Alicia Asín Pérez | Digital Thread Podcast | Momenta

Alicia has made it her life's work to use technology to change the world, creating programs like "smart cities" and "precision agriculture" that monitor and improve efficiency and address climate change. Her company's technology is also helping underdeveloped nations expand access to health care through e-health monitoring devices.

Libelium’s mission is to help companies and cities to benefit from the full potential IoT has to offer. Their technology is deployed in more than 115 countries, primarily across Smart Cities and Precision Agriculture solutions. Libelium Waspmote and Plug & Sense families extend monitoring capabilities to 120 sensors to incorporate hundreds of IoT applications such as Smart Environment, Smart Water, Smart Cities, Smart Parking, Smart Agriculture, etc. 

Alicia was the first Spanish woman to receive the National Young Entrepreneurs Award in 2014 and was recognized by the King and Queen of Spain in 2017 with the highest distinction for scientists, researchers, and entrepreneurs. She holds a master’s degree in computer engineering from the Polytechnic Center of the University of Zaragoza and is a graduate of the Cambridge Judge Business School and ESADE.

Discussion Points:

• What would you consider to be your 'Digital Thread'?
• You were an early pioneer in the Machine to Machine and Internet of Things space, co-founding Libelium in 2006. What attracted you to the IoT space?
• Your shift from academia to startup was exceptional; at the time, it was not typical for a European woman engineer to follow such a path. What are the origins of Libelium?
• You decided early on to concentrate on the smart city and agriculture markets. Can you describe your most important use cases and successes?
• The Smart City industry has seen its ups and downs. How are you prepared for the next wave of smart city deployments?
• One of Libelium's early community endeavors was Cooking Hacks, a portal for amateurs (makers, students...). What did you learn from this effort?
• Congratulations are in order, as I know you recently closed a large round of growth funding. Where will you focus in this next stage of growth?
• Throughout its history, Libelium has been proudly Spanish and European. What do you like best about conducting business in Spain, and how does it compare to your peers in Silicon Valley?
• Where do you find your personal inspiration (think books, people, online, etc.)?