Al Costa

TeknTrash is a robotics company developing advanced robotic systems for waste handling in both industry and homes. Our mission is to transform how the world handles waste by deploying intelligent, autonomous machines that make recycling cleaner, safer, and more efficient. We believe that waste handling is dangerous, unhealthy, and fundamentally unsuitable for humans — it should be done by robots. Our technologies include the ALPHA - Automated Litter Processing Humanoid Assistant - humanoid: capable of intelligent waste identification and sorting, and HoloLab, a data capture system which provides insights on ALPHA's work performance , training and controlling ALPHA teams Join us as we redefine waste management through robotics, automation, and innovation.

Houses of Joseph is an organization devoted to help children from war zones. These are by far the most affected by wars, as they are either killed, injured, or lose their parents without having anyone to help. Help us protect them any way we can. Join us or support us! https://www.housesofjoseph.com/

I founded the company based on the belief that the biofuels industry was overly dependent on processing technologies to compensate for clearly unsuitable feedstocks. What the industry truly needed was the development of new, purpose-built crop varieties. With that vision, Alkol Biotech was established as a genomics company focused on creating genetically modified crops specifically for biofuel production. As part of this mission, the company identified a naturally occurring variety of sugarcane in southern Spain, which it branded as "EunergyCane." The strategy was to cultivate this crop across Europe as a dedicated feedstock for cellulosic ethanol production, generating revenue through a royalty model based on hectares planted. Sold batches of EunergyCane to leading cellulosic plants in Europe. That proved quite succesful, as the only option they had was to import from producing countries such as Brazil and having to go through a huge time and bureocracy: instead, they'd receive it in 2 days with no taxes

Professor of AI & Big Data at EAE University in Madrid, teaching at the Master of Business Administration

I founded the company with the vision of using the internet as a low-cost platform to discover and promote new musical talent. This concept proved successful—artists like Justin Bieber, Tori Kelly, and Troye Sivan gained early exposure through similar online platforms. At its peak, the company became Brazil’s second-largest music portal offering over 30,000 MP3 tracks. We partnered with the U.S.-based company TwoBigToes to integrate their online CD recording system into our platform. The system allowed users to compile a custom app in real time, which included their selected MP3 tracks and CD burning software. Users simply downloaded the app and burned their own CDs directly. We also developed a CD recording kiosk, which we successfully showcased at Brazil’s largest music event in Fortaleza. As MP3 players were just emerging, we began selling them through the platform. The venture was a huge success, leading me to travel extensively across China to source products. Along the way, I picked up some Chinese and came to truly appreciate the country and its culture. 😊

I founded the company during the early days of the internet in Brazil, initially focusing on developing e-commerce solutions. I later sold the company to Miami-based consulting group Visualcom, where I took on the role of Country Manager for Brazil. Visualcom was eventually acquired by NASDAQ-listed Fusion Networks, and my shares were reconverted as part of the acquisition.