, Machine Learning and Mobile Manipulation, Bharath Sankaran has worked at world-renowed research labs in industry and academia, namely the University of Southern California, Max Planck Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, Qualcomm, Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs, and Bosch RTC. He also has degrees in aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering.

“I am generally interested in leveraging the state-of-the-art in machine learning and computer vision to solve complex real-world inference problems in unstructured environments”.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

BS: The purpose of our project is to inspire people to make better decisions to build the world that we want to live in.

TB: A good idea you have had.

BS: Using first principles, reformulating the problem of waste reduction in construction as a problem of manufacturing process control; and how AI can be leveraged to tackle this problem by comparing real-world measurements against virtually designed models and plans.

TB: A bad professional experience.

BS: There’s nothing good or bad about an experience if you view it as an opportunity to learn. Experiences come in two forms, things you want to repeat in the future and things you don’t.

TB: The best advice you’ve ever been given.

BS: If you are not making yourself uncomfortable, you are not learning. Evolution comes from change, not stability. Hence don’t be deterred by failure, tomorrow will always be a brand-new day.

TB: A professional reference that inspires you.

BS: Prof. Ružena Bajscy and my former classmate Diana Trujillo (NASA).

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

BS: Artificial Intelligence, especially the subfield of Machine Learning. With the advances we have made in computing and algorithms, coupled with the massive datasets we have built over the last couple of decades, we are now at the beginning of a new era of whirlwind change. We can now extract deep insights into fundamental problems we have been working on for decades. This will see a transformational impact in all fields that touch everyday life from healthcare and education to energy and construction.

TB: What are you concerned about?

BS: Global inequality and Climate Change (the least fortunate amongst us will be the most affected by the actions of others).

TB: A startup.

BS: Zipline.

TB: A book to recommend.

BS: “A short history of nearly everything” by Bill Bryson.

TB: A series, movie or song that defines your moment in life.

BS: As a series, “Star Trek Enterprise” (the original). As a movie, “The man from earth”. It’s a deeply profound movie. Artistically it shows you can convey a lot with very little. And as a song, “Manithan Enbavan” from a 50’s Tamil movie called “Sumai Thangi”. The song’s title translates to “The one who calls himself human”: the lyrics are also profound, and the composition is soothing. Listening to it calms my mind. For the internationally acclimatized, I would recommend reading a translation of the lyrics other than just listening to it.

TB: A recipe, a meal, a restaurant.

BS: Sri Lankan Sothi with idiyappam, my mom’s fried coconut sambar with sauteed okra, and Disfrutar (Barcelona) or La Giostra (Florence).

TB: One city, one trip.

BS: Kyoto. And Leh (Ladakh) bike expedition from Delhi on a Royal Enfield Bullet 500.

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

BS: Early childhood education.

TB: And one million euros?

BS: Solving problems in the accessibility of education.

TB: If you were not an entrepreneur…

BS: I am an accidental entrepreneur. I will always be a scientist first.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona for you?

BS: An opportunity to connect, learn, and if possible, inspire.

Check out other TB Members Calling here.

Jordi Simó Climent (Barcelona, 1995) is co-founder of Nuwe, a gamified platform -born in the Emprèn UPC Terrassa space- that helps companies find the best technological talent. Graduated in aerospace engineering at UPC and Business Administration at UOC, he is now responsible for the startup’s investment, finance and operations. “I had wanted to start a business for a long time and, as soon as I finished my studies, I got started”.

Discover Jordi Simó and his particular interest in cleantech and bluetech in this week’s Members Calling.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

JS: To change the technical selection processes, so that both companies and candidates enjoy the experience. We achieve this through our gamified platform, where we organize programming competitions based on the daily activities of the companies and where the talent of the candidates is evaluated.

TB: A good idea you have had.

JS: To start giving importance to my sleep hours. Many times we try to dedicate as much time as possible to work in order to develop our business. And you have to set limits. Sleeping badly and not getting enough rest will only make you make worse decisions and not perform optimally.

TB: A bad professional experience.

JS: Lack of communication is what has given me the most problems in the past. Not only on my part, but also with members of my team. It is very important to be transparent and provide clarity in your company. Otherwise you risk creating a Game of Thrones sequel.

