Close the door, open a window. What began as a breakup of a former employer instead sparked a new venture for Elías Valcárcel and Jesús de la Calle, a move that pulled in around 2.5 million euros in the last year. The turnover is on track to reach 4 million in 2022, and the company has become a notable player in many Latin American capitals, with ambitions to extend its reach into Europe.
Neural Labs technology is making an impact in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the public secretary for road safety uses it to detect vehicles moving in the wrong direction or blocking intersections. In Medellín, Colombia, the system helps the police locate a car involved in a child abduction, while in Bogotá it measures how many cars, bicycles, scooters, and pedestrians cross a given street. Back home in Barcelona, where the headquarters sit, the team handles the technical checks for compliance with the Low Emissions Zone. And there is a quiet pride in the fact that they have unofficially secured several competitions; if things go as planned, much of Spain will be using Neural technology.
This company markets cameras and integrated systems that enable all these capabilities and much more. Co-founder Valcárcel recalled that the aim was to supply core technology such as neural networks and artificial intelligence, with the CEO deeply involved in client collaboration. Today, the company maintains close, ongoing contact with law enforcement, and even benefits from commissions tied to fines generated through their work. Field agents are part of the process.
crown jewel
Latin America stands out as the central focus of the business. They expanded there soon after launching and delivered 400 cameras to the Colombian Police, plus deployments in several Mexican cities. In Medellín, they secured 100 camera installations with an eye on a target of 1,500, while the firm’s footprint now includes offices in Mexico and Chile and the opening of two additional offices in Argentina and Colombia.
From the first website, it became clear where attention was heading: Latin America. Valcárcel notes that the region holds significant untapped potential and that the technology has a powerful life-saving impact. He sees a different pace and scale ahead in Europe, where the benefits are substantial as well.
Europe presented another avenue. After two decades of license plate tracking, the founders decided to broaden their scope to include scooters, bikes, and pedestrians. They began winning competitions to count two-wheeled traffic and to support traffic distribution work. This shift revealed a broader market beyond security and traffic departments, touching the mobility sector as a new core client. The aim is to deliver insights into how many cars, bikes, or people cross a road, exit an intersection, or change direction on daily or weekly timelines.
As growth in Latin America accelerates and mobility departments seek to understand movement patterns, Neural Labs plans to finish the year near a 4 million euro turnover, almost double the previous year. The path forward will require continued action from Barcelona’s leading tech companies, including Neural Labs.
Valcárcel emphasizes that the real challenge is not about selling to highly placed officials, but about making a leap to broader scale. He notes that European funds are available to support these technologies, which means a wave of advanced systems is on the horizon. The company believes Europe could mirror Latin America in volume, bringing the same transformative impact to European cities and mobility programs that has already reshaped its presence in Latin America.