José Miguel Bermúdez-Miquel
Co-founder & CEO at bound4blue | Aerospace Engineer
ABOUT MYSELF
I am an entrepreneur with a 5-year experience in the field of tech-based industrial startups with a good knowledge of the industries of shipping, fuel efficiency technologies, renewable energies and hydrogen technologies. I’m a passionate of day-to-day problem solving which challenges my intuition, logic and analytical mindset, to reach professional goals aligned with positive impacts on our society.
My background education has given me the required knowledge and tools to lead, manage and coordinate the development of revolutionizing technologies and products. My entrepreneurship experience has enabled me to transform those technologies into real world-impacting businesses.
EXPERIENCE
– bound4blue, Barcelona, Spain (March 2015 – Current) – Co-founder & CEO
The company is dedicated to the development and commercialization of our patented (EU, USA, China, Japan) rigid wingsail technology as an environmentally friendly complementary propulsion system to solve the two big challenges of maritime transport: fuel cost and more restrictive regulations concerning pollutant emissions. Additional information is available at www.bound4blue.com and vimeo.com/173921433
At a second stage, the company will use this technology as the key part of our patented (EU, USA, China, Japan) hydrogen production system based on wind-power and electrolysis. More information is available at vimeo.com/113636390.
As co-founder of the company, my tasks and responsibilities extend to several fields such as business plan development, company strategy definition, marketing and sales and fund raising.
As CEO, my role is to lead the daily operation of the company, being responsible for the development, design, operation, and improvement of the wingsail system that bound4blue delivers. This role includes a wide range of tasks from purely designing and implementing business strategies and plans that ensure alignment with short-term and long- term objectives developed to communicating operational strategies to employees, building employee alignment with company goals, overseeing human resource development or managing relationships with key customers, partners and stakeholders.
marvelmat, Barcelona, Spain (March 2015 – Current) – Shareholder and Board Member
The company (www.marvelmat.com) manufactures and commercializes a customizable disposable bathmat to increase safety and comfort during shower time.
I am business and strategy advisor for the company.
I was part of the initial team and, as Project Manager, my tasks included:
Project Management – Project requirements and objectives definition. Management of the technology development roadmap.
Engineering – Development and test of near-space vehicle, being the larger one 2m wide and capable of lifting 500kg to 40km altitude in a controlled environment-
Campaign coordination – Prepare and coordinate the launch and flight campaigns.
Launch/Recovery – Perform high-altitude balloon flights of up to 35.000 m3 and 600kg.
As member of the initial team and as Business Developer of the company, my responsibilities extended to other fields:
Business development – Elaborate, submit and negotiate collaboration proposals with several suppliers. I worked on an EU-FP7 project and a Horizon2020 SME Instrument.
Sales – Getting scientific, and PR & Sponsorship customers including research centers from Singapore, the European Space Agency, Airbus, Vodafone and Audi between others.
Fund raising – Develop a complete business plan. Prepare proposals for private and public investors. Pitch the project to and negotiate with these investors. +2M€ were raised.
– GMV Aerospace & Defense, Madrid, Spain (June 2007 – June 2009) – Aerospace Engineer
I joined the GNSS department working in GPS/EGNOS related activities and designing new tools for flight trajectories simulation.
EDUCATION
BarcelonaTech University – UPC (Barcelona, Spain) 2009-2014
BSc & MSc in Aerospace Engineering
Specialized in Space Vehicles
MSc Thesis about zero2infinity
COMPLEMENTARY EDUCATION
IE Business School (Barcelona – Madrid, Spain) 2010
Banespyme – Orange Program | Summarized and condensed business administration program.
Escuela de Organización Industrial (Madrid, Spain) 2010
Presentation techniques course.
Deloitte (Barcelona, Spain) 2010
Startups management and funding seminar.
IESE Business School (Barcelona, Spain) 2009
Startups management and funding course.
PUBLICATIONS
Influence analysis of the wingsail system configuration on the technical performances and financial return of the technology on sail-assisted vessels – José Miguel Bermúdez, Cristina Aleixendri, David Ferrer, Mario Mantilla, Albert García, Francisco Saenz, Núria Ferrés. The Royal Institution of Naval Architects – Power & Propulsion Alternatives for Ships Conference (November 2017).
A combined photovoltaic and novel renewable energy system: An optimized techno-economic analysis for mining industry applications – Eduardo Vyhmeister, Cristina Aleixendri Muñoz, José Miguel Bermúdez Miquel, Javier Pina Moya, Carlos Fúnez Guerra, Lourdes Rodríguez Mayor, Alex Godoy-Faúndez, Pablo Higueras, Carmen Clemente-Jul, Héctor Valdés-González, Lorenzo Reyes-Bozo. Journal of Cleaner Production (February 2017).
Bound4blue as a solution for sustainable and cost-effective hydrogen generation – Cristina Aleixendri Muñoz, José Miguel Bermúdez Miquel, David Ferrer Desclaux, Francisco Sáenz Sáenz, Carlos Fúnez Guerra. Oral presentation at the World Hydrogen Energy Conference (June 2016).
bound4blue concept applied to the Chilean mining industry – Lorenzo Reyes Bozo, Cristina Alexindri Muñoz, José Miguel Bermúdez, Carlos Fúnez Guerra. Procemin 2015 – 11th International Mineral Processing Conference, Santiago de Chile (Chile, 2015).
Market Implications of Miniaturized Satellites: High-Performance Microsats and the Oversupply in Launchers’ Attributes Set the Conditions for Market Disruption – Lluc Palerm & Jorge Salas & José Miguel Bermúdez (Zero 2 Infinity SL, Spain), Jordi Barrera (Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd., UK). New Space – Scott Hubbard, 2014.
EGNOSATC: A Prototype for the Generation of NOTAM for European EGNOS Flight Procedures, ION (Institute Of Navigation) GNSS 2008, March 2008, Savannah, Georgia (USA).
PATENTS
Set of Stowable Rigid Sails (2009) – Europe (EP2409912), USA (US8601966), Japan (JP2012520209), China (CN102356023)
Rigid Sail with Configurable Profile (2007) – Europe (EP2202144)
Sail having variable profile (2015) – WO2016ES70151 20160309
System for the production of hydrogen from sea water (2015) – WO2016ES70150 20160309
Sail having an aerodynamic profile with interchangeable leading and trailing edges (2016) – WO2017ES70246 20170421
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Personal awards:
• Awarded as FPdGi – Princess of Girona Business Award 2018.
• Awarded as one of Europe’s TOP 50 Entrepreneurs (2017), a prize organized by Knowledge 4 Innovation, presenting bound4blue’s solution in the Hemicycle of the European Parliament.
Corporate awards:
• Won the most recognized startup competition of Spain, organized by CaixaBank (third-largest banking group in Spain), being awarded with the Emprendedor XXI Award (2018).
• Won the label as a Solar Impulse Foundation Efficient Solution and having received the endorsement of the World Alliance for Efficient Solutions based on the assessment made by independent experts for its technological feasibility, environmental and socio-economic benefits, and potential or realized profitability (2018).
• Award winner in the category of Most Promising Start-up for our outstanding performance and concept during the pitch time event at the Climate Show in Geneve, Switzerland (2018).
• Awarded for our contribution towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 14 in the First Edition of the go!ODS award organized by Pacto Mundial and Fundación Rafael del Pino, Madrid, Spain (2018).
• Selected as one of Hello Tomorrow’s Top 500 deeptech startups and named one of the 6 aeronautics track finalists from 4,500 applications (2018).
• Won the Barcelona Port Challenge (2017).
Link to his LinkedIn: José Miguel Bermúdez Miquel | LinkedIn
