November 2025 Young Planet Leader Sebastião Mendonça

Sebastião Mendonça is a Portuguese innovator using robotics and space-tech to restore ecosystems. He co-founded Trovador, a robotics-for-reforestation startup building the world’s first all-terrain autonomous tree-planting robots. This work earned him multiple accolades, including the Leadership in Robotics for Sustainability award, and invitations to speak in over ten countries across four continents.

Beyond Trovador, he explores how satellite data can steer ecological recovery, from creating an internationally recognized tool to optimize post-fire forest restoration to contributing to CubeSat and rocket projects. A former international STEM Olympian and zero-gravity flyer, he also helps capacitate and spark curiosity in underserved youth through hands-on educational programs.