Hi, I'm Cauê (/kaˈu.e/). For English speakers, my name should sound something like Cow + e (as in "e"xciting). That's the best explanation I’ve found so far.

I have always been driven by a passion for space technology and the challenge of pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Feelings that were cultivated with Star Trek, Star Wars and may other SciFi shows and movies. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to work on a variety of impactful projects that shaped me into a versatile engineer and leader.

I was born and raised in Brazil, with German nationality. I graduated from UFABC as an Aerospace Engineer and completed a one-year exchange program at KTH in Sweden.

During University, my experience at UFABC Rocket Design, where I managed a team of students, was instrumental in building my leadership and mentoring skills. It also gave me hands-on experience in system design and testing, from hybrid rocket engines, designing a 6-DOF Rocket Simulator that was used at Alcântara Launch Center and collaborating on the first version of a national-wide competition joining universities from all over the country. The challenges we faced, and overcame, as a team helped me understand the value of collaboration and persistence in achieving technical goals. Additionally, I participated in AIESEC, where I completed two volunteer programs in Ukraine and the Czech Republic, which further broadened my perspective cultural adaptability. After these programs, I also took the opportunity to backpack through Europe, which enriched my personal growth and resilience.

At first first job, at Anacom, I gained essential skills in technical support and sales for simulation and mission planning tools, working with diverse stakeholders including lab technicians, engineers, VPs, and high-ranking military personnel across Latin America. This experience taught me invaluable communication skills, instilling confidence to work with influential individuals early in my career.

At PLD Space, I took on new challenges in trajectory analysis, flight dynamics, and system safety engineering, contributing to the safe development of Miura 1 and Miura 5. My work in collaboration with GMV on 6-DOF models deepened my understanding of system integration and mission safety. One particularly high-pressure experience was during the Miura 5 drop test campaign, where I ran real-time simulations in partnership with the Spanish Army to predict landing zones—a crucial task that demonstrated the importance of adaptability and precision. This experience in an ever-changing startup environment provided invaluable lessons in adaptability and growth, almost like a hands-on business education. 

At Valispace, I expanded my role beyond engineering by stepping into product management and customer success. My work here started as Customer Success Engineer and was characterized by close collaboration with customers, often reaching a consulting level as I assisted them in applying best practices for their engineering projects. During challenging times, I played a key role in retaining important customers, leveraging transparency and the trust I built with them. Positive feedback from customers often highlighted the quality of our Customer Success team, with many citing our support as a key factor in their decision to renew, especially during challenging periods. After the first few months, I started getting more involved in other areas and grew my responsibilities to a wide range of areas, occasionally wearing hats at Product, Quality, and even Development. With my Product hat, I've worked on Problem and Solution Discovery of several modules and functionalities of Valispace, studying user needs and designing new solutions. An interesting example was the early development of Vali Assistant during the rise of LLMs, where it was exciting (and a bit overwhelming) to explore the potential of this new technology for our tool. This work helped position Valispace at the forefront of AI-powered engineering collaboration. Thanks to the collective efforts of the team and the trust of the founders, I was invited to join the Leadership Board, where we worked together to shape the company's strategic direction until its acquisition by Altium.

My career path has been a continuous journey of learning and growth, from the technical support role at Anacom to aerospace projects at PLD Space, and finally to the innovative and collaborative environment at Valispace. Each step has contributed to my skill set, allowing me to take on increasingly complex challenges and develop a holistic approach to engineering, product management, and leadership. With a foundation in systems engineering, product innovation, and cross-functional leadership, I look forward to contributing to projects that shape the future of aerospace and space exploration.