Mentor Carmo Requejo: “Sometimes, the best thing you can offer as a mentor is empathy.”

Carmo Requejo believes that great design begins with understanding people. This core philosophy has guided her two-decade career in design, spanning industrial, interior, UX, CX, service, and strategic design.

As a mentor for Biosphere at Helsinki Incubators, she challenges participants to ground their solutions in real-world needs and user-centred design. “Design is not just about aesthetics or function,” she explains. “It’s about solving real problems for real people.”

Requejo also stresses the importance of empathy and user research from the outset of product development. “Too often, young entrepreneurs are eager to jump into the solution,” she says. “But unless you truly understand the people you’re designing for, your solution won’t stick.” 

Through her mentorship, she encourages her mentees to slow down, conduct thorough research, and connect deeply with their users, ensuring their solutions are built on genuine need.

Requejo’s mentorship goes beyond technical guidance or business advice; for her, it’s about making meaningful connections with her mentees and addressing both their professional and personal needs. 

She recalls instances in her mentoring where some participants faced personal demands, which often affected their ability to stay focused on the project. “They were stuck because they couldn’t focus,” she says. “Instead of pushing them to work harder, I realised they needed emotional support.” This ability to listen deeply and recognise unspoken needs is a skill Requejo honed through her background in psychotherapy.

While psychotherapy and design may seem an unlikely combination, for Requejo, they are closely linked. “Psychotherapy teaches you to look beyond what people say on the surface,” she explains. “In design, the same principles apply. People may express one thing, but their real needs are often hidden beneath the surface. Uncovering these hidden needs is key to creating impactful, user-centred design solutions.”

As Strategic Design Lead at Nacar Design in Barcelona, Requejo’s empathy-driven approach influences her collaborations across industries, where she bridges the gaps between design, production, and business strategy. “We’re not just designing products or interfaces; we’re designing experiences,” she says. “And for those experiences to resonate, they must be rooted in understanding people’s needs and behaviours.” 

These principles of user empathy and strategic thinking also come as a natural fit for her mentoring approach, as she guides her mentees through the nuances of balancing user experience with business goals.

Requejo’s journey into design was not straightforward. Initially, she pursued a degree in chemistry but soon realised it wasn’t the right fit. “Chemistry required too much imagination for me,” she laughs. “I needed something more hands-on, where I could see the tangible impact of my work.” This led her to industrial design, where she found fulfilment in transforming ideas into reality, from initial concepts to finished products.

Over her career, Requejo has navigated the intersection of design, production, and business strategy. In her current role, she balances user needs with market demands and business objectives, focusing on solutions grounded in reality. “There’s always a tension between what the business needs and what the users need,” she explains. “As a designer, my job is to find that balance. It’s not enough for a product to look good; it must make sense from a business perspective and, most importantly, solve a real problem for the user.” 

Requejo achieves this through close collaboration with designers, engineers, and business teams. “By bringing different perspectives together, we can create solutions that are not only functional but also innovative and impactful.”

As a mentor, Requejo is especially passionate about supporting startups in their early stages. Here, teams learn essential skills, such as conducting unbiased user research, mapping their ecosystems, and aligning solutions with real-world needs. “These early stages are critical,” she emphasises. “Helping teams approach user research without bias is foundational to their success.” She adds.

Requejo highlights resilience as essential to entrepreneurship. “It takes enormous strength to bring an idea to life,” she says. “You need to believe in it, even when the journey becomes difficult.” She often reminds her mentees that setbacks are part of the process and that success rarely comes quickly. Requejo advises her mentees to remain adaptable, emphasising that initial ideas are just starting points. “Be resilient, but keep an open mind,” she explains. “The more you learn, the more your approach may need to evolve.”

Sustainability also plays a central role in Requejo’s work and mentorship approach. “Designers have a responsibility to create solutions that are not only effective but also environmentally responsible,” she explains. “It’s about thinking beyond the product’s lifecycle and considering its impact on the planet.” She encourages budding entrepreneurs to consider the broader implications of their innovations. “It’s not just about immediate goals,” she says. “Entrepreneurs must consider how their solutions contribute to a more sustainable world. I firmly believe that sustainability should be at the heart of innovation.”

Requejo is excited about the potential for design to play a pivotal role in building a more sustainable and empathetic world. “Design has the power to shape the future,” she says. “It’s not just about creating products or solutions—it’s about creating systems and experiences that improve people’s lives while protecting the planet.” Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs and designers is simple: stay resilient, curious, and, of course, empathetic. “The world is constantly changing,” she says. “The more you learn, the more adaptable you’ll be. And the more empathy you bring to your work, the more meaningful your impact will be.”