Zé Ferreira

Zé Pinto Ferreira is the co-founder and former CEO of Mellow, a startup that developed a hybrid sous vide appliance with unique features such as built-in refrigeration and a scale.13 He founded Mellow in February 2013 and led the company as CEO during its product development phase.2

Ferreira has a background in research and technology. Prior to founding Mellow, he worked as an R&D Intern at Procter & Gamble and as a researcher at Instituto Superior Técnico.2 His LinkedIn profile username is zemvpferreira, as mentioned in the query.

In early 2017, Ferreira stepped down from his role as CEO of Mellow. This change occurred before the company's first product shipment, which was unusual for a founder. Gary Itenson, who had been serving as the company's COO, took over as the new CEO.1 According to Itenson, Ferreira made the decision to leave the company on his own, but did so in a way that ensured the company could continue moving forward without disruption.1

During his time at Mellow, Ferreira was involved in key partnerships and product development. He played a role in securing a relationship with contract manufacturer Flextronics, which was crucial for taking the Mellow product from prototype to mass production.13

Ferreira's departure from Mellow came as the company was transitioning from a product development team to a more robust operational entity, preparing for the shipment of their first products.1 Despite leaving before the product shipped, Ferreira's contributions were significant in bringing the innovative sous vide appliance to the point of production.