TB: The best advice you’ve ever been given.

JS: A long time ago, a close person said to me, “I am not you, so don’t expect me to act the same way”. This comment opened my eyes and continues to help me today. We usually tend to self-demand too much or self-flagellate ourselves if we don’t meet our own expectations. A touch of reality, and knowing that there are other points of view, helps to not get sidetracked when you get locked into your own thoughts and beliefs.

TB: A professional reference that inspires you.

JS: Jordi Romero and Bernat Farrero of Factorial. Little by little they are helping to develop the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Barcelona and Spain. And listening to them week after week allows you to keep up to date, learn stories of other entrepreneurs, empathize and develop. Apart from what they have achieved with their own startup.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

JS: Everything that allows human beings to get closer to each other. We are living in a time where decentralization and remote work are on the front page of every newspaper. Anything that complements this experience by making everything more human will mark a before and after: augmented reality, virtual or other technologies.

TB: What are your concerns?

JS: Not enjoying every moment enough. I live too much thinking about planning what I will do tomorrow instead of enjoying what I do today. I’m working on it.

TB: A startup.

JS: The Ocean Cleanup.

TB: A book to recommend.

JS: “The Hard Things About Hard Things” by Ben Horowitz. This book is a must read for every entrepreneur. Ben talks about his experience and connects with the reader like no other book on entrepreneurship: from his failures and complicated moments.

TB: A series, movie or song that defines your moment in life.

JS: “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”. A classic. Friendship, epicness, an incredible story, admirable characters and an impossible challenge to fight against. In short, the life of a startup 🙂

TB: A recipe, a meal, a restaurant.

JS: I have been going with my family to La Flauta tapas restaurant in Barcelona for 12 years, every time we go to celebrate something. That says it all.

TB: One city, one trip.

JS: Rome is beautiful. It transports you to another era when you walk through its streets. And I am fascinated by the Roman Empire and Renaissance art. Switzerland is also spectacular. The magnificence of its mountains and landscapes made me fall in love when I visited it this summer.

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

JS: In Nuwe. 100k can help you hire staff and improve the platform. So I would invest it in talent.

TB: And one million euros?

JS: Exactly the same as in the previous case. With one million euros we could hire more talent, work to improve the product by adding all the ‘features’ that our customers ask for and test other markets.

TB: If you were not an entrepreneur…

JS: I am very interested in ‘cleantech’ and ‘bluetech’, so, if I could not become an entrepreneur, I would try to apply my knowledge and efforts to a company in this sector with good leadership.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona for you?

JS: For me Tech Barcelona is an opportunity. An opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs, to get new clients, to get new alliances. And everything I say I say because I have lived it.

Check out other TB Members Calling here.

Judit Camargo Sanromà (1977), CEO and founder of Roka Furadada, won the award for Best Startup at the WomenInTech Awards last week at Dubai’s Museum of the Future. We spoke to her to learn about her award-winning project, founded in 2019, and her more personal interests.

Chemistry, with a master’s degree in Statistical Design applied to Health Sciences, another in Biomedical Research applied to Public Health, a Management Development Programme from IESE and a PhD in progress: this is Judit Camargo’s extensive CV after more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical chemical sector. “In addition, I am involved in the promotion of equality with feminist associations such as ’50 a 50′, cultural exchange with ‘Women Bridge Barcelona Shanghai’ and activism for climate justice”.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

JC: Roka Furadada aims to reduce the incidence of skin cancer and other diseases related to sun exposure with highly effective active ingredients with low toxicological and environmental impact.

TB: A good idea you have had.

JC: Transferring the concept of energy and food sovereignty to materials, or obtaining local raw materials from waste, reducing the use of virgin raw materials.

TB: A bad professional experience.

JC: The bad experiences I have had have always been quite closely linked to political changes within organisations, takeovers, etc. Fear and uncertainty sometimes create toxic environments.

TB: The best advice you’ve ever been given.

JC: Not to pursue an academic career.

TB: A professional reference that inspires you.

JC: I have had many. But perhaps the most important was my first mentor, the laboratory director of the Barcelona Customs Office.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

JC: Quantum computers.

TB: What are you worried about?

JC: Climate change, single thinking and digital identity.

TB: A startup.

JC: Gate2brain.

TB: A book to recommend.

JC: “Eichmann in Jerusalén” by Hannah Arendt.

TB: A series, film or song that defines your moment in life.

JC: The film “Writing with Fire” and the song “You belong with me” by Anna Ternheim.

TB: A recipe, a meal, a restaurant.

JC: Aubergine hummus, Japanese food, the “Cecconis” restaurant at Soho House Barcelona.

TB: A city, a journey.

JC: Tokyo and New Zealand.

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

JC: In water and soil decontamination technology.

TB: And a million euros?

JC: In investigating the symbiotic relationship between host micro-organisms in humans and the immune system.

TB: If you weren’t an entrepreneur…

JC: I would be an artist or an inventor.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona for you?

JC: For me, Tech Barcelona was the first contact with the entrepreneurial ecosystem. It was in this place where I saw that it was possible to start a business and I decided that I wanted to do it.

Check out other TB Members Calling here.

David Cascón (Barcelona, 1987)

“My path was going in a different direction”. David Cascón graduated in Environmental Sciences at the UB, until dance came into his life. Since then, he changed the course of his professional career until he had his own physical dance school and flew “towards something much more scalable”, Rebaila: an online dance academy that in June closed a €225,000 pre-seed funding round.

We spoke to its CEO in this new TB Members Calling.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

DC: I want everyone to have access to dance classes at any time, with the best professionals and at an affordable price. The solutions on the market don’t satisfy what I would be looking for if I were a dance student, so together with my cofounder Vivian, we have created something that can help many people enjoy the immense benefits of dance.

TB: A good idea you have had.

DC: Phew…! As an friend used to say, every morning before I even had my first coffee, I have had twenty new business ideas. When we were at the physical dance school, for example, we set up private bridal dance classes, i.e. the classes you take so you don’t make a fool of yourself at your wedding in front of the people you care about. Nowadays Dance Emotion is the biggest bridal dance school and we work with about 150 (I think 200 this year) bridal couples every year. It’s crazy.

TB: A bad professional experience.

DC: They are supposed to be an apprenticeship, but… it’s a hard time! Recently, I have had the worst experience with developers, as I am very demanding with deadlines and I had to fight against a team that exceeded them five times over. And, to make matters worse, without completing the tasks. It was horrible and I learned a lot from the experience.

TB: The best advice you’ve ever been given.

DC: I’m a big fan of inspirational quotes and this is one of my favourite: “If a problem can be solved with money, it’s not a problem, it’s an expense”. However, the most important piece of advice – and one that I don’t apply as much as I should – is not to worry: if you can solve it, there’s no point in worrying, and if you can’t solve it, why should you worry?

TB: An inspiration.

DC: David Esteban from i3D and Retoornado, because he has told me about negative experiences that make me dizzy just thinking about them, and yet he has gone ahead with the greatest peace of mind in the world, with new ideas and projects. A genius!

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

DC: I’m with Zuckerberg and his metaverse on this. I think it will give us immersive experiences by making the barrier between the digital and the physical thinner. Another one that I love is autonomous driving: it will take us to another level in terms of transport and mobility.

TB: What are you worried about?

DC: About churc, CAC and LTV -just kidding-. As an entrepreneur, I think there are too many people looking to take advantage of those who are starting a project, selling them things that are not necessary at the point they are at, including accelerators that charge huge amounts for incubations that are honestly not worth it. I think that new entrepreneurs need better advice so that they don’t fall into these traps.

TB: A start-up.

DC: Only one? Right now a project called Grovy comes to mind, which allows you to work every day in a different place, taking advantage of the spaces available in amazing places: yoga schools, hotels, coworkings… You can also take advantage of some of their services such as yoga classes or catering.

TB: A book to recommend.

DC: On the one hand I loved the book “Never Split the Difference” by FBI negotiator Chris Voss. I also recommend any book by Mario Alonso Puig, very necessary to help your mental balance, something we startuppers need.

TB: A series or film or song that defines your moment in life.

DC: My reference is always the Matrix. It could not be more faithful to the reality we live in. Let everyone draw their own conclusions.

TB: A recipe, a meal, a restaurant.

DC: Since I’m not much of a cook, one recipe I do very well is avocado hummus. My favourite food ever is yaya’s macaroni, and as a favourite restaurant, I’m currently a fan of Honest Greens.

TB: A city, a journey.

DC: I like Los Angeles a lot, I see a similarity with Barcelona, despite the distances. And the same goes for Rio de Janeiro. A trip I loved is Venezuela: it’s so rich in nature with Angel Falls, Los Roques… Not to be missed!

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

DC: Right now I don’t have my head for new investments, so I would go straight into Rebaila to quickly expand the subscriber base through marketing actions. I would also improve the platform and create more content.

TB: And a million euros?

DC: I would love to have them because I would get a lot out of them, I wouldn’t waste anything. In addition to taking Rebaila to new countries ‘ipso facto’, I would keep an item for real estate business and to continue improving the physical school, which we have recently expanded with the absorption of a new centre. A million well invested would put everything on the right track, really.

TB: If you were not an entrepreneur…

DC:I wouldn’t really know what to be because it is printed in our DNA. But I could probably go back to being a dance teacher and a teacher of environmental workshops in schools for children with my association Bioescola (because I remember that I am an environmentalist). I would probably opt for giving more classes in schools, because I believe that we need to improve people’s education, and starting at the grassroots is much more effective.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona for you?

DC: I love the fact that there are associations dedicated to supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem without expecting a return and, without a doubt, everything you organise is ‘top’, so for me today you are a 10. You are also a reference in terms of entertaining and well-written newsletters.

Check out other TB Members Calling here.

Mauro Ponzè (Cagliari, Italy, 1973) is CEO of Numen Technologies, a cybersecurity solutions developer based in Barcelona. With a degree in Business Administration and more than 20 years of experience in business project management, he has worked in a multitude of sectors and international contexts: Europe (Italy and Spain), Latin America (Brazil, Colombia and Peru), USA and Africa.

“The heterogeneity of my professional experiences, both as a consultant and as a manager, has allowed me to develop skills in the application of business model design methodologies, an area I am constantly researching to update the contents I teach at the University of Cagliari”.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

MP: Numentech’s goal is to develop cyber security solutions that are reliable, accessible and easy to implement, and therefore within the reach of companies that do not have a high level of technical or financial expertise.

TB: A good idea you have had.

MP: Focusing the development of our solutions on a market segment that is increasingly vulnerable and exposed to cybersecurity risks: SMEs. This sector is traditionally the one least served by the main players.

TB: A bad professional experience.

MP: I don’t remember one in particular… Rather, I remember several in which my interlocutors have not been sufficiently transparent or ethical in the development of a project or collaboration. But I still think that a few disappointments – which I have had and will certainly have in the future – will not lead me to change my style of managing relationships.

TB: The best advice you’ve ever been given.

MP: That work always pays off and, therefore, we must trust in the benefits that dedication to work will always bring.

TB: An inspiration.

MP: Tim Brown, CEO of design consultancy IDEO.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

MP: There are several that will have a very considerable impact, but the one that can really revolutionise our existences is biotechnology. In particular, I am referring to all the applications that have enabled and will enable genetic manipulation for curing diseases, producing sustainable fuels and even creating intelligent tissues.

TB: What are you worried about?

MP: The inability or non-existence of contemporary ‘governances’ to manage the level of global complexity.

TB: A startup.

AG: Circa5000.

TB: A book to recommend.

MP: “Holonomics: Business Where People and Planet Matter” by Simon Robins.

TB: A series, film or song that defines your moment in life.

MP: There are days when I feel like the character Mastroianni in the film “8½”, but fortunately there are many others that remind me of situations from “Hollywood Party”.

TB: A recipe, a meal, a restaurant.

MP: Moqueca. Peruvian. The Uribou.

TB: A city, a journey.

MP: Rio de Janeiro in autumn, New York in spring. Maybe a long one I did in Patagonia…. But there are many of which I have precious memories.

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

MP: On a sailing boat.

TB: And a million euros?

MP: In the most interesting projects you find in Circa5000.

TB: If you were not an entrepreneur…

MP: Maybe I would go into teaching and farming.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona for you?

MP: A fantastic hub.

See other TB Members Calling here.