CETT Fundació Entrepreneurship Awards 2025 | Twintual, First Prize: “Believe in your idea as if it already existed”

The CETT Fundació Entrepreneurship Awards recognize the best entrepreneurial projects in the tourism, hospitality, and gastronomy sectors. The prize consists of a 6-month advisory period for the projects, provided by members of the CETT mentoring team, along with a financial award. 

The project will receive this strategic mentorship from Albert Domingo, CEO and owner of Nextret, a consultancy specialized in ICT services and trustee of the CETT Fundació, and from Pablo Soto, Director of AI and Innovation at Vodafone Business. 

We spoke with Cristina Grau Vílchez, founder of Twintual, to learn firsthand about the origin of the project and the vision behind a tool that aims to transform the way professionals and companies manage their daily communication. 

• What is Twintual and how did the idea of creating a “digital twin” to manage professional communication come about? 

Twintual is an artificial intelligence app that brings together all your communication channels (email, WhatsApp, Slack, LinkedIn, etc.) in one place. But it goes further: it filters out irrelevant content, summarizes conversations, replies on your behalf in your tone of voice, and turns messages into tasks and events. It’s like having a “digital twin” that thinks for you and helps you focus on what truly matters. 

The idea stemmed from a very personal anecdote. I had been reflecting for some time on message overload and decided to write to an old friend (my co-founder, whom I’ve known since we were 12) to share what is now Twintual. He didn’t reply. I called him, and he said, “I’m overwhelmed; I can’t keep up with responding to messages.” That’s when I realized the problem wasn’t just mine: we can’t even reply to a friend, a client, or a boss without feeling like it’s taking over our lives. 

• What specific issue does it solve in professionals’ daily lives, and why is it so relevant in today’s context? 

Twintual addresses an issue that all professionals face daily: communication overload. We receive messages through too many channels, and managing them consumes hours of our time. In a context of information overload, hyperproductivity, and digital fatigue, saving two hours a day is not just about convenience—it's about quality of life. 

• Who is it aimed at, and what technical or logistical resources are required to implement the tool successfully? 

Twintual is designed for professionals with a high daily communication load: executives, entrepreneurs, managers, or freelancers who manage clients and teams, helping them reduce the time spent filtering emails, messages, or repetitive tasks. Our entry point within organizations is through Chief Information Officers (CIOs), who are responsible for optimizing internal and external communication flows. 

From a technical standpoint, all that’s needed is a device (mobile or computer) and an internet connection. Twintual is easily implemented as an app that integrates with email, messaging, and calendar accounts. There’s no need to change your existing tools—you simply connect the ones you already use, and Twintual becomes your digital assistant, operating from the cloud with no additional infrastructure required. 

• The application learns from user behavior to respond to their needs. What does this training process involve, and how does it impact performance over time? 

Twintual learns from user behavior through a proprietary algorithm called TBP (Twin Behavioral Profile), developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by me and Mathieu Bertrandy, the app’s co-founders. It analyzes how the user responds, the tone they use, the types of messages they prioritize, and when they take action. 

Simply using the app in daily life allows the system to start identifying patterns. As Twintual gains a more in-depth understanding of each individual, it begins to anticipate their needs, improving performance over time and increasing the user’s confidence in their digital twin. 

• Twintual was born in a context of information overproduction and channel overload. What role does the application play in this paradigm, and what are its future prospects? 

We live in the era of information obesity, and this excess communication is not only exhausting but also prevents us from focusing. In this context, Twintual filters out the noise and supports decision-making. Looking ahead, Twintual aims to become a layer of personal intelligence that accompanies each user, proactively anticipating their needs and managing communication on their behalf. 

• Artificial intelligence is powerful but also imperfect. What risks did you consider when developing the application, especially regarding trust and control? 

Artificial intelligence is as powerful as it is sensitive. That’s why Twintual has been designed around two key principles: trust and human control. First, the user always has the final say. Twintual never sends anything without review, unless explicitly authorized by the user. Moreover, the system is built to learn in a personalized way, not in a generic or invasive manner. 

We have also considered risks such as errors, misunderstandings, or biases. That’s why we implement transparency mechanisms and continuous feedback so users can see, understand, and correct what the system does. Regarding data security, we make no compromises. Mathieu is a cybersecurity expert who has designed the entire architecture to ensure that data is fully encrypted and protected.  

• What does this recognition from the professional jury of the CETT Fundació mean to you? 

This recognition from the professional jury of the CETT Fundació represents tremendous validation for our team and for the vision behind Twintual. It indicates that the tourism, hospitality, and business sectors recognize the value of solutions that save time and improve communication—and it was also the first sector we had as clients. 

Having an expert jury award our proposal confirms that we are solving a real and urgent problem, not only with technology but also with tangible impact for professionals and organizations. Furthermore, this award encourages us to continue growing and building strategic alliances within a key sector of the economy: hospitality. 

• What advice would you give to students who are considering becoming entrepreneurs? 

One fundamental piece of advice we would give to any student thinking about entrepreneurship is not to wait for the perfect moment. We often postpone our ideas because we believe others are already doing it or because it seems too difficult. Believe in your idea as if it already existed, visualize it becoming reality, and work toward it every day. 

And a second piece of advice: surround yourself with people who help you grow. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Seek rooms where you are not the smartest person, because that’s where you will learn the most. Staying humble, keeping your feet on the ground, and maintaining a healthy ambition to grow and improve every day are key. Entrepreneurship is hard—there will be obstacles and people who say no—but if you trust yourself and your team, anything is possible.