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Software is how I express my ideas into products that millions of people can use.
Started coding in BASIC at age 11 - my first program was called ‘El Buscador’ (Spanish for the seeker). I used it to browse through files in my machine that I used often, and add other items that I planned to use more later.
Soon enough, I started sharing what I built with my friends. They liked it. They wanted it. This made a huge impact on me. What if I could build things I can use with them?
I started playing around with HTML and decided to build a website where everyone my class in High School could catch up on the latest gossip. I know. But, what can I say? They used it! So I ran it for a while.
I later joined the Medical School at the European University of Madrid. Coming from a traditional European Spanish family, where it was widely believed computer geeks ‘don’t amount to anything other than opening a gadget store’, I was sold on the idea that I should follow my father’s steps and become a doctor. I really enjoyed my time there, but I couldn’t get rid of this bug to keep playing with computers. One could often find me in the library, programming. Crafting a simple website where other students could find pickup soccer games and tennis matches in campus, for a small fee. This seemed like an interesting idea.
It was ~2011. The ‘Web 2.0’ revolution. I was building websites for friends and their parents' to make money on the side and, soon, the word started to spread out. Parents talk, and eventually some small businesses had seen our work, and decided to reach out. Then some slightly bigger businesses. Then it was too much and I had to ask a friend for help. JP, my first employee. And then another, and a few more. In the meantime, the housing market bubble had already burst. The crisis hit Spain really hard, and my family wasn’t excluded from it. I decided to put my University education on pause. I figured my brother and the rest of my family may need the resources and, more importantly, I was confident I could figure it out for myself. So, I kept building. By the time I was 22, we had had just under 20 people writing websites with us.
Apple was hiring. I had just recently learned the story of Steve Jobs after his passing. It inspired me. It resonated with me. I had a growing curiosity and wanted to see it from inside. I soon joined Apple for the launch of the Apple Watch. I spent as much time as I could listening to anyone working there who was willing to share their story with me, and teach me the ropes. I loved it. I call it my ‘MBA’. It taught me invaluable lessons on how to work in teams, how to learn and how to learn fast. How quality matters, and how there is great work - and then the rest. I learned how trascendental the experience of using a product really is. I loved it, and am really thankful to everyone there who taught me almost everything I know today.
Fast-forward into the more recent past, I was still curious about that interesting idea I had in Medical School. It was very personal to me. I could barely speak any english when I went to the US for the first time, as a kid, but, I could play soccer! I found in soccer a way to make friends. To truly connect with people. I decided to build it. I went to New York City and raised capital for my new venture. Found an incredible team of young, extremely talented engineers. We opened offices in Madrid. where we built it. We soon found ourselves spending the majority of our time between New York, NY and Austin, TX. Sharing what we had built with tens of thousands of people.
I have always been passionate about simplicity. About building something that people can use without instructions. Something that feels like part of your phone. Something that people can think of as ‘theirs’. Where every single element is intentional and directly benefits the user.
Recently took a Senior iOS Engineering role in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Looking forward to connecting with y’all, drop a line in either:
