He came back from the METS 2013 holding his head proudly up. He managed to attract the attention in the biggest professional nautical fair in the world with a product he has developed himself. To get this far on his business career has taken him various years of hard work, some brush ups with the administration and a great deal of effort to walk alone the road of entrepreneurship. “In Spain there is no public support for entrepreneurs, nor for innovation, I had to go on my own to develop the product”, says Carlos Juliá, the creator of Moormeds. Juliá is a person with a vast experience in the nautical sector. With his business acumen he picked on a necessity amongst the boat owners: how to safeguard the electrical cables of a boat in an organized manner while avoiding any damage by water? And with a reasonable price tag, as in these times nobody can afford spending money lightly.
To endeavour is not foreign to Carlos Juliá. Few years ago he left the family business to start on his own. The unemployment benefit he received when leaving his old work, he invested in the creation of Medribs, a company that manufactures inflatable boats in China, sold in Spain through Decathlon. It was a good practice that helped him to start up his new project – Moormeds, covers that can be installed in minutes and that can be adapted to any kind of boat in any port, and that protect the electrical cables in an organized manner, lengthening their useful life and preventing possible accidents. It is a known fact that electricity and water are no good together.
The process to transform this idea into a final product was arduous, to a great degree due to the lack of advice and help on behalf of the Administration. “I have been working 13 years in the nautical sector, but when I started my own project I discovered that there is very little support for innovation and entrepreneurs” Juliá laments. He put his energy into it and learned what he could on his own, and when he needed help, he appealed to family, friends and consultants. He even managed to obtain one of the few grants destined for entrepreneurs, for a value of 7.000 € to develop his product, although the money never arrived in his account. The government owes him this grant since 2011. Far from giving up, he continued, came rain or shine, and finally managed to patent his idea, which would allow him to commercially exploit it.
Moormeds is in a full marketing push and development of new lines of product. “We are going to develop some covers that include LED lights, which - apart from the esthetical value, will be useful in situations of insufficient light”, like for example boats moored at the end of the quays, where the harbour lights don´t reach with sufficient intensity. For the moment, he states, the interest generated by the product is considerable. “Previously, if you wanted to have a cover of this type, it could cost you hundreds of euros, because it had to be made to measure. Now it is possible to protect the electrical cables in a secure and efficient way for a reasonable price.”
Also the fiscal and administrative changes introduced recently in the recreational nautical sector give reason to optimism. The exemption of the matriculation tax on charter yachts and the updates regarding the nautical qualifications (still in the process, but looking like to be approved soon) will presumably lead to an increase of potential clients. Despite the obstacles, lack of support from the public administrations, outstanding payments, the crisis, the insularity... despite everything there are still people that refuse to give up and who decide to make their dreams come true.
Text: Carles Cabrer.
Photography: Carlos Julià and moormeds.com
Translation: Aila Bell
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