Interview with our CTO Sergi Consul

1 – Can you tell us about your background in technology and innovation?

My whole academic and work experience has been in technology and innovation. My journey started in telecommunication, computer and electronic engineering. I finished my Master’s in Telecommunication and Electronic Engineering from La Salle Ramon Llull University in Barcelona and then my PhD in Computer Engineering from the University of Memphis in the United States. Towards the end of my studies in Memphis, I was offered an internship position at Think Tank Team (TTT), Samsung Research American in Silicon Valley, where I spent the next four years working on different technological projects and leading hardware and machine learning in the US and South Korea. 

One of the opportunities that I had while at Samsung Research was working with the US Olympic Committee, where Jordi, CEO of Kamleon, was working at the time. My collaboration with Jordi dates back to those days, leading and developing breakthrough projects, but after a few years, we decided to bring it all home and Kamleon was born.

After my stay at Samsung and before joining Kamleon I have also had the chance to work at NTT developing and leading different robotics projects and business cases for clients. I worked closely with Jibo Inc. the maker of Jibo robots. 

Another project that I am also involved in is Lighthouse Disruptive Innovation Group in Boston where I am mainly an investor. My role is more of a machine learning consultant and technology and innovation specialist. 

2 – As CTO, what is your role at Kamleon?

I joined Kamleon at the very early stages, to bring a prototype to the market. My work included defining the whole technology stack: hardware, software, application connectivity, machine learning, as well as interfacing with design and science teams to develop a product that could achieve Kamleon’s ultimate goal: seamless interfaces that provide physiological insights. I also worked closely with Jordi on developing the technology roadmap and the technology/science advances needed to expand the company’s portfolio. 

3 – What do you like most about working at a startup such as Kamleon?

Most of my work experience had been with large corporations, so the move to a small yet hyper performing team was a challenge that I was looking forward to. You have to be resourceful when working at a startup. Naturally start-ups have limited resources, which means having to overcome barriers in an innovative and practical way. It’s honestly a challenge that I was looking for. Also, I connected very well with Jordi, something that not only makes work fun but also meaningful and motivating. All in all, I thoroughly enjoy building and developing a team from the ground up.

4 – What are your expectations for 2021? What are the key challenges to be addressed?

We’ve already validated our systems technically and scientifically, so our current challenge is to scale up the user/platform testing, production, and commercialization. At the end of this year we should be in a position to venture into the market with key clients that would allow us to grow the product, the platform, and consequently the company. 

As for the challenges, we are currently working on developing new sensing technologies that would provide more information to the users, and at a company-wide level, we are refining and preparing for growth, with mid to large scale deployments.