“We have to get out of our comfort zone and find new approaches to tackle the challenges we’re facing”

Retinset, a spinout of Medical Mix, is a biomedical company based in Sant Cugat (Barcelona) that focuses on developing retina treatments. They are currently developing eye drops to curb and cure the early stages of diabetic retinopathy. This disease is the main cause of blindness in the working-age population and there is currently only treatment for the advanced stages of the disease, using laser and eye injections.

Why did you want to be an entrepreneur?

I’ve always wanted to work on projects that help improve people’s quality of life. When I got the chance to take part in this innovative project with an exceptional team of professionals, I felt I was prepared to take the leap into entrepreneurship. Because that is how scientific projects reach the market and can have an impact on patients affected by highly debilitating diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy.

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

We are one of the companies that have felt the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, which broke out just as we were working on the clinical trial with our patients, who are older people with diabetes. Due to the situation, we decided to stop the clinical trial that we had worked so hard to launch. We’ve tried to make our decisions bring new opportunities for the company out of the crisis. We hope most of them were wise choices, and that the new strategy will strengthen the company and make it even more attractive.

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

Company President Vicente Durán told me I had to learn to get out of my comfort zone, to “think outside the box” in order to find new approaches to tackle the challenges we’re facing. I often imagine new perspectives in my mind to find different solutions.

What would you have liked to know before setting up the company?

That no matter how hard we work, it always takes longer than expected and always costs more than the initial budget!

What strategy or tactic do you use at work that is also helpful in other areas of life?

I’m very disciplined and organized, which helps me both in my professional and personal life, specifically with family management.

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

The biggest challenge is undoubtedly being able to continue development of the eye drops. We’ve kicked off a round of funding with the goal of finishing phase 2 clinical trials and kicking off an ambitious project to treat retina conditions in a highly innovative way.