A visionary leader in digital transformation, Néstor Castanedo brings a wealth of expertise as a Civil Engineer with a specialization in Transports and Logistics. His international experience, combined with multidisciplinary leadership skills, proactivity, and a commitment to excellence, has positioned him at the forefront of transformative projects. He is currently serving as the Director and Co-Founder of Eurotech, a cutting-edge digital company aimed at building the tech pillars of the future. In addition, he plays a pivotal role at BeDisruptive, a leader in cybersecurity, where he explores new technologies to enhance operations. And not only that, Néstor has also been a key member of the board of directors at the Spanish Transport Association (AET), the youngest to hold this position. He currently leads the Digital Transformation efforts at the AET, where he spearheads the integration of disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain to modernize and optimize Spain’s transportation systems. His journey into the tech world was rooted in an initial disillusionment with traditional educational methods during his Civil Engineering studies. While deeply passionate about transportation and logistics, Néstor found the outdated problem-solving techniques taught in school disconnected from the real-world needs of modern business.

Driven by a desire for innovation and entrepreneurship, Néstor ventured into the world of business even before completing his studies, moving to Manchester to start his first company. Around this time, in the early 2010s, he discovered Bitcoin and, more importantly, blockchain technology. While Bitcoin’s financial potential was significant, it was blockchain’s decentralized and transformative systems that fascinated him the most.

Néstor quickly saw the broader applications of blockchain, particularly in improving efficiency and reducing costs in the transport and logistics sectors. He implemented blockchain technology in ports, maritime, and railway systems with great success, becoming one of the early pioneers of this technology in Europe. His work in this space earned him significant recognition, and at just 26, he was invited to join the leadership team at Eurotech.

Eurotech was founded with the mission of bridging the gap between traditional transportation systems and innovative technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence. Néstor’s background in civil engineering, coupled with his passion for technological innovation, allowed him to drive Eurotech toward smarter, more efficient, and sustainable solutions in transport and logistics.

Néstor’s appointment came on the heels of a series of accolades for both him and Eurotech, underscoring their impact on the industry. Under his stewardship, Eurotech played an instrumental role in high-profile projects such as SIMPLE—an ambitious initiative spearheaded by Puertos del Estado, ADIF, and the Ministry of Transportation—and Alastria, where Néstor was key in developing decentralized networks that gained significant recognition across Europe.

Through his work at Eurotech, BeDisruptive and AET, Néstor continues to push the boundaries of digital transformation, ensuring that technology remains a driving force in the evolution of global industries. His entrepreneurial spirit and forward-thinking approach have made him a leader in implementing next-generation solutions that not only improve efficiency but also create smarter, more sustainable systems for the future.

Digital Transformation in the Railway Industry

Néstor faced one of his biggest challenges when navigating resistance to change in traditional sectors, particularly in the railway industry. This field, with its deeply embedded practices and long-standing standards, often resists disruption, even when digital advancements present clear opportunities for improvement. Innovating in such an environment requires more than just technical know-how; it calls for a nuanced understanding of the industry’s legacy and a thoughtful approach to change management.

A particularly eye-opening moment came when a high-ranking railway official remarked, “We have not planned to enter the 21st century.” The statement revealed how entrenched resistance to modernization can be, despite the evident benefits of new technologies. To tackle this, Néstor concentrated on building trust with stakeholders, focusing on how digital solutions could complement and enhance, rather than replace, traditional engineering practices. His strategy involved demonstrating respect for the industry’s history while showing that even small, incremental investments in digital technologies could yield substantial improvements.

By positioning innovation as a way to simplify and improve workflows rather than as a threat to established methods, Néstor successfully gained buy-in from skeptics. His approach was centered around proving that digital transformation doesn’t have to disregard the past but can build on it to create a more efficient and resilient future.

Building Trust and Synergy

Néstor’s professional journey, marked by extensive travel and collaboration across numerous countries, has provided him with a wealth of diverse experiences. Beginning in the maritime sector in northern Spain, his career trajectory led him to places like Manchester, Madrid, Italy, France, Germany, and eventually beyond Europe to the United States and Qatar. His work integrating AI and Blockchain into large-scale projects has opened new avenues for collaboration with teams around the world, especially within the transport ecosystem. Notably, his recent involvement in exploring artificial life (ALife) and its potential in enhancing operational security has brought him into close partnership with companies in different countries, allowing him to experience their culture and approach to innovation firsthand.

Throughout these experiences, Néstor has remained deeply engaged with both technical development and leadership, constantly focusing on two guiding principles: excellence and efficiency. He firmly believes that the diversity of a team is one of its greatest strengths, and that learning from each team member’s unique contribution is essential for success. To him, the ability to foster synergy among team members is what turns a good project into a great one.

Moreover, Néstor recognizes the importance of building trust and cohesion within a team, both in the workspace and through informal “after-work” interactions. In his view, maintaining an open mind and focusing on shared values, much like in digital transformation, is key to elevating not only individual performance but the team as a whole.

Eurotech’s Game-Changing Tools

Néstor envisions a transformative future for the logistics and transport sectors, driven by digital innovation. He highlights that the logistics industry, being essential for the global flow of goods and people, must continue to evolve despite disruptions like wars or pandemics. This evolution is compounded by the rise of autonomous vehicles and new technologies, creating an urgent need to maintain efficiency, reduce time and costs, and secure operations against the growing threat of cyberattacks—all without the luxury of halting operations to strategize.

At Eurotech, Néstor’s vision is centered on supporting this digital transformation through comprehensive training and education, ensuring that everyone involved understands the tools and technologies driving change. He emphasizes the importance of identifying real needs and then offering practical, tailored solutions. This philosophy has led Eurotech to develop innovative tools that address critical pain points in the logistics sector.

Some of their major contributions include:

• SARA, a Safety Management System that leverages blockchain and Digital Identity to significantly reduce operational times within the railway ecosystem.
• Geotrack, a tool that provides real-time tracking of goods, enhancing transparency and operational efficiency.
• Visual intelligence cameras, designed to automatically detect issues on trains, saving time and improving inspection accuracy.
• Pioneering AI Agents and Artificial Life Entities that enhance cybersecurity within transport systems, securing operations in a rapidly digitizing world.

By focusing on these innovations, Néstor aims to ensure that Eurotech remains at the forefront of the logistics sector’s digital transformation, fostering a future where advanced technology, efficiency, and security coexist seamlessly.

Zero Trust and Advanced Technologies

Néstor emphasizes that in today’s rapidly advancing digital landscape, cyber threats are growing at an unprecedented pace, making cybersecurity a top priority for Eurotech and its clients. As reliance on digital technologies increases, so does the potential for vulnerabilities. To tackle this, he has embedded robust cybersecurity measures into every layer of their technological solutions.

At the core of their security strategy is Zero Trust Architecture—a framework that assumes every agent, whether part of a large corporation or a state entity, is potentially malicious. Ironically, Néstor points out that these larger entities, despite their robust defenses, are often prime targets due to their high-value data and operations.

To strengthen their defenses, Néstor has integrated advanced technologies like blockchain and deep learning into its security protocols. Blockchain provides an immutable ledger that secures the integrity of data throughout the supply chain, while deep learning models are employed to detect and counter sophisticated cyber threats that might evade traditional systems. Additionally, AI agents monitor operations in real-time, detecting any anomalies and raising immediate alerts to safeguard the system.

This proactive, multi-layered approach ensures Eurotech not only fortifies its systems but also maintains operational continuity and efficiency, even amidst rapidly evolving cyber threats.

The Quantum Leap

Néstor envisions that the technological advancements already unfolding in the transport and logistics industry will drive a profound transformation. He highlights several cutting-edge technologies that are reshaping operations, bringing unprecedented efficiency, transparency, and security to supply chains. Decentralized technologies, AI—particularly machine learning (ML)—as well as emerging trends like Generative AI (GenAI) and Artificial Life (ALife), are central to this evolution. These innovations are optimizing operations, improving decision-making, and enhancing resilience against various challenges.

Additionally, Néstor sees the European eIDAS 2.0 regulation as a pivotal development for the transport and logistics sector. Designed to enhance trust in electronic transactions across the EU, eIDAS 2.0 provides a unified framework for digital identities and trust services, streamlining cross-border operations. This will reduce the friction in international transactions and compliance, making operations smoother while enhancing security by fortifying digital identities against fraud and unauthorized access.

However, the next major technological leap that Néstor anticipates will radically reshape the industry is quantum computing. Unlike traditional computing, which relies on bits, quantum computing operates on qubits, offering the potential to solve complex logistical challenges at speeds currently unimaginable. Yet, quantum computing also poses significant risks, particularly to current cryptographic systems, which could be rendered vulnerable.

To stay ahead of this transformation, Néstor is committed to investing in research and embracing early-stage quantum technologies. He emphasizes the importance of making systems quantum-ready, preparing for the day when quantum computing becomes a fully operational reality. As advancements in quantum computing accelerate—fewer qubits are needed for stable computing—Néstor believes it is critical to navigate this shift seamlessly, ensuring both security and efficiency while harnessing the immense potential of this new era of computing.

Tokenizing Clean Energy

Néstor emphasizes that while sustainability has become a buzzword in today’s business landscape, for many companies—especially in logistics—it often feels like more of a burden than a genuine shift in mindset. In industries where emissions from operations are particularly critical, the challenge is heightened. However, Néstor sees this as an opportunity to provide practical solutions that not only facilitate the transition to sustainability but also make it more manageable for businesses.

One of Eurotech’s standout contributions to this effort is the development of an innovative blockchain-based solution designed to tokenize clean energy within the recharging processes of vehicles. This system not only tracks renewable energy usage but also rewards companies for their efforts toward sustainability. By creating this incentive-based model, Néstor believes it fosters a real shift in mindset, making companies more likely to adopt sustainable practices as they see tangible benefits from doing so.

By integrating advanced technologies like blockchain into their offerings, Eurotech is helping clients reduce their carbon footprint, enhance operational efficiency, and make sustainability an integral part of their business. Néstor’s approach aims to drive lasting change in the industry, ensuring that environmental responsibility becomes a fundamental aspect of logistics and transport operations.

Leveraging AI Agents for Efficiency

Néstor humorously notes that he sometimes feels like he could use a DeLorean with a flux capacitor—a playful reference to how fast-paced the world of technology has become. With new information, tools, and trends emerging daily, staying ahead can feel overwhelming. However, he emphasizes that keeping up with every technical detail isn’t the key; rather, it’s about having a solid understanding of the new developments and knowing how they can be applied effectively in the business context.

To manage this deluge of information and maintain his competitive edge, Néstor has invested time in developing AI agents to assist him with processing and digesting information, saving time in the medium and long term. These AI tools not only help him stay informed but are also evolving to the point where they can code, program, and deploy autonomously. While his teams have reduced the number of programmers needed for specific tasks, no one has been let go. Instead, former programmers have been reassigned to guide the AI agents, ensuring the technology is applied effectively—a forward-thinking move that prioritizes collaboration between humans and machines.

Néstor’s approach highlights the importance of leading technology, not just creating it. The real value comes from understanding new advancements and using them to solve real business problems, ensuring both his company and his clients can reap the benefits of innovation. By focusing on learning and smart implementation, he ensures that these tools are put to use in a way that drives real value and efficiency.

Exploring the Trends of the Future: Artificial Life

Néstor’s forward-thinking mindset and deep understanding of emerging technologies make him a true pioneer in cutting-edge fields, such as the previous mentioned Artificial Life (ALife). Unlike artificial intelligence, which focuses on replicating or enhancing human cognitive processes, artificial life seeks to simulate living systems by replicating principles of evolution, biological behavior, and adaptive dynamics.

This approach opens up a realm of future applications, from cybersecurity, where systems can “learn” and adapt like living organisms, to the development of autonomous digital entities for advanced logistics management and environmental control. With the potential to create self-repairing or even fully autonomous systems, artificial life is poised to revolutionize industries such as transportation, healthcare, and industrial automation.

Though ALife is still in its early stages, Néstor has a clear vision for its scalability and future applications. He is already conducting tests to explore its potential and prepare it for broader implementation.

Néstor’s constant exploration of future possibilities has caught the attention of companies and investors across Europe and the United States, who are keen to leverage the innovations that he and his team are spearheading. With its ability to create more resilient and adaptive systems, artificial life stands out as one of the key technologies set to define the future.

A Trailblazing Year

The year 2024 has been a period of unprecedented growth and innovation for Néstor and his companies. Néstor’s focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) has reached new heights, with real-world applications delivering substantial improvements in operational efficiency and safety, along with the development of the first prototypes of artificial life entities. The successful integration of these technologies has not only enhanced key performance indicators (KPIs) but has also earned Eurotech numerous prestigious accolades. Notably, Eurotech was honored as the 2024 Digital Transformation Company of the Year by Logistics Tech Outlook Europe and received the titles of Best FinTech AI Process Automation Company 2024 and Blockchain Integration Specialists of the Year 2024 from Wealth and Finance International. Additionally, the company was recognized as the 2024 Digital Transformation Company of the Year in the Innovation and Excellence Awards. On the national front, Eurotech achieved certification as an Emerging Company by the Ministry of Industry, further bolstering its reputation and expanding opportunities for public funding support for its consulting services.

The company’s groundbreaking work has also caught the eye of venture capital firms. In April, a European venture company acquired a 24% stake in Eurotech, with ongoing discussions about additional investments in Artificial Life exploration.

On a personal note, Néstor has been promoted to lead the Digital Transformation Working Group. His new role involves spearheading two major initiatives: the practical implementation of AI to boost efficiency in transport and business operations and addressing Operational Technology (OT) cybersecurity within the industry. During his tenure, this group released several influential studies that captured international attention, leading to Néstor’s invitations to present findings at global forums. A key September meeting brought together main stakeholders to deliberate on these topics, with Néstor’s team set to propose training programs, explore AI Agents in cybersecurity, and evaluate OT cybersecurity. Their aim is to develop innovative solutions and architectures, such as the Zero Trust Architecture, to enhance the safety, efficiency, and security of the national transport ecosystem.

As Eurotech continues to forge ahead, Néstor’s leadership and the company’s trailblazing efforts stand as a testament to the transformative power of technology in shaping the future of the transportation industry.

Vision and Execution

For Néstor, entrepreneurs are like artists: capable of transforming a blank canvas into a masterpiece, whether it be a symphony or a painting. Similarly, entrepreneurs can create something entirely new, transformative, and innovative from nothing—a product, a company, or even a new way of doing things. They are the visionaries who see possibilities where others see emptiness, turning ideas into realities that shape the world. Néstor’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators in the tech and logistics sectors—and indeed across all industries—is centered around the crucial role of digital transformation. He emphasizes that embracing digital tools and processes is not optional but essential for remaining competitive and innovative. Here’s a concise summary of his key points:

• Embrace Digital Transformation: Understand that digital tools and processes are fundamental to modern business. They are not just enhancements but essential elements for staying ahead in a rapidly evolving market.
• Explore and Experiment: Entrepreneurs should explore new technologies, methodologies, and strategies. Experimentation and challenging the status quo are crucial for bringing about true innovation.
• Vision and Execution: Entrepreneurs need to envision and create something unique and transformative. While digital tools provide the means, it’s the entrepreneur’s vision that drives their business forward.

In essence, Néstor advises entrepreneurs to embrace the full potential of digital transformation and use it as a foundation to create and implement innovative solutions.

To know more, please visit: https://eurotechtls.eu/