Tell us a bit about yourself. Who is Laura Rivera?
Laura is a computer engineer, specialized in mobile applications, and with a great entrepreneurial spirit. She is a person with many concerns who loves to create all kinds of new ideas and always takes advantage of learning new things. She also considers herself very social person who enjoys being in company of her own and meeting new people.
How was the experience of being a dreamer of Vueling in the Imagine Express2017?
It was an incredible experience; I would have never thought that one could do so many things in four days, and on the move!
It seems unreal how so many ideas can take off in very little time.
If you had to use four adjectives to describe your way through the 4th edition of Imagine Express, what would they be?
Agile, Innovative, thrilling, risotto
How do you feel now? ¿How has Imagine Express contributed to you personally and professionally?
After being on a cloud for a few days, I can say that Imagine Express offers another point of view.
On a personal level, I feel more energetic and keen to enjoy what I do. I also took away the experience of meeting the other Imagine dreamers, mentors and staff, who are incredible and from whom I have learned a lot.
On a professional level I have been infected with the speed of the trip; and the phrase “stop thinking and start doing” has been embedded in my day-to-day mentality. I’ve decided to accelerate some decisions in order to do what I enjoy and am passionate about: Orchidea Code (www.orchideacode.com).
This is my personal Project: an application development company for third parties with innovative ideas as well as for personal projects of which I hope to give you details soon enough. I will only give you a couple of hints: Escape room and augmented reality 😉
Together with your teammates, Rodulfo Rodríguez and Nizar Hasan, you developed the PipeDoctor app. What does the idea consist in?
Basically, it consists in automating and improving the process of detecting pipe failures.
We have a robot that accesses them and take photos and videos of what it detects and that, through machine learning, the system is capable of diagnosing the malfunction and providing the best solution.
How did you develop it during the trip?
First of all, we worked on defining the idea during the train ride to Paris using the Lombard Method. Then, on Saturday, we dedicated ourselves to creating the prototype, business plan and practicing our presentation with the help of mentors, who provided us with all the information we needed.
Finally, we had the opportunity to present the Project in the London Eye and at 4YFN.
What need, in a comprehensive manner, do you think your idea resolves?
The idea solves for the ambiguity of the present results, as well as automating a time consuming task that is too tedious to be performed by a human being. By applying our idea the results will always be consistent and won’t depend of on the level of fatigue or tedium of an operator. In addition, the speed at which the results of the process will be available will change from weeks to hours. Finally, having all this information digitalized will allow extra analysis to be conducted that could even foresee and prevent possible failures months before they occur and preventing material damages and saving a lot of money.
What did you feel when you presented the PipeDoctor Project to your teammates at the 4YFN stage?
A mixture of sensations! Just before presenting I was nervous. I’m not used to these kinds of presentations with such a large audience, but once we were on the stage I just thought about enjoying it with the team, doing my best and sharing the project with everyone.
What have you learned about collaborative work? Do you consider it important for the development of innovation projects?
I have learned a lot from my teammates both at the level of knowledge as well as on a personal level. We were managing situations of stress, deciding together which actions to take etc..
I already had experience working in teams, but with people that also had technical profiles. I believe that working collaboratively with people from other specialities is what makes the projects work.
What do you think of Vueling offering you the opportunity to live this experience?
I just think of thanking them for giving me this opportunity, I think it’s a great experience and that everyone should try it at some point in their life. I think that these initiatives encourage creativity and innovation and this can only be sinónimos to something positive for everyone.
Had you done something like this before?
No. I had participated in other entrepreneurship programs, but nothing that resembles Imagine.
What was your objective before getting on the mobile apps train?
I already had as an aiming to undertake in a project and I wanted to do something innovative, but like I mentioned before, the train makes you see it clearer and push yourself to start.
Would you be a dreamer again?
Of course! Although I must confess that since the Imagine Express I feel like a dreamer every day and it’s already part of me.
I think all the editions of Imagine are very interesting and I don’t have any doubt that the experience can only improve.
What do you think Imagine Express provides to companies that participate as collaborators in the program? (In general and in your, Vueling).
I think it brings the opportunity to form part of an innovative program and get infected with a spirit to always think on your feet.
Describe to us an image or a moment of the experience that you will never forget. Why?
When the counter reached zero after the presentations at the 4YFN. It was the end of the journey, but the beginning of another more major one. In addition, that’s the moment in which one realizes everything done and learned during the experience and starts to process all the information and sensations.
You also realize that these strangers that we waited eagerly to know who would be in our team have become a great team of more than 36 people, including staff and mentors, who are keen continue innovating.
And finally, what dream of yours would you like to take off?