José Miguel Bermúdez, best young entrepreneur of the year for AIJEC

Proud to announce that José Miguel Bermúdez Miquel, our co-founder and CEO, has been awarded Jove Empresari de l’Any (Young Entrepreneur of the Year)  at the XXXI AIJEC awards.

[José Miguel, CEO & co-founder]

Often, the answer lies in our origins…

in the evolution of what brought us far

and what today can take us further than ever.

Because the answer is the sea…

and the solution is the wind.

If we considered maritime transport as a country, it would be the 6th largest polluter in the world, right behind Germany. It represents approximately 3% of global CO2 emissions. At bound4blue, our vision is to reduce emissions and fuel consumption in the maritime sector by harnessing the unlimited, clean power of the wind.

[Alberto Llopis, Head of Aerodynamics]

Our sail is a type of technology called a suction sail. The closest comparison would be to an airplane wing placed vertically. Aerodynamically, the suction sail is perhaps the most complex to understand and we see this as an advantage: a blank canvas that allows us to research further and find more improvements.

[José Miguel, CEO & co-founder]

90% of all goods in the world are transported by ship.

[Cristina Aleixendri, COO & co-founder]

Even though it’s one of the most sustainable means of transportation, the sheer volume of cargo moved results in enormous emissions. What we do, thanks to our sails, is co-propel these ships, reducing fuel consumption anywhere from 0%, if there’s no wind, up to 30%, and sometimes even more.

[José Miguel, CEO & co-founder]

We started with just 3 people, and today we’re nearly 50. To date, we have installed sails on 4 ships and currently have 6 projects underway.

The relationship with my father is really good. We came up with the idea to start bound4blue together. He has that bit of an “inventor’s” spirit – his mind never stops.

[Ignacio Bermúdez, Technical & Mechanical Engineer]

Curiosity – if you’re curious, everything captures your attention. With my son, he did his final high school project, and I helped him a little. It was a windmill that was completely different.

[José Miguel, CEO & co-founder]

What I cherish about working here day-to-day with my father is being able to spend more time together.

[Cristina Aleixendri, COO & co-founder]

There are so many positive things I could say about José Miguel, but if I had to pick just one, it would be that his energy is endless.

[Alberto Llopis, Head of Aerodynamics]

He’s leading us all in the right direction, guiding our growth, caring for the employees, his way of working, his humility, his transparency.

[Cristina Aleixendri, COO & co-founder]

The main challenge for b4b is to expand globally; the goal is to scale the entire company.

[Alberto Llopis, Head of Aerodynamics]

And to keep the technology on the cutting edge.

[José Miguel, CEO & co-founder]

In terms of impact, we expect that by 2027 we’ll be reducing over 400,000 tons of CO2 per year.