Silvia Gómez Montes (Madrid) has a degree in Chemistry and is CEO of Sens Solutions, a startup born from the UAB Research Park that develops intelligent systems for the detection and elimination of pathogens in air (Aero-S3DP, AMR-S3DP) and water (Hydro-S3DP).

“During my PhD developing sensors at UAB, I had the opportunity to see how a product was brought to market and I made a decision that changed my life. A 360-degree turn. Taking the reins of my own project in 2014”.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

SG: Sens Solutions’ purpose is to improve the lives of living beings and do our bit to make the world a better place. Our products allow you to anticipate infections: the data and analyses we make, cross-check and cross-reference are able to foresee the future and change the lives of living beings. As magnanimous as it sounds, small things can also make big changes.

TB: A good idea you have had.

SG: I took the leap and created Sens Solutions. When I was involved in research, I saw how great projects were left in a drawer due to lack of funding. So I decided that all that effort, all my hours of work, could not come to nothing. So I decided to set up a team with the same enthusiasm and interests as me.

TB: A bad professional experience.

SG: We have not had bad professional experiences because we learn from everything, even from disappointments. Let’s just say that in our baggage we have encountered the snake oil salesman that we have not always been able to dodge at the first attempt. But as I said before, it’s not a bad experience, it’s a learning experience. Now we detect them in a short time. In short, we are like our products: we learn quickly and we are becoming more and more efficient.

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

SG: To pursue my dreams. May I work to achieve them. And not to run, but not to stop.

TB: A professional reference that inspires you.

SG: It may sound a bit cliché, but I am very inspired by the Curie marriage, both Marie and Pierre, obviously, for their great scientific contributions. She was a great pioneer, and as a woman dedicated to the world of science, it was not easy for her. From the very beginning she fought to study; for women, the university, especially for women scientists, was a hostile environment, and Marie broke all the existing barriers. But I am also inspired by her husband. Pierre said he would not accept the Nobel Prize unless his wife was also named as the leader of the project.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

SG: It already marks the present. Artificial intelligence.

TB: What are you worried about?

SG: The future. As a mother, I am most concerned about the world to come and how it will affect my child.

TB: A startup.

SG: There are so many that I like…! Bear in mind that more than 2,000 startups were registered in Catalonia alone in 2022. There are many that catch my attention: like Berrly, for its functionality in the cohesion of different communities; or Bio2Coat, which has developed an edible coating to keep products fresh.

TB: A book to recommend.

SG: “Todo arde” by Juan Gómez-Jurado. In fact, any book by Gómez-Jurado or Dolores Redondo. I love suspense.

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

SG: The film “Good Will Hunting”. I love Robin Williams and Matt Damon. The film represents a constant struggle between the fact of valuing your qualities and the conformism of living, letting time go by, life. I like to believe that we can all change the world and that the difference between one and the other is the attitude.

TB: A recipe, a meal, a restaurant.

SG: Japanese food. I like it all.

TB: A city, a journey.

SG: Vancouver or Toronto. My family likes Canada a lot. We are more about nature than cities, but any place near the Rocky Mountains is fine for us.

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

SG: At Sens Solutions.

TB: And a million euros?

SG: It’s easy too. Also at Sens Solutions.

TB: If you weren’t an entrepreneur…

SG: And if I had money… I would be an investor in startups. I love to believe in people’s passion and dreams. The craziest ideas can change the world so much thanks to entrepreneurs, from Thomas Edison or Joseph Wilson Swan (who they say was the true inventor of the light bulb), to Berners-Lee (inventor of the Internet). The human potential is incredible.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona for you?

SG: A launch pad, a platform to find partners, customers, clients, associates and colleagues.