Career Highlights
- Designed and brought to market more than fifty products and hold thirty-five patents
- Have exhibited twice at the MoMA
- One of my designs is part of the MoMA permanent collection
- Have won every major worldwide design award, seventy-six so far
- Founded and built manuelsaez & partners, a design consultancy working with clients such as Crate & Barrel, Staples, CB2, Club Quarter Hotels, and Herman Miller
- Established overseas manufacturing operations for two clients
- Have written for Fast Company as a Design Expert contributor
- President Obama received one of my designs as the presidential gift from Argentina in his last presidential trip
Distance Traveled
A little over twenty years ago I left Argentina with little more than my broken English, $200 in my pocket, and a dream of becoming an industrial designer. Little did I know that this country had so much more to offer.
I worked in a kitchen and at odd jobs, and when I had the opportunity to go to school, I gave it my all.Ā I was so grateful for these opportunities that I aced my classes and entered every design competition I could.Ā I won eighteen design awards as a student, and their cash prizes paid for my education.
Success as a student allowed me to get my dream job and become the first industrial designer at Humanscale, a start-up I admired. I built a multidisciplinary team and created more than thirty products that helped the company grow from $20M to $300M in revenue.
An immigrant's experience is sobering. I left home and everyone I knew for the pursuit of a dream and a better life. But I had a goal, so the hardship of that life-changing experience was bearable.
Clarity of vision and direction is genuinely an incredible superpower. Today, I have a clear vision of what I want. I am building Beyond, a company designed to simplify how people access & own e-bikes and scooters while minimizing environmental impact.
Working in product development, I saw the large amount of waste created in manufacturing, and I fundamentally disagree with consumption-driven capitalism. This vicious cycle drives us to produce, consume, and discard in a continuous loop.
I wanted to use my design skills to create a different kind of company, one that fights overconsumption, promotes re-use, and inspires other founders to do the same. Beyond grew out of those ideals.
