RTL Today - MABU Concepts: World Smart City Awards: Luxembourg entrepreneur among final three in Barcelona

Steven Macedo, the Luxembourg entrepreneur behind MABU Concepts, was among the finalists of the World Smart City Awards in Barcelona.

The last few days were rather exciting for Steven Macedo: Back in early September, the entrepreneur from Luxembourg received an email informing him that his company MABU Concepts had made it to the final three of the World Smart City Awards in Barcelona.

Macedo was at a fair in Amsterdam, enjoying drinks with his team, when he received the message. Describing his initial reaction, Macedo said that he was stunned: "I basically froze in place - what is going on now?"

On Monday, Macedo arrived in Barcelona and was pleasantly surprised by the mild Mediterranean climate. "If you put on a jumper you can still sit on a terrace in the evening over here. At midnight, it was still between 23 and 24 degrees", the Luxembourger said.

'International prestige'

Representing "tiny Luxembourg" on a world stage is the most important thing for Macedo, who expressed particular gratitude for the widespread support he received "from the Luxembourg ambassador to the minister". In his view, international prestige is already "an amazing prize".

With the event now behind him, Macedo has two to three big projects in the pipeline. One of them is an AI-powered energy consultant that is already being tested in Stadtbredimus, a municipality which Macedo praised for "always being up to be a test candidate". By now, other municipalities have reached out as well.

Another project which the Luxembourger hopes to announce soon is a collaboration with the municipality of Luxembourg City that aims to improve the detection of water leaks.