Carmen Lucía Gil (ARQ '20 and MUA '21) and her team - formed by Santiago Castillo, studentof the double Master's Degreeof access to Law and advisory serviceFiscal of the School of Law; Ana Belén Nieto, Master's DegreeExecutive of Corporate Reputation of the School of Communication; and Ignacio Toribio, Master's Degree of Industrial Engineering of the School of Engineers (Tecnun) - have won the first edition of the Fast Track entrepreneurship programme, promoted by Innovation Factory of the University of Navarra and aimed at students of Master's Degree.

The projectthat has earned them the first award, called i-Calmer, is an ergonomic and technological cushion made of soft material that financial aidhelps people to fall asleep. The "tangible" awardthey have won consists of technological material valued at €1,000. But the most important trophy, the "awardgordo", was "the workas a team from the creation process and managementto the realisation of the idea", explains Carmen.

What motivated you to participate in this first edition of the Innovation Factory Fast Track?

The possibility of participating in the entrepreneurship programme came from a professor who was teaching at moduleIESE. I thought it would be a good opportunity to explore fields other than architecture, which at the time, in the context of moduleof business, I was just starting to get to know.

I found the approach - an entrepreneurship competition where we would meet people from other Degrees- very interesting. And a way to meet people with different points of view.

How was the workteam forged with colleagues from Master's Degreefrom Law, Tecnun and Communication?

The team was chosen randomly from the Fast Track organisation. At first I didn't know my teammates: Ana, Ignacio, and Santiago.

I now see that this combination of knowledge and different profiles is core topicfor the venture. The part of Law and ADE has helped us with the accounting and financial forecasts; Engineering has dealt with the technical part of the product features, assembly and pricing, etc.; the part of Communication has focused on advertising, on the actions to provide visibility and storytelling; and I, from Architecture, have made positionthe integration of all of the above, the creation of the product image, the image of advertisingand the website.

After the whole process, I feel fortunate to have worked with this team, so complete in terms of skills and each one's own ambition to do things well.  

How did the idea for i-calmer come about?

Sleep is an essential need. Nowadays, due to the pandemic and certain social changes, it is not so easy to fall asleep. The first idea came from Ana, for whom the need to rest became very important when she had to combine childcare and work. She proposed it to us and we thought it was a good idea.

From the beginning we wanted to create something tangible, beyond a marketplace or a mobile application, that solved a real social need. 

What do you consider to be the greatest learning from this project?

Undoubtedly: the process of creation and managementfor the realisation of an idea. As an architect I am familiar with the realisation of projects based on an idea that solves a problem. The big step we took in Fast Track was to relate this to parameters of costs, time, communication, etc. With all that is involved in carrying out a prototype. In addition, as I have already mentioned, I have learned to work with people who have other points of view and to coordinate our capacities in a convergent way.

What are your plans for developmentfor this idea?

For the moment we have not talked in depth about the topicto go ahead with the project. We would like to make some estimates for the future, and talk to the professors in charge to ask committeeabout how to position ourselves; to assess what possibilities there are of carrying it out and with what probability of success.

What are your immediate plans after graduating from the MUA? Would you like to go into entrepreneurship?

When I finish the MUA , I will do my internship in architecture, which is compulsory for fill incredits at Master's Degree. This is my immediate future, which could be complemented if we decide to go ahead with ICalmer. 

After this experience I see that the world of entrepreneurship is very interesting. I don't want to leave it aside or forget the Fast Track experience. Entrepreneurship, in my opinion, arises when there is a need and an opportunity. Understanding this dynamic has been a great experience teaching, and I hope that in the future I will have the opportunity to apply it.