Founders Interviews -Jon Salazar - Gazelle Wind Power
First, can you tell us about your professional background and the path that led you to Gazelle?
My path began at the age of seven when I met my uncle, Dr Antonio Garcia, the former lead hydrodynamic engineer for the Spanish Team in the America’s Cup — the Formula 1 of the sea. A doctor-level naval engineer and gold medallist in mathematics, his brilliance ignited my passion for engineering and left an indelible mark on me.
This passion led me to pursue a career in Communications, Electrical, and Software Engineering while simultaneously exploring entrepreneurial ventures from my teenage years — some unsuccessful, but others deeply rewarding. Later, I embarked on a corporate career at Deloitte, working in the finance industry.
This experience later helped me connect the dots when I co-founded one of the largest financial literacy communities in the Spanish-speaking world, which I led until 2020. The year before, I had reconnected with my uncle, who shared an intriguing idea for a new technology for floating structures designed to support offshore wind turbines. By then, I had already transitioned fully from corporate life to entrepreneurship.
My previous venture, which was bootstrapped, profitable, and cash-flow generating, gave me the capacity to explore this opportunity. Initially, I approached global energy developers about advancing my uncle’s concept. While they recognised its potential, it became clear that the idea required further development and de-risking to scale globally.
Despite lacking a traditional energy sector background, I took a leap of faith. I reached out to industry experts, sending up to 500 LinkedIn messages a week. Many accepted my invitations, and a smaller number agreed to short meetings or interviews. These conversations became my crash course in the industry’s greatest challenges and helped validate the uniqueness of our technology.
Through this process, I realised not only how innovative our solution was — particularly in its potential to lower electricity costs — but also how purposeful it could be. I came to understand how our work could drive the global energy transition while positively impacting society by delivering affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy. This passion evolved into a total commitment to bringing the technology to life.
In 2020, I exited my previous business. Following a management buyout and the sale of my stake, I founded Gazelle Wind Power in December of that year. I became its first investor, and within four months, we secured backing from leading players in energy transition and infrastructure investment, including Covalis Capital’s early-stage vehicles, angel investors, and corporate family offices like E2IN2. During our first year, we also attracted key partners in the blue economy, such as the Norwegian investment fund Katapult Ocean.
A proud moment for me is seeing my uncle, Dr Antonio Garcia, now serve as Gazelle’s Chief Innovation Officer, watching his visionary concept come to life and drive transformative impact in the offshore wind industry.
How is your product different from others in the market? What makes it unique?
Gazelle’s solution is an innovative floating platform technology for offshore wind energy, combining a patented mooring system with a lightweight, modular hull substructure. This design addresses the high costs, operational challenges, and scalability limitations of current offshore wind platforms, enabling efficient deployment and operation in deep waters where wind resources are abundant and consistent.
Our value proposition is built on three key innovation pillars:
· CAPEX Reduction: Gazelle’s unique design outperforms conventional spar, tension-leg platforms (TLP), and semi-submersible platforms in weight reduction, mass producibility, and suitability for assembly and launch from a wide range of ports — not just those with large or deep-water facilities. The ease of launch and hook-up further lowers costs.
· OPEX Reduction: The simplicity of the design inherently reduces maintenance costs. This advantage is amplified by unparalleled tow-to-port readiness, eliminating the need for costly marine operations.
· Generation Increase: The platform optimally “cares for” the wind turbine, enabling generation across a wider range of metocean conditions. Features such as quick-disconnect mooring reduce maintenance costs and facilitate predictive maintenance through digital twin modelling.
Gazelle has achieved notable milestones, including receiving a DNV statement of feasibility, validating the technical and economic viability of its technology. Our partnerships with leading scientific institutions and industry players have cemented our strategic position in the global market. Accolades such as being named one of WIRED’s “Hottest Start-ups in Dublin” (2024) or EDF Pulse Ventures — “2023 Start-up to follow. Top 10 most promising Floating Offshore Wind Startups globally — Floater Design” further affirm our standing in the industry.
Gazelle’s platform is distinguished by key features:
- Novel Mooring System: A passive, gravity-based system with a suspended counterweight that simplifies operations, increases reliability, and reduces maintenance needs.
- Lightweight and Compact Design: By separating buoyancy and stability functions, the platform is 30–40% lighter than semi-submersible alternatives, reducing CAPEX and environmental impact.
- Streamlined Manufacturing and Assembly: Modular fabrication employs shipbuilding techniques for faster, scalable production. The platform’s low draft enables deployment from existing ports, avoiding costly infrastructure modifications.
- Hydrodynamic Efficiency: Stress on mooring cables is reduced, avoiding large catenary systems, minimizing seabed impact, and enhancing sustainability.
These innovations address the limitations of existing designs, such as Spar platforms, which require deep water and are hindered by excessive weight, and TLP platforms, which rely on costly anchorage systems and suffer from instability risks. Even the semi-submersible platforms, considered state-of-the-art, face challenges such as high steel requirements, long assembly times, and reliance on active ballast systems, all of which Gazelle’s platform overcomes.
How does Gazelle align with global sustainability goals? Are there specific metrics or certifications that you prioritize?
Gazelle aligns closely with global sustainability goals, particularly those outlined in the EU’s 2020 Offshore Renewable Energy Strategy. This initiative aims to achieve 60 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and 300 GW by 2050, with floating offshore wind (FLOW) expected to play a significant role. By 2050, FLOW could account for up to one-third of Europe’s offshore wind capacity, reaching 100 GW. Currently, only 24 FLOW turbines have been installed in Europe, underscoring the immense scale of development required to meet these targets. Gazelle’s scalable and cost-effective solutions will be instrumental in bridging this gap.
Our innovation is focused on delivering abundant renewable electricity at a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) that supports rapid decarbonisation across electricity, transport, heating, and industrial processes. Beyond zero-carbon operation, Gazelle is committed to sustainability in construction and recycling. Initiatives include:
- Using recycled, green steel in platform fabrication.
- Partnering with fabricators who use renewable electricity in welding processes.
While some carbon emissions remain embedded in construction (e.g., paint, mooring lines, logistics), Gazelle is exploring carbon reabsorption strategies, such as enhancing marine biodiversity around anchors and cladding structures with artificial reef tiles.
Gazelle’s platform design further minimizes environmental impact by reducing reliance on large service vessels during O&M phases and by enabling turbines to be positioned farther offshore, decreasing visual and noise pollution for coastal communities.
Our technology supports multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
- SDG 7 — Affordable and Clean Energy: Expanding clean energy infrastructure through cost-effective design.
- SDG 9 — Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: Promoting innovation and leveraging existing infrastructure to reduce costs.
- SDG 13 — Climate Action: Supporting large-scale renewable energy projects to mitigate climate change.
- SDG 14 — Life Below Water: Protecting marine ecosystems through reduced seabed impact.
What kind of team and culture have you built at Gazelle, and how has that contributed to its success?
At Gazelle, we envision a future where floating offshore wind energy is deployable at utility scale, becoming as financially attractive as fixed-bottom wind power. Our culture is grounded in this vision, fostering innovation, reliability, and a commitment to excellence.
To guide us toward this vision, I began assembling a world-class board of directors, including industry leaders such as Dr Javier Cavada, CEO of Mitsubishi Power EMEA; David Mesonero, Head of Global Development and M&A at Iberdrola and former CFO of Siemens Gamesa; and Connie Hedegaard, former European Commissioner for Climate Action.
As we move into 2025, Gazelle is supported by an exceptional executive and technical team. We prioritise workforce development through:
- Comprehensive Career Development: Providing funding for certifications, technical training, and opportunities to participate in industry-leading conferences and workshops.
- Strategic Partnerships: Collaborating with academic institutions to equip our teams with expertise in renewable energy, hydrodynamics, and naval architecture.
- Commitment to Excellence: Encouraging innovation and knowledge sharing to drive the development of cutting-edge solutions and foster a results-driven mindset.
Gazelle’s impact extends far beyond its team. A single 500 MW wind farm using our platform technology could generate up to 5,000 direct and indirect jobs across manufacturing, assembly, installation, and operations and maintenance (O&M). These projects will play a critical role in revitalizing local economies and fostering long-term economic resilience, while contributing to the global transition to renewable energy.
What has been the most crucial moment in the history of Gazelle so far?
One of Gazelle’s defining milestones was the first successful demonstration of the Gazelle principle. Rigorous testing at recognised scientific facilities, validated by third-party classification societies, proved that our platform was stable and technically sound — a critical achievement in our journey.
However, a major challenge arose: our initial mooring system relied on pulleys, which caused bending fatigue in the mooring lines, falling far short of the 25–30-year lifespan expected by the industry. After a sleepless night, I reached out to Dr Antonio Garcia, Gazelle’s Chief Innovation Officer. Together, we reimagined the system, replacing pulleys with balancing arms. This breakthrough eliminated bending fatigue, extended the system’s lifespan beyond market requirements, and unlocked scalability for turbines exceeding 20–25 MW.
Can you elaborate more about the Nau Azul project?
The Nau Azul project represents Gazelle’s vision brought to life, demonstrating the capabilities of a 2 MW floating wind turbine generator (WTG) deployed in Aguçadoura, Portugal. This project is designed to showcase the platform’s ability to achieve an LCOE comparable to fixed-bottom installations, unlocking deep-water wind resources for utility-scale commercial applications.
Beyond validating the technology, Nau Azul highlights key design features that enable mass production and cost efficiency, including:
- Modular Design: Simplifies manufacturing and streamlines assembly, reducing time and costs.
- Minimal Port and Draft Requirements: Ensures flexibility for deployment from various port infrastructures.
- Ease of Towing, Hook-Up, and Disconnection: Facilitates operations, reduces maintenance downtime, and ensures cost efficiency.
By conducting Nau Azul in Portugal, we are also laying the foundation for supply chains critical to commercial-scale production. This aligns with Europe’s renewable energy objectives, advances energy independence, and establishes a high-value manufacturing sector that benefits local economies.
If you could go back in time, is there anything you’d do differently?
Hindsight often makes decisions seem obvious — like investing in Portugal, setting up our premises, and building our technical team. However, at the time, these choices were far from straightforward. In a nascent industry, there is no playbook; you must forge your own path.
Establishing our strategy required hundreds of conversations with industry experts, financial advisors, and legal professionals. One pivotal decision was choosing a demonstration site. When I founded Gazelle, there were only a handful of suitable testing locations globally. Navigating regulatory and policy challenges added complexity while balancing countless moving parts — permitting, planning, technology roadmaps, operations, stakeholder engagement, and securing financial resources.
Today, our timing feels ideal. Gazelle’s floating platform technology aligns seamlessly with market demands, technological readiness, and policy priorities. Countless permutations have brought us to the right place at the right time.
What can we expect from Gazelle now that you have raised a €11.4M round?
Our immediate focus is the Nau Azul project, a cornerstone of our strategy. We are diligently de-risking the project from permitting and planning perspectives, advancing engineering efforts, and initiating manufacturing. Simultaneously, we continue to build a world-class technical and operational team to ensure successful execution.
Looking ahead, we are strategically positioning ourselves to meet anticipated demand as Nau Azul becomes operational. With 4.5 gigawatts of projects already in the pipeline at various stages of discussion, we are laying the groundwork for significant momentum. While some projects remain far from final investment decisions, we expect Nau Azul’s demonstration of our platform’s capabilities to catalyse rapid growth.
Our ultimate goal is to provide energy developers, utilities, and EPCs worldwide with scalable and efficient floating wind technology solutions. To achieve this, we are not only expanding our team but also enhancing our capabilities to scale effectively with growing demand. Nau Azul is just the beginning of a much larger vision, and we are excited to shape the future of offshore wind energy.
Do you have any tips or advice for an aspiring founder?
Stay focused, and do whatever it takes to maintain that focus. Keep your vision close to your heart, as building a company from the ground up is a rollercoaster ride filled with highs and lows — often within the same day. If your motivation is purely financial or not deeply rooted in your sense of purpose, navigating the inevitable challenges will be significantly harder.
Building a new industry is like hunting a dinosaur — it requires resilience, perseverance, and an open mind. Along the way, you’ll likely need to kiss thousands of frogs before finding your prince or princess.
Treat your work as the vehicle for fulfilling your life’s purpose or mission. To stay on track, implement accountability systems that keep you centred and ensure every aspect of your life aligns with that mission. When your actions are guided by purpose, success will follow.
Lastly, what has been the funnier part of growing your startup?
One memorable story involves Dr Antonio Garcia, our Chief Innovation Officer. We were hosting a delegation from a well-known Japanese company in Porto, about 45 minutes from our offices in Viana do Castelo. The visit included a tour of our project site, and the Japanese executives — eight or nine senior professionals — arrived impeccably dressed in suits and ties. I matched their formality, wearing a three-piece suit myself, as is my signature style.
Then my uncle arrived in sandals, jeans, and a T-shirt. He quietly sat beside me during the meeting, and I could sense the executives’ curiosity. For over two hours, he didn’t say a word as we discussed various topics. But when the conversation turned technical, he stood up, pulled out a 3D-printed mockup of our technology, and began explaining it in remarkable detail. The room shifted instantly — he had their full attention.
Months later, I travelled with one of the senior executives from that company, and we reminisced about that moment. He admitted they initially thought, “Who is this guy in sandals sitting quietly?” But the moment he started speaking, they realised they were in the presence of a genius. It’s a story we still laugh about, often joking, “Genius wears sandals.” It perfectly captures the authenticity and brilliance driving Gazelle’s innovation.
*Interview by Catarina Rebola — Marketing, Communications & Events
