Gustavo Cadena Interview: The Future of Biotech and OMIUS

This past Monday, September 2nd, I had the opportunity to interview Gustavo Cadena, the CEO and founder of the Biotechnology company: OMIUS. 

SIFAN HASSAN, PARIS OLYMPICS 2024 FEMALE MARATHON GOLD MEDALIST CROSSING THE FINISH LINE WEARING OMIUS

OMIUS is a company that received a lot of praise during the 2024 PARIS OLYMPICS, being one of the featured gadgets by athletes during events like triathlon, marathons, and cycling. 

Their signature product is a biotech headband that amplifies the cooling mechanisms of the body, allowing for athletes to have better endurance during their races. 

In my conversation with Gustavo, we highlighted both the entrepreneur and scientific aspects that OMIUS is built off of. 

The headband's technology is backed by science, featuring 20-30 individual cooling pieces made of small graphite patches—a naturally lightweight material that absorbs heat generated by the body during physical activity. These patches enable the headband to absorb body heat and provide over five times the surface area for evaporation, enhancing the body's ability to cool down. As a result, users generate greater endurance and improved heat resistance. This summer at the Paris Olympics, it was actually an athletic manager who reached out to Cadena, requesting his bio-thermal technology to help athletes cope with the intense heat. Athletes such as women's marathon gold medalist Sifan Hassan and two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge utilized the technology!! 

The cooling effects of the headband work under 2 main conditions, being wet and with constant air flow. 

Constant air flow —> is a crucial part of enhancing the evaporation process, without it the effectiveness of the band decreases because air stimulates the cooling graphite pieces to work.

The gadget must also be wet when in use, Cadena explained how they are usually soaked before put to use in order to stimulate function and help the user amplify endurance. 

CEO and Founder Gustavo Cadena (up) and me, Cordelia de la Fuente (down), gaining a better scientific understanding of the device. 

(At this point in the conversation I was absolutely mind blown about the science of the technology and how this 100% Mexican technology became such a sports sensation)  So… I asked about the entrepreneurial journey of the Company. 

How did Cadena start? 

In 2013, Gustavo was a graduated physics engineer from el Tecnologico de Monterrey that started to find a way to combine his personal struggle, the neverending heat in Monterrey, with physics and thermoregulation. 

He mentioned how he came across a book that explained how different types of fabric affect the thermoregulation of the body, through numbers. He started to learn different clothing materials (ex. DRI-FIT, linen, polyester) generate different flows of energy and heat dissipation. 

Dissipation = movement of heat away from original source and into the environment. 

Cadena tried cooling vests, t-shirt patches and after constant trial and error and not giving up, he came up with a thermoregulating headband, Genius! 

Turns out, the forehead is one of the areas that generates the most heat and sweat… 

Think about it:  as your muscles generate heat through exercise, your blood vessels expand to release that heat, causing your flushed appearance. Your heart is pumping more blood to your brain, keeping everything in sync during the workout.

Targeting the forehead proved to be the best and most effective area of the body for cooling thermoregulation technology. 

Why did Cadena Start? 

The creation of this product helped Cadena crack into the biotech market and is now being featured by some of the biggest athletes on the planet at the biggest stage: The Olympics. However, when asked what his mission is for the company in future years, Gustavo mentioned a really interesting point. 

Addressing Climate Change and Global Warming. 

Unfortunately, humanity is experiencing some of the largest heat waves ever due to climate change. Cadena is looking to create sustainable solutions to prevent society from being indoors all day blasting the air conditioner. In the future, Cadena aims to improve OMNIUS technology to be accessible and help not only athletes but also individuals in construction and industrial work sites. 

What an incredible mission and vision. 

We need more biotechnological companies that aspire to help humanity. 

I had a great time learning about this company, can’t wait to see what they do in the future!

For more information about the product, be sure to check out OMIUS : omius.io