Members Calling #142 | Marina Teixidor: "Entrepreneurs also have to sting like a bee and fly like a butterfly"

Marina Teixidor (Sabadell, 1994) is a restless and creative soul. A serial entrepreneur with a background in communication and specialising in technology and innovation, she has founded both start-ups and traditional businesses, accumulating experiences of success and failure.

She is currently the co-founder of the energy group Voltexa and the driving force behind the collaborative digital media outlet Techie Trends, as well as a mentor, investor and promoter of the ecosystem.

 

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

MT: At Techie Trends, we give a voice to leading women in innovation and technology, and we show that there are many of them, and they are very good. In AI, cybersecurity, blockchain, biotech…

 

TB: What stage is it at and where do you see it in two years’ time?

MT: We started this year, so we are growing and learning. In two years’ time, the project will be international and I hope it will have much more visibility and community.

 

TB: A good idea you’ve had.

MT: Giving up everything to start my own business a few years ago. I felt that I finally fit in.

 

TB: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced?

MT: Losing everything from one day to the next and having to start from scratch. It made me resilient.

 

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

MT: An entrepreneur has to know how to sting like a bee and fly like a butterfly. They have to know how to do both. You can’t always sting; there are times when you just have to let yourself go, trust what you’ve sown, and be patient.

 

TB: A role model.

MT: The founder of my other current project. He’s been an entrepreneur all his life and has a mind and passion that make you want to follow him.

 

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

MT: Quantum computing. I’m fascinated by the fact that I don’t fully understand it and what it will mean.

 

TB: A startup or company.

MT: Reshape, they have an exceptional team, both professionally and personally. And they are achieving everything they set out to do.

 

TB: What do you do to disconnect?

MT: Go for a walk in nature, swim or cook. In general, anything that doesn’t involve screens.

 

TB: A book to recommend.

MT: ‘Circe’ by Madeline Miller, or anything by Ottessa Moshfegh. Reading good fiction oxygenates me.

 

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

MT: I think I live in a perpetual “Inside Out”, with emotions as the protagonists. The roller coaster of entrepreneurship and risk-taking. Plus, right now I’m creating more essential memories than I could have ever imagined.

 

TB: A recipe, a restaurant.

MT: As for recipes, any of my grandmother’s: she was a professional cook and taught me everything I know. As for restaurants, I have very fond memories of Voltereta Kioto, the one from the trip to the past.

 

TB: A place in the world.

MT: My home. Honestly, I’ve travelled a lot and I love it, but as far as home with the family (including work) goes, there’s nowhere else.

 

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

MT: It depends on whether I expect to get it back or whether I can afford to gamble it. If it were the latter, I would make small investments in 10 or 15 start-ups to boost innovation.

 

TB: If you weren’t an entrepreneur…

MT: I wouldn’t be me. Everything that comes to mind has to do with entrepreneurship or creation. It’s in my DNA. Although, if I had to be something else, I would bet on being an investor. It’s the closest thing to a natural evolution.

 

TB: What does Tech Barcelona mean to you?

MT: A community where we can share and discover, and where we speak the same language.