Recently we’ve had the great pleasure of chatting with João Montenegro, an Entrepreneur, Technologist, Designer, and Space enthusiast with ten years of experience in building products and companies. He has worked with company builders, VCs, mentoring and teaching at university, and eventually co-founding various businesses. João is an innate leader and collaborator with a drive to continuously inspire others.
When he is not designing 3D printers, vehicles, and digital products & services, João spends his time doing amateur astronomy in inhospitable places, talking about the future with friends, and reading National Geographic magazine.
Main topics covered:
🏁 How to get into product design
🖊️ What would innovation be without creativity
🗝️ Divergent thinking as a key for innovation
🚀 How a good idea can turn into a good business
Timenotes:
[2:00] Business, Technology, Design, Space.. What’s more?
[4:50] Getting into Product Design
[9:20] International Space University
[16:50] If you had three months to learn a relatively new technology…
[18:50] Can there be innovation without creativity and technology?
[23:20] “This thing is for people that live in a world that has begun to explore space. It must be as amazing as that.”
[27:20] Where ideas of the smart products come from such as space, robots, solar power from hydrosphere, 3D printer, future cars
[32:20] Divergent thinking is a key feature for innovation?
[34:00] What resources do you turn to when you need inspiration for new creations?
[37:00] What do you think has been your “star product” or the project that you are most proud of?
[44:10] What would you like to design or project among the things that you have not done yet?
[50:00] What advice can you give to companies looking to make the most out of their investments in innovation centers?
[01:10:00] City of Telosa: sustain tech to create a new 5M people city in the US, by Marc Lore, founder of Jet.com
[01:18:50] Challenges for the future in the design sector
[01:28:00] Beyond product design and space, crypto is coming
Books and other recommendations (soon updated)
PRODUCTION
This podcast was hosted by me, André Marquet. Produced by Teresa Segismundo, with research by Katarzyna Chryczyk and sound editing by Miguel Sousa.