Motherhood still appears in too many conversations as a professional barrier. But more and more women are finding in technology a way to balance professional ambition, stability, and flexibility without giving up family life.

One of the initiatives that best represents this change is Supermums. Born in the United Kingdom around the Salesforce ecosystem, the community has established itself as a benchmark in inclusive tech training and women’s access to the digital sector. More than 1,800 mothers — and also some fathers — have already gone through its upskilling, reskilling, or career transition programs into digital careers within more than 400 companies.

Cristina P. Manjavacas (Madrid, 1983) is part of the company’s growth in Spain and LATAM as Head of Marketing and Community. Through events, partnerships, and community building, she works with a very clear mission: to open more doors for women in technology.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

CP: To grow the Supermums community in Spain, already established in the UK, to train and support more women towards careers in technology, especially in AI and Salesforce.

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

CP: We are in an expansion phase in Spain, building community, partnerships, and visibility. In two years I see it as a solid network of talent, mentors, and partner companies that facilitates training, employment, and female leadership in technology.

TB: A key decision that has shaped your project.

CP: Choosing to build community through events and collaborations with the tech ecosystem, rather than focusing solely on online training.

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

CP: Introducing an international initiative into a new market requires building trust from scratch. It has taught me the importance of listening to the local ecosystem and building long-term relationships.

TB: The best advice you’ve ever received.

CP: “Opportunities come through people.” Investing time in building relationships is always worth it.

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

CP: I used to think everything had to be perfectly planned and that you had to know absolutely everything before starting something new; now I believe more in experimenting, iterating, and learning fast.

TB: A professional role model who inspires you.

CP: I’m inspired by professionals who build communities and generate real impact in talent development, especially those who pave the way for more diversity in tech. Like Heather Black, our CEO.

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

CP: Attitude, generosity in sharing knowledge, and the ability to build together.

TB: A startup or company you admire and why.

CP: Salesforce, for how it has built a global ecosystem of talent, partners, and community around its technology.

TB: What do you do to disconnect?

CP: Reading, going to concerts, walking in nature, and spending time with friends and family.

TB: A book recommendation.

CP: ‘The Little Prince’, always.

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

CP: “El Bien”, Viva Suecia.

TB: A recipe, dish, or restaurant.

CP: Any meal shared with friends.

TB: A place in the world.

CP: My family.

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

CP: In tech education, especially AI training and diverse talent, particularly women.

TB: If you weren’t doing what you do today…

CP: I would probably work in education or talent development projects.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona to you?

CP: A meeting point to connect talent, innovation, and community within Barcelona’s tech ecosystem.

Last year, more than 290,000 cancer diagnoses were recorded in Spain — steadily rising figures that place the disease among the greatest public health challenges worldwide. On the other side are those working tirelessly to stop it.

“You can never give up.” That’s how Joan Torrejon (Barcelona, 1958), CEO of Cebiotex, a spin-off from the UPC and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, sums it up. The company has developed a biodegradable membrane designed to prevent tumors from returning after surgery — one of the major challenges in oncology.

Torrejon took over leadership of the project in October 2025. A biologist by training, he brings more than 40 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, having worked at companies such as UCB, Almirall, Esteve, and Biogen.

In this interview, he speaks about the challenges that still lie ahead, the importance of respect within teams, and a place where everything stops: Menorca, “the best place in the world” when it comes to disconnecting.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

JT: Our project aims to help cancer patients avoid relapses and therefore contribute to helping them live longer and with a better quality of life.

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

JT: We are currently in Phase II research in two indications: pancreatic cancer in adults and soft tissue sarcomas in pediatric patients. In two years, I hope we’ll be able to say that we are in a position to improve the lives of people suffering from these diseases.

TB: A key decision that marked your project.

JT: Launching the first Phase I clinical trial in soft tissue sarcoma. We achieved very positive results, and this will have a major positive impact on the company’s evolution and on our ability to improve patients’ prognoses.

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

JT: Relaunching one of the companies where I worked. With resilience and high-quality work, you can overcome many challenges. You can never give up.

TB: The best advice you’ve ever received.

JT: Deeply respect people.

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

JT: More than changing my opinion, I’ve changed the way I approach challenges. You always have to count on people, treat them well, be patient, and keep learning constantly.

TB: A professional role model who inspires you.

JT: One of my former bosses taught me how to understand people, how to have difficult conversations, and how to enjoy work.

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

JT: Authenticity, collaboration among all team members, critical thinking, the ability to give constructive feedback, and courage.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

JT: In the pharmaceutical world, advances in genetics and related sciences — bringing medicine to the highest degree of personalization — will allow us to live much better lives for the years we have. We still face many challenges in oncology, neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, degenerative diseases, and rare diseases.

That’s why it’s so important to nurture an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit. Investing in R&D is the key. We only need to look back to see the progress made in medicine and biology. Today, we live on average more than 30 years longer than our grandparents and great-grandparents, thanks to advances in healthcare.

AI will also contribute, but on its own it won’t make us live longer. It will, however, make us more efficient.

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

JT: BioNTech. They believed in primary research around mRNA — a fundamental molecule in biology that carries DNA instructions — until they built a platform that can help in many areas of medicine. And it helped us emerge from COVID sooner than many of us expected.

TB: What do you do to disconnect?

JT: Reading and spending time by the sea. Menorca is the best place in the world for that.

TB: A book you would recommend.

JT: ‘Ithaca’ by Constantine P. Cavafy and ‘The Book of Absences’ by Miquel Martí i Pol.

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

JT: ‘Hallelujah’, by Leonard Cohen. 

TB:A recipe, a dish, a restaurant.

JT: 24k-dires in Valldoreix, and Cap Roig in Menorca.

TB: A place in the world.

JT: Menorca. You don’t need to go far to find paradise.

TB: Where would you invest €100k?

JT: In Cebiotex.

TB: If you weren’t an entrepreneur…

JT: I would still dedicate myself to what I do today. I’m passionate about the pharmaceutical industry and teaching my Master’s students. I’ve been privileged. And the times ahead will be even better — I’m sure we will continue improving people’s lives. It’s a shame that advances in healthcare do not always benefit society as a whole.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona for you?

JT: The place where I share the future with my colleagues.

As much as some may insist on denying it, climate change has made its way into our lives — and it’s becoming more evident every day: heatwaves, wildfires, flash floods, droughts that seem endless… And with that come direct impacts on our health, but also on the economy and on the operations of key sectors such as energy, infrastructure and finance.

In this context, Alejandro Martí (Barcelona, 1981), CEO and co-founder of Mitiga Solutions, is building a platform to prevent climate risks through AI, science and supercomputing. Holding a PhD in Environmental Engineering from UPC and with more than 15 years of experience, he also chairs the UN Group on AI for Climate Applications. The company has recently secured more than €2 million in grants through the EIC Accelerator and up to €6 million in co-investment from the EIC Fund, consolidating its position as one of Europe’s leading emerging climate innovation projects.

“If I weren’t an entrepreneur, I’d adopt a goat and seek refuge in the mountains… and I’d probably end up launching a startup from there (once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur!).”

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

AM: Mitiga Solutions was created to help companies anticipate and manage physical climate risks with scientific rigor, high resolution and cutting-edge technology. Our purpose is to improve operational and financial resilience, optimize strategic decision-making, and unlock new opportunities in a context of growing climate volatility.

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

AM: We are in full international expansion, working with insurers, investors and operators of critical infrastructure. In two years, I see Mitiga as the leader in climate intelligence applied to infrastructure, starting with the energy sector, integrating our technology directly into large-scale operational, strategic and planning decisions.

TB: A key decision that has shaped your project.

AM: One key decision was adopting a client-first vision. By listening to the market and our customers, we understood their need for more precise and actionable asset-level analysis. That led us to evolve towards an asset-first approach, prioritizing analysis tailored to each asset type rather than relying on generic models. Although it brought greater technical complexity and effort, it allows us to deliver much more accurate and useful insights, maximizing the real value we generate for clients.

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

AM: One of the greatest challenges has been turning top-level science — involving physical modeling, supercomputing and advanced methods — into products that are truly applicable and valuable for large companies and infrastructure operators. It taught me that science only creates impact when it becomes actionable tools supported by a solid business model, and that technical rigor must always be accompanied by a deep understanding of the customer and their operational decisions.

TB: The best advice you’ve been given.

AM: Don’t do things halfway.

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

AM: Ask more questions. People are willing to help.

TB: A professional role model who inspires you.

AM: Francisco Artigas, Director of MRRI and Chief Scientist del Meadowlands Research and Restoration Institute, en New Jersey.

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

AM: I value clarity and accountability. I like working with people who take ownership, execute rigorously and, above all, create impact without overcomplicating simple things.

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

AM: Multiverse Computing, for constantly pursuing the next big thing.

TB: What do you do to disconnect?

AM: Going on walks in nature with my dogs.

TB: A book you’d recommend.

AM: Atomic Habits. It shows you how small things can waste your time… so you can become more efficient.

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

AM: ‘Stronger’, by Kelly Clarkson.

TB: A recipe, a dish, a restaurant.

AM: I know how to make ‘salmon en papillote’. A restaurant: Som Sis, in Barcelona.

TB: A place in the world.

AM: Chemuyil, in Mexico, where I stopped feeling the need to own things…

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

AM: In technologies that integrate structural vulnerability and climate risk directly into infrastructure decision-making. This includes AI-accelerated physical models and tools that help prioritize CAPEX and OPEX based on real risk.

TB: If you weren’t an entrepreneur…

AM: I’d adopt a goat and seek refuge in the mountains… and I’d probably end up building a company from there (once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur!)

TB: What is Tech Barcelona for you?

AM: It is the connector that energizes the city’s tech ecosystem: a meeting point where talent, innovation and ambition converge to create real impact from Barcelona to the world.