Stroke is the third leading cause of disability worldwide. In fact, millions of survivors are never able to walk again.

Iván Martínez (Bergara, 1972), an industrial engineer with more than twenty years of experience in supply chain and operations, had a personal experience that led him to focus all his efforts on robotics applied to people with disabilities and the development of medical devices.

As CEO and founder of Robopedics, he now leads a project that seeks to restore these individuals’ ability to stand, walk and regain their independence thanks to the Awake bionic system.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

IM: To create the technology and conditions that will enable millions of people with stroke-related disabilities to walk again, thereby improving their quality of life and health.

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

IM: Robopedics is very close to reaching the market. In two years, it will be present in the main markets of the European Union and planning its entry into the United States. It will also be the global model in robotic mobility for disabled people.

TB: A good idea you’ve had.

IM: Creating Robopedics.

TB: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced?

IM: Developing unilateral robotic technology when the state of the art was bilateral.

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

IM: Surround yourself with the best.

TB: A role model.

IM: Marcos Martín, from Decelera. He combines talent, humility and purpose. He’s also a great person. A very, very difficult combination to find.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

IM: Bionics.

TB: A start-up or company.

IM: Heuristik.

TB: What do you do to switch off?

IM: Cooking in the company of good music and good wine.

TB: A book to recommend.

IM: In this context, ‘Barcelona startup: Historia e historias del mayor ecosistema tecnológico y digital del sur de Europa’, by Mar Galtés. Essential for understanding how we got here.

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

IM: ‘Un buen día’, by Los Planetas.

TB: A recipe, a restaurant.

IM: My mother’s vegetable stew. Restaurant: “La Estrella” in Barcelona.

TB: A place in the world.

IM: The summit of Mount Amboto in the Basque Country on a day when the south wind is blowing.

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

IM: In Robopedics, of course.

TB: If you weren’t an entrepreneur…

IM: I would share 25 years of professional experience so that others don’t make the same mistakes.

TB: What does Tech Barcelona mean to you?

IM: One of the key pieces without which it is impossible to understand Barcelona’s current innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.