Nataly Horner

Future starts today

About

Hello! I am Nataly Horner, a Brazilian business builder currently based in the Bay Area, CA, USA. With a background in Physics and Computational Neuroscience, I am passionate about applying Science and Technology to improve people's lives and foster sustainable development.

For the past 10 years, I have been Partner and COO of UNIMAGNA, an electromechanical contract manufacturer in Brazil, and Founder of Touchsky, a venture for cleantech solutions.

I advocate for industrial automation as the key to national economic resiliency, especially targeting tasks with workforce shortages. The latest advances in the fields of AI and robotics have set the stage for exciting business opportunities to be harnessed in the coming years. I am currently interested in learning about and developing solutions for industrial applications.

I bring expertise in manufacturing, cleantech, and the Brazilian market. If you're interested in collaborating, please feel free to reach out!

Work

Education

Stanford Graduate School of Business 🇺🇸

Professional Certificate, Stanford Executive Program, 2025.

Albert Ludwig Universität Freiburg 🇩🇪

MSc in Photovoltaics. ISE Fraunhofer.

Universidade de São Paulo 🇧🇷

MSc in Physics. Computational Neuroscience Research.

Universidade Estadual de Campinas 🇧🇷

BSc in Physics.

California Institute of Technology 🇺🇸

Control & Dynamical Systems. Visiting Student under Prof. Richard Murray supervision.

Skills

Executive Leadership
  • Business Strategy
  • Stakeholder Engagement
  • P&L Management & Cost Engineering
  • Cross-Cultural Negotiation & Global Partnerships
Industry Expertise
  • Manufacturing Operations & Process Optimization
  • Cleantech & Renewable Energy
  • Project & Product Management
Technical Knowledge
  • Python, Matlab
  • NumPy, pandas, SciPy, pvlib
  • AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor
Languages
English Proficient
Portuguese Native
German Conversational - B2
French Conversational
Spanish Conversational

Work Experience

Partner | Chief Operations Officer
UNIMAGNA METALURGICA LTDA.
(ELECTROMECHANICAL CONTRACT MANUFACTURER, BRAZIL)

January 2013 – December 2024

  • Growth & Profitability: Doubled profitability and enhanced operational efficiency by 50% through enterprise-wide ERP integration and data-driven decision-making.
  • Strategic Expansion: Directed major investments in automation, talent, and certifications, expanding manufacturing capacity and securing high-profile S&P500 clients contributing 40% of revenue.
  • Sustainability Leadership: Spearheaded the commissioning of a 545 kWp photovoltaic plant, positioning the company as an early pioneer in industrial solar adoption in Brazil.
  • Global Partnerships: Negotiated and managed international collaborations across Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Founder | General Manager
TOUCHSKY TECNOLOGIA DE SISTEMAS
(CLEANTECH, BRAZIL)

April 2017 – December 2023

  • Founded and scaled a cleantech venture delivering solar monitoring solutions adopted by Brazil’s top five solar companies.
  • Directed end-to-end product development, sourcing, and deployment while managing teams across engineering, operations, and customer delivery.

Additional Information

Research, Grants and Prizes
  • Overirradiance in the context of sizing and operation of PV Plants (2019). Data analysis of solar irradiance data (3 years span – 10 sensors) using Python (pandas, pv-lib).
    DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.24411.28969
  • FAPESP Master Research Grant: Experimental work and computational analysis on blowfly neural code data using tools from Complex Systems and Information Theory. Multifractality in the neural code of the blowfly (2008)
    DOI: 10.11606/D.76.2008.tde-16022011-080323
  • FAPESP Undergraduate Research Grant: Introduction to Astrophysical Dynamo Theory (2005)
  • IFGW Acquisition Prize 2005 for Best Project in STEM Devices: Cosmic Rays Cloud Chamber (2005)

Projects

I am currently interested in how to make robots programming more accessible for factory workers.

Quick Facts

Motivation

The answer to the question above is multidimensional and it is not my goal to discuss all causes here.

After spending more than a decade in the manufacturing industry and interacting daily with people from a wide range of educational and technical backgrounds, I have developed a deep respect for all my peers, regardless of their position or background. Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, it remains a reality that highly intelligent and capable individuals lack access to basic education. When education is available, it is often of low quality, limiting learning opportunities and career paths for these workers. However, when empowered with the right tools, they are able to overcome many limitations and master advanced concepts.

Significant progress has been made over the past 20 years in making robotics programming more user-friendly and less abstract for the layman. Yet, there is still a long way to achieve a hospitable ecosystem akin to what the personal computers and CNC machines unlocked in the 1980s and 1990s.

A final layer that will empower the end user in every factory has yet to be built, since a large percentage of manufacturing companies that would benefit most from these technologies cannot afford to maintain a dedicated robotics technician in-house.

In progress

Currently building expertise in ROS 2, NVIDIA Omniverse, and machine learning to bridge advanced robotics with workforce empowerment.

Reach out if you're interested in discussing ideas or collaborating on innovative solutions!

Fun

Cybernetics

I am fascinated by the human brain and an avid learner of all topics related to cybernetics. In the 1940s, it laid the groundwork for so many important technologies today: AI, neural networks, control systems, information theory, neuroscience. Norbert Wiener - Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine

Music

As a music freak, I am always on the hunt for new artists, new tunes and exchanging musical recommendations!
🎵 Listen to My Brazilian Music Selection.

Outdoors

I love hiking and biking with my husband! All the photos on this website are from hikes here and there. Ping me for travel advice in Brazil. Our current bucket list:

  1. Patagonia
  2. Amazonia
  3. Mount Kailash
  4. Lençois Maranhenses
  5. Mount Whitney
  6. Salcantay - Machhu Picchu

Man in the arena

Theodore Roosevelt - April 23, 1910

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

Contact

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