"Being an entrepreneur means taking charge of your own professional life. Really pursuing your own ideas is difficult in a big corporate environment"

Braingaze is an spin-off of the University of Barcelona (UB) and ICREA founded by Laszlo Bax and Hans Supèr in September 2013 and based in Mataró (Barcelona). The company develops next-generation Mind Tracking Solutions for mental health and neurology diagnostics, as well as for consumer insight applications. Based on patented technology –applied for in 44 countries worldwide– that goes one step beyond eye tracking, they are able to measure very small involuntary eye movements that directly reflect the hard wired processing of visual information in your brain. By offering specific visual stimuli, they can target their measurement to reflect a specific part of your cognitive process, which allows them to 'see into your mind'.

Why did you want to be an entrepreneur?

Being an entrepreneur means taking charge of your own professional life. Really pursuing your own ideas and convictions is difficult in a 'big corporate' environment. That's why I preferred to work for companies like Volkswagen or Procter and Gamble as a consultant, rather than to join their ranks. I also really appreciate the opportunity to learn so many aspects of life: cutting edge technologies, advanced negotiation skills, team motivation, finance, UX, everything comes together in being an entrepreneur in the high tech scene.

What is the most important strategic decision you’ve made so far?

I guess to embark on this journey with Hans Supèr, a highly ranked neurobiologist working under the ICREA program in the UB. I meet many researchers with great ideas in my work at the Bax & Willems consultancy firm. It's quite rare though to find someone with clear scientific excellence that also has a down-to-earth mentality of wanting to see his science be converted into something practical that solves real life problems. Together we make a nicely balanced team. On top of that we made some great hiring decisions over the last 2-3 years that really have made a world of difference in the advances we have been able to make with limited resources.

What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

I guess the obvious ones: keep it simple; don´t try to explain everything in 60 seconds, really try to see things through the eyes of others that you are communicating with. Each of these is very simple to suggest but terribly hard to do.  

And now what? What milestones do you want to achieve in the short term?

In March 2016 we'll be presenting our first product (BGaze ADHD testing) at the European Psychiatry Congress in Madrid. They're expecting some 3000 clinical professionals from all over Europe. It will be a crucial opportunity to engage with a very important target audience. Before that, February 23-25 we'll be showcasing our technology at the 4YFN Exhibition that coincides with the Barcelona Mobile World Congress. Again, an opportunity to engage with clients and potential partners from across the world that we look forward to very much!