Catarina Monteiro is an Environment Engineer graduated at the Faculty of Biotechnology of Porto (UCP). Catarina Joined MIETE in September 2004.
MIETE-BLOG: It’s late July and we all dream about holidays, seaside and a relaxing environment. Catarina thank you so much for you time and for this brief interview. Please let us know a little bit about your background, about what lead you to Environment Engineering and finally to Innovation and Entrepreneurship?
CM: I was always a fan of the National Geographic; I think it was the greatest influence in the choice of my course. I was particularity interested in the sustainable development and how it could change our way to see the world so I decided to become an environment engineer. After I graduated I was full of ideas and wanted to start a business in this area. I realized that having ideas was not enough so I decided to enter in the MIETE, to learn how to transform ideas into successful businesses. I have to admit that MIETE changed the course of my professional life. Now I work in innovation and technology transfer and I plan to start my own business in a totally different area, this year.
MIETE-BLOG: Along the 1st edition of MIETE you and your team took one technology from a graduation project at FEUP and turned it into a product to world market. It was a long way to the final business plan that keeps being updated. Could you describe briefly your feelings along the way, the emotional up’s and down’s along the process of bringing a technology to the world market (it’s not there yet, we know, but it’s on its way!!!)
CM: It was definitively a process with ups and downs! In the beginning you are constantly going back and forth, screening the different potential products and markets that your technology can reach. There is always some information missing or, after weeks of work, you need to change everything because you discover that there is a better market. On the other hand you are working with people that you just met and even when the team is fully commited and the business plan is almost done there is always new information and changes that have to be done. But in the end it is really exciting to see the plan of your own business, with your ideas and the strategies that you believe is going to be a success.
MIETE-BLOG: Any lessons learned? Would you like to share some of your thoughts with the new MIETE student starting in September?
CM: I think that there were several lessons given by MIETE that can be applied to all the people to all the jobs, apart from the development of several important competences such as team work, leadership, work priorities and organization, to think big (the world is your market), to be open minded (a good opportunity does not have to be in your graduate area), and if one does not have potential, there are others that do.
MIETE-BLOG: Would you go through it all over again?
CM: Definitely, even if there was not a business in the end, I learned important things that can be used in all professional activities.
MIETE-BLOG: The negotiation of the technology Intellectual Property Rights is now going through its last steps. You and your MIETE colleague are about to start you’re new Venture in September. What does it feel like?
CM: This has a huge step. In the beginning of this process the team discussed the intentions and ways of participating in this business at the time we were still finishing the thesis so the negotiations were in a more slow rhythm. Now entering in the last steps of the negotiations’ the stress is rising, especially because Portuguese Universities are not used to technology transfer to start ups so the process is slow and full of bureaucracies. There is now an increasing responsibility and enthusiasm of starting a business that you planned throught the last two years.
