Isaac Hernández (Google): "Barcelona has an enviable entrepreneurial ecosystem"

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oogle wants to strengthen ties with Barcelona. This was made clear at the meeting that the Country Manager of Google Cloud in Spain and Portugal, Isaac Hernández, held with fifty representatives of Barcelona's digital ecosystem, on the occasion of the 2018 Business Break Lunch, organized at Pier 01 by Barcelona Tech City, in collaboration with Google and Nubalia, one of the main partners of the technological giant in Spain. The event was attended by executives from Necsia, Gravient, Ionic AI, Rheo Diagnostics, Byhours, Alta Life Sciences, Valudio and Sapientis, among others.

After lunch, Hernández granted an interview to The New Barcelona Post where he revealed Google's commitment to the city and its unstoppable digital transformation:

What was the objective of this meeting?

We consider it important to be close to the sector. Google is still a startup due to its culture of innovation, but it is also large and complex to understand internally, because it is very matrix-based. We want to try to simplify that complexity through rapprochement. We want to help its emerging companies to be more successful, to expand globally, to make the leap. Google has already gone through that and we like to share our technological knowledge and also in areas such as talent acquisition and retention.

Are you also partners with companies in digital transformation?

Yes, Google is digitally native. We have been around for 20 years and have 92,000 employees, but internally we are still a digitally native company that can be a catalyst for digital transformation for others. Google is a partner for companies that feel that the world is moving faster than their company and that making small changes is not enough, that they see that in every industry there is a disruption.

How does Google help companies with digital transformation?

We try to help them in three areas. The first, with technology: the cloud, which is behind mobile disruption, big data or machine learning, allows them speed, security and agility. The second is process transformation. And the third, and most beautiful, is the change in company culture, since people are still key and the organization must be shaken up, with transparency, trust and better information flow. The journey of digital transformation is a difficult journey by nature.

Do meetings like this also represent an approach to the city for Google?

Yes, Barcelona is very high on Google's radar. Barcelona is super relevant for its large companies, but what makes it even more relevant is the success generated by an enviable ecosystem of entrepreneurs that has made it one of the top in Europe. I congratulate the city and those who make it possible